This Month In Metal: September 2008

Amon Amarth – Twilight Of The Thunder God

Release date: September 17
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Melodic death metal

Due to a string of quite succesful albums, Amon Amarth have built quite a name for themselves. The outfit's brand of honest-to-Oden death metal with a touch of melody has certainly struck a chord with crowds and metal fans in general. Thus “Twilight of the Thunder God” certainly deserves to be referred to as an anticipated release, especially given the success (both commercially and musically) for their previous effort, “With Oden On Our Side”.

Well, the lowdown is that if the previous two or three releases were your cup of mead, then this certainly should fit like a glove. Amon Amarth don't really progress in any way – it's the same tried and tested sound of pummelling double bass, scorching riffs, minor melodies, vivid lyrical imagery of the age of Vikings and Johan Hegg's signature bark. Obviously there's nothing inherently wrong with sticking to your guns when your sound stands out like Amon Amarth's, but I can definitely see the point of those who criticise the album for showing no growth. In fact, I'll also agree with those who say that lyrically it's a bit dumbed down compared to “With Oden..” and especially “Fate of Norns”. While that's most definitely true, there're still some tunes to kick your rear-end to MiklagÃ¥rd and back. The opener and title track is one of the finer death metal tunes you'll hear this year with a chorus that's certainly going to be a fan favorite. “Free Will Sacrifice”, “Tattered Banners And Bloody Flags” and “The Hero” also put forward a strong case for the band.

Amon Amarth don't really get much wrong with “Twilight of the Thunder God”. It's a damn fine release with some killer tunes, as well as a few that don't stand out much but nothing that'll make you hurl of disgust (unless the Viking-theme isn't your thing, I suppose). “Twilight... ” is, again, a fine slab of metal but the boys will have to step things up on the next album, or I'll start throwing the word “stagnate” around.

· Rating: 7.5

Iced Earth – The Crucible Of Man

Release date: September 9
Label: SPV
Genre: Heavy Metal

Hello Matt Barlow, good bye Tim Owens. Jon Schaffer certainly likes to keep that door revolving and with another somewhat new line-up, the second part of the Something Wicked saga is upon us. Is it any good?

No. My main problem with “Framing Armageddon” (ie the predecessor to this album) was that it was a) too padded b) too long c) too much mid-tempo. Thus, I'm hardly Jon Schaffer's favourite reviewer and I'm hardly surprised to see him committing the same errors. While on my soap-box, I'll simply say that Jon Schaffer has lost it. Do I hear recognisable riffs that'll have you humming them long after the song has ended? No. Big choruses, catchy choruses used to be a part of Iced Earth's sound. Are they here? Nay. Varied use of tempo's? Nope.

There's been a huge hooplah about Matt Barlow's return to Iced Earth, and he does a great job. Matt has not lost a thing of what made him a great metal vocalist, and he sounds as good as ever. I find that people tend to go on about how well he delivers emotion (songs such as Melancholy, A Question of Heaven etc) and that somewhat overshadows how well he succeeds in delivering a more evil tone. Sadly, that delivery is rare on “The Crucible of Man”.

The problem is that while most of the songs are well-written, well-played and nicely recorded, they fail to stick. This time around, the songs simply are not good enough. Jon Schaffer wanted to deliver a huge, epic saga but he has failed big time. “The Crucible of Man” is a sub-par release from a band, or perhaps I should say a man capable of much greater things. Back to the drawing board, Jon.

· UG Review
· Rating: 4

Lord Belial – The Black Curse

Release date: September 23
Label: Regain
Genre: Black metal

I didn't have very high expectations for this album, but then again I'm a bit of sceptic. “The Black Curse” turned out to be a very, very pleasant surprise. The band mixes melody and brutality without ever coming off as cheap or attempting to cash in on their sound. Both dissonance and harmony finds its way into their brand of (modern) black metal and despite that, it does not sound schizophrenic or forced. If anything, it's the other way around. Blast-beats, tempo changes, acoustic interludes, some very tasty melodic soloing and an evil shriek courtesy of Thomas Backelin makes this a very enjoyable listen.

But just having the right mixture of elements is of course not enough to deliver a good album – you need good songs as well. And boy does “The Black Curse” deliver in that department. Picking out two or three songs to represent the album is a difficult task. It's a far easier task to pick out the songs that are less than spectacular, such as “Sworn”. It's perhaps blasphemy to throw around such terms when discussing an album of this genre, but several of the songs are what I'd refer to as “hits”. Big choruses (see Soul Gate and Trumpets of Doom), catchy riffs (opener Pazuzu, Ascension of Lilith) and overall solid and purposeful song writing makes this album a must have and I'd be surprised if this doesn't end up in my top 5 when the year is to be summarised.

· Rating: 9

Metallica – Death Magnetic

Release date: September 12
Label: Vertigo
Genre: Thrash metal

Much talked about, much discussed... and here we go again. As it turned out, those predicting a “St Anger II” were not answered, but nor were those hoping for “Master of Puppets II”. “Death Magnetic” is, as far as I'm concerned the natural continuation and the missing link between “Metallica” and present day. The heavy, fast riffs made a return, as well as Hammett's leads along with more progressive song structures and thankfully, a fine return to form for Hetfield when it comes to lyrics.

“Death Magnetic” is of course, like most albums, not without its flaws. One of the more publicly discussed problems is the horrendous mixing and mastering. As far as the music goes, the album does not hold Hammett and Ulrich's best work by any stretch. A couple of the beats sound a bit ham-fisted and it's safe to say that Ulrich is well past his prime. Hammett's leads leave a lot to be desired and at times it's more or less mindless self-indulgence without aim or purpose. A few of the songs don't accomplish much, if anything (I'm looking at you, “The Unforgiven III”) and make the album a bit longer than it had to be.

But Metallica were never really about individual prowess or flash. Their strength lay in their ability to pen good songs as a group, and “Death Magnetic” shows a return to that. The opening three or four songs are all solid-to-great thrashers that shows Metallica can still hang with the best of them. And, when it all boils down, that's what it's all about. “Death Magnetic” is, as previously stated not without its flaws, but there're plenty of things to be happy about. As it turns out, it's a solid metal album. For a (much) longer discussion on the album, see my UG Team review linked below.

· UG Review
· Rating: 7

The Haunted – Versus

Release date: September 17
Label: Century Media
Genres: Modern Thrash Metal

“Returning to their roots” is a phrase often carelessly thrown around by bands, but in the case of “Versus”, it's actually quite appropriate. While The Haunted don't return to their jurassic era, it's definitely a step or two back in time. Their previous effort, “The Dead Eye” was a bit experimental in places, whereas the majority of “Versus” is a bit more in the vein of “One Kill Wonder” or “rEVOLVEr”. In other words, straightforward and in-your-face aggressive metal.

There're no obvious mistakes in the execution of their vision – production, lyrics and music come together well in a good, slab of metal. There're quite a few songs that'll gel well with their live repertoire, such as “Moronic Colossus”, “Pieces” and “Faultline”. The outfit also avoid the most common trap these days –- outstaying their welcome. Add three or four songs in the same vein and this would have been a lesser listen. Clocking in a 39 minutes, it's just about right given the genre and style of these guys.

All is not gold though –- while it's a very solid effort without any obvious flaws, it would've benefitted from having a new “99” or “All Against All” in there, a real hit if you prefer it bluntly. It's just 39 minutes long, so it's far from a chore to listen to “Versus”. It's just that while there're no clunkers, fillers or tracks that stand out as poor, there're also not enough songs that stand out as in-your-face-kick-ass-metal. Worthwhile listening from one of the better bands around, but nothing that'll make critics or fans stand on their heads.

· UG Review
· Rating: 7

Psycroptic – Ob(Servant)

Release date: September 26
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genres: Technical Death Metal

Psycroptic shot to fame within the underground following 2003's acclaimed “Scepter of the Ancients”. A somewhat lacklustre effort followed, but I can gladly say that Psycroptic are back on track again with “Ob(Servant)”. Brutal breakdowns, blast-beats, crazy passages and an ability to pen coherent songs while keeping things interesting from a technical perspective helps “Ob(Servant)” to keep the listener, in other words me, interested for the full 50 minutes. The ball is dropped with the opening track, which also happens to be the title track of the album, and from then it just keeps rolling in various tempos (always a plus) with Jason Peppiatt truly coming into his own as the vocalist for this group. The rest of the band puts down impeccable performances, and this being U-G I'll have to say that guitarist Joe Haley has officially blown my mind with his ability to pen catchy, complex and brutal riffs.

“Ob(Servant)” is the band's first release on Nuclear Blast, and hopefully this'll help them reach a larger audience. While full of killer tunes, the album also boasts an excellent production. It's clean, articulate and slick, yet aggressive and well balanced. My only criticism would be that the bass-drum gets a bit thin and ticky sounding when we reach the really high tempos, but that's obviously a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

As far as technical death metal goes so far this year, you can't do much better. Solid as Ayers Rock and in places just as heavy, “Ob(Servant)” should keep you happy until they hit a town near you.

· Rating: 9

Trivium – Shogun

Release date: September 30
Label: Roadrunner
Genre: Modern/Melodic Metal

A seemingly inherent problem in today's music business is that the compact disc gives bands more time to fill out, thus making bands record more music than they have to. Trivium in their past have been no exception, and while being one of the most promising bands out there, they've managed to make their record at least 15 minutes too long. One should note that I consider Trivium a very good band with an insane amount of potential, and stubborn as I am, I believe that one day they'll pen a truly great album. But, as things stand, that day has yet to come.

“Shogun” displays further growth for the Florida-outfit, incorporating 7-strings on almost all songs, going back to adding screaming again and raising their own technical bar by quite a few notches. Matt Heafy has turned into quite an accomplished singer with a pleasant tone and voice characteristic, and Corey Beulieu is coming into his own as one of the more interesting lead guitarists out there. I'm not overly crazy about Travis Smith behind the drums, but Paolo Gregoletto is as solid as ever and even gets to drop a few bass solos during the course of “Shogun”.

I'd argue that their previous effort was a bit more riff-driven than “Ascendancy” and this album, which I quite enjoyed. As far as I'm concerned, Trivium are at their best when they play a more aggressive style of metal, and they do go a bit too far into melodic territory for my tastes on “Shogun”. The melodies don't always catch on and perhaps a more stripped down approach is the way to go for this band. Sound-wise the album is very, very well produced with a nice warm tone and the vocal overdubs sit nicely with the main lines in the mix.

As far as songs go, well, it's a bit padded. If I'd been at the helm, I would've trimmed the fat a bit and turned this into a 45-ish minute effort. The one-two punch of “Like Callisto..” and the title track is a bit of a drag and doesn't help the album end very well. As often is the case these days, the band blows their load early with “Kirisute Gomen”, “Down From The Sky” and “Into the Mouth of Hell We March” who are all good-to-great metal songs with a lot of character and gusto.

“Shogun” is a nice metal album with quite a few interesting twists and turns, several good songs and a good sound but Trivium need to learn to trim the fat before they can ascend into the higher echelons of the metal pantheon. Good, not great but full of potential.

· UG Review
· Rating: 7

News And Tidbits From The Past Month

Trigger the Bloodshed will enter the studio in October.

Poison the Well will enter the studio in November. A May 2009 release is scheduled.

Bass-player Noah Martin of Arsis has quit the group, citing a need to finish college. A replacement has yet to be announced.

Near-defunct death metallers Quo Vadis have announced Patrice Hamelin of Martyr as their new drummer.

Behemoth will release a new EP, "Ezkaton", on November 11th. Guitarist Peter Wichers has re-joined Soilwork.

Kreator will release their new album “Hordes of Chaos” in mid-January.

Scar Symmetry have parted ways with their vocalist Christian Älvestam, citing “different outlooks on musical production and touring” as the reasons for the split.

Amorphis will enter the studio in November to start the work on the follow-up to 2007's “Silent Waters”.

The wife of former Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley has passed away. Debbie suffered a stroke some months ago and passed away a few days ago. Please give her and Blaze a prayer or two in these hard times.

That's all for this month, see you in rOc(k)tober.

Comments

[Squabblism]

First post?. Very good review. I pretty much agree too

[Keyphur]

excellent reviews, i look forward to this every month

Lord Belial sounds like my kind of stuff going to have to check that out soon. Rock On!!

[Reviewer Pete]

You know, you're supposed to insult me and tell me how worthless my reviews are.

[BlackSymphony6]

great article.

scar symmetry are screwed. Alvestam was great.

[Golem29]

Pete sold out long ago, his articles have been going downhill for months now. Worst evar.

[Reviewer Pete]

Thanks Steve!

[Sixp0under]

Fair review of the trivium album
"Matt Heafy has turned into quite an accomplished singer with a pleasant tone and voice characteristic"
+1 f*cking one. He has really managed to find a style that suits him and sounds killer!

[kdownes]

i agree whole heartedly with your comments about Death magnetic, especially Lars and Kirk. Where has Master of Puppets and Enter Sandman-esque solos gone, i ask? Mindless self-indulgence is exactly the words i've been looking for. Oh, and i love the fact that UG put the wrong link on the home page.

[metallicaftwlp]

death magnetic 7? wtf????

[Plarx]

Awesome Reviews. i only started getting into Amon Amarth today. but im am absolutly in love with trivium (flame shield up)
Anyways. That review on shogun was good. just that i think that they didnt "blow the load early". I think all of the songs are insane including the bonus tracks and the maiden cover.

But who am i to tell you what's what. im just a fan

[ferretmanmulti]

a fine return to form for Hetfield when it comes to lyrics.

um what?
let me present you with this gem from broken beat and scarred.
"what don't kill ya, make ya more strong"
yep, thats a pretty good return to form there

[brokenwizard]

yeah, of the albums i have heard from this review i must agree, nice to see the likes of trivium and metallica get a fair review, not overly negative or positive, just telling it how it is.

[Reviewer Pete]

ferretmanmulti wrote:

a fine return to form for Hetfield when it comes to lyrics.
um what?
let me present you with this gem from broken beat and scarred.
"what don't kill ya, make ya more strong"
yep, thats a pretty good return to form there

One poor line does not derail an album otherwise boasting solid lyricism.

[ferretmanmulti]

Reviewer Pete wrote:
One poor line does not derail an album otherwise boasting solid lyricism.

haha. its made that song unlistenable for me

[HavokStrife]

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

[ascendancy2]

good reviews - I still disagree on The Haunted one though

[Reviewer Pete]

HavokStrife wrote:

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

[Smithsc]

I think Death Magnetic deserves more than a 7...come on!

[ejfr1985]

blaze my condolences in this hard time keep living and making music for debbie

[Reviewer Pete]

ascendancy2 wrote:

good reviews - I still disagree on The Haunted one though

You like it more or less?

[jessejames1414]

woo Psycroptic!

[EscapeToTheVoid]

woohoo amorphis

[Nor'Easterbass]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

You know, you're supposed to insult me and tell me how worthless my reviews are.

Your mother was a Hoover and your reviews suck even worse!... jk this was good stuff.

[efferus]

Death Magnet is overrated by far. 7 is suitable.

[Metal_Master77]

Death Magnetic was a bit of a disapointment to me. I was one of those hoping fo a "Master of Puppets II" Not that its bad, but not as good as i had hoped.

On Trivium, i thought that it was amazing and Matt sound crazy. I thought the album was fantastically delicious!

[Virtuoosi]

Smithsc wrote:

I think Death Magnetic deserves more than a 7...come on!

Give it a rest, its better than previous material, but thats not saying alot. The album loses most of its face when it comes to similiarity between songs, After listening to the whole album once, I couldve sworn I heard the same song 3 times. Its a "good" album at best, but nothing ground breaking.

[sunofnothing4]

Damn... who gives a crap about the Metallica album guys. Noah Martin left Arsis! Arsis is very under appreciated.

[Paroxysm]

Where's Torn by Evergrey?

[Reviewer Pete]

Paroxysm wrote:

Where's Torn by Evergrey?

Elsewhere
Can't review everything, even though I'd like to.

[Noverion]

The singer fomr Scar Symmetry left?! that guy was one of the best vocalists i have EVER heard period. If you aint ever heard him, check out their myspace, his range is unbelievable.

[nolifetilTHRASH]

Hordes of Chaos!
KREATOR!
Hell Yeah man!

[adrianjunger]

WOOOO!
Peter's back in Soilwork!
That's ****ing great

[cookdizzle]

i think that the songs on Death Magnetic are pretty quality, the mixing is a disappointment so i can see how it got a 7, but if you over look it i think it should be about an 8-8.5

[Jackolas]

cookdizzle has it spot on.

[Shabalaba]

Disagree with Death Magnetic getting 7, i think it should be like 8.5. Great songs but disappointing mix

[Take This Life]

As for Metallica, I suppose 7 is a fair evaluation, a little low, but fair. I mean there were some boring songs on there. (I hated the End of the Line and My Apocalypse)

But I think Trivium should've been higher. I absolutely loved Shogun and probably wouldve given it a 8.5 to 9. and Like Callisto to a Star In Heaven was one of my favourite songs on there.

[Golem29]

Stop taking little hissy fits just because the rating is a point and a half higher or lower than what you'd give it. Read the actual body of text, it's far more important.

[avengingender]

HavokStrife wrote:

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

completely agree. but then again i realized a VERY long time ago to never take anyone else's word on a band. ESPECIALLY if they write reviews.

[SchecterC-1+Man]

Psycroptic sounds good, I'll check it.


I CANNOT BELIEVE SCAR SYMMETRY GOT RID OF CHRISTIAN. WAT.
This SUCKS man! He was great

[RaveDaymond008]

that amon amarth cover art is pretty sweet!

[colm c]

agree completely with your thoughts on Iced Earth.
they re my favourite band but there just not doing it for me with the last two releases.the whole article is pretty spot on actually! look forward to them all month long! ThankS!

[joshua029]

death magnetic and shogun cannot be compared to the rest of this list and only be given a 7. i'm sure they're swell above those given numbers...

[Connah]

WHAT THE **** SCAR SYMMETRY WTF!!!!

[Raven_Flight]

A few of the songs don't accomplish much, if anything (I'm looking at you, “The Unforgiven III”) and make the album a bit longer than it had to be.

personally, I find the album very short :P
i mean, it's a long album yes, but after listening to all the songs i still wanted a lot more
I'm awaiting next album already!

[Reviewer Pete]

Raven_Flight
i mean, it's a long album yes, but after listening to all the songs i still wanted a lot more
I'm awaiting next album already!

Oh, certainly. Let's hope it doesn't take five more years.

[klynch]

i would agree with the hammett solos for death magnetic. they reminded me a lot of kill 'em all kind of solos, not a whole lot of thought put into them. and for shogun "trivium needs learn to trim the fat" WTF! I can see how you can say that about the new metallica album but that it because all the songs are 7-8 minutes long. but the songs on shougn are in the 4-6 min range which like a average time for a metal song, so WTF! Shogun is savage!!

[Reviewer Pete]

klynch "trivium needs learn to trim the fat" WTF! I can see how you can say that about the new metallica album but that it because all the songs are 7-8 minutes long. but the songs on shougn are in the 4-6 min range which like a average time for a metal song, so WTF! Shogun is savage!!

In Shogun's case, it's not trimming the fat within the songs, but trimming the songs from the album.

That said, Metallica should've trimmed a few songs too. And half the instrumental.

[southernalex]

trivium's new album is better than all of these

[Spoony_Bard]

Hey Pete, I really enjoy your column. I think you're really fair with your reviews.

In the case of Amon Amarth, I admire their ability to crank out solid album after solid album. I think most bands nowadays that have developed a signature sound for themselves feel like they have to progress or change in order to stay interesting, which I don't agree with. I like Amon Amarth because they can write the same kind of songs over and over again and still remain awesome and really fun to listen to. They've released seven albums of the same stuff and somehow still manage to keep things exciting. To me, that takes talent. I'm not trying to disagree with Pete's review, though, it was pretty much right on. Good Work.

[Vitor_vdp]

the problem with Death Magnetic is that a lot of the songs don't stand out. All Nightmare Long and My Apocalypse are one of the few who do. Also, these 2 songs have something that Metallica does very well. Nice bridges
All Nightmare Long - at 4:28
My Apocalypse - at 1:50

[zAg1619]

Yeah man, Matt from Trivium has really found his voice in the Shogun album. I wasn't expecting much, but was rather pleasantly surprised.

[red157]

avengingender wrote:

HavokStrife wrote:

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

completely agree. but then again i realized a VERY long time ago to never take anyone else's word on a band. ESPECIALLY if they write reviews.

But those album's aren't 10's... Bad-mouthing reviewers is fair, but doing so because they picked number 7 instead of a perfect score?

[JRowe3388]

All That Remains and Gojira also had good albums come out last month.

\m/

[Vitor_vdp]

JRowe3388 wrote:

All That Remains and Gojira also had good albums come out last month.

\m/

Definitely, Overcome was a nice listen. : )

[brentondig]

I had no idea Amon Amarth had a new album! Going to get it now.

[motorbreath_445]

ejfr1985 :
blaze my condolences in this hard time keep living and making music for debbie

here here, bro. r.i.p. debbie

[HavokStrife]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

Yeah, a band a never heard of..coming from a metal head in a metal band.

Whoever the hell is reviewing these albums is obviously Black/Death metal bias. I somehow doubt some Dimmu Borgir junk is really better than All That Remains, Trivium, Metallica, The Haunted, and all of the other ridiculously good CD's that came out this month.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with Unforgiven III? How can you say that the title track of Shogun doesn't belong, then talk about the band blowing their load early, mentioning Into The Mouth of Hell, which is like the weakest song on the disc..

The best thing I read on this whole thing was a reply to this that someone made that said Peter Wichers is back in Soilwork. Delete all this garbage and post that news.

[boyan89]

I have like every album up there except two, Shogun is ****in fantastic, Death Magnetic is pretty good, Twilight of The Thunder God, pretty sick Viking Themed Metal, and i will have to get a listen to the rest.

[zachmcpeak1012]

wheres all that remains?

[snow blind]

went too easy on metallica, deserved a 5 at best. Psycroptic definitely don't deserve a 9, while I'd still say it's a solid album. But I liked the Amon Amarth review, It's exactly what I was thinking.

And I'm going to have to check out Lord Belial

[Pepc619]

What the hell, Death Magnetic should have a 9!

[Nightfyre]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

HavokStrife wrote:

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

One 60 minute track for the album? That. Is. EPIC. I've got to check that out.
I actually agreed with pretty much everything in the reviews. Death Magnetic was decent but sounds bad, not to mention suffers from weak part-writing, but is still decent. Trivium... I love long songs, I love huge, complex albums, but the best of that kind of album are devoid of filler and give a sense of progression, not only within songs, but over the course of the album. I didn't get that feeling from Shogun, I too felt that trimming a few songs would have made it a much tighter and therefore higher quality album. Most of the songs are very good, it's just too long.
Ob(Servant) is quite good, Crucible of Man is arguably the worst album Iced Earth has ever done. I hoped he'd do better than Framing Armageddon, but no. You basically said what I would for Amon Amarth's latest... good but getting repetitive, and the other two bands I didn't know but I'll probably check out Lord Berial. Great stuff!
Oh, and WTF is up with Christian leaving Scar Symmetry?!? Not my favorite metal vocalist, but he's quite talented and is a major part of the band's sound. I don't know how they'll replace him.
My condolences to Blaze.

[SiLenT366]

What the hell is so bad about Unforgiven III? That was one of the first songs from Death Magnetic that I liked on the first listen. That and Broken, Beat, and Scarred (oh and screw you all, I love it's lyrics).

[CrabShrapnel]

I'm just curious to know, why you weren't crazy about Travis Smith's drumming on Shogun? His technical skill while maintaining a solid blend with the tracks makes him really stand out to me.

[Tortiss]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

ferretmanmulti wrote:

a fine return to form for Hetfield when it comes to lyrics.
um what?
let me present you with this gem from broken beat and scarred.
"what don't kill ya, make ya more strong"
yep, thats a pretty good return to form there

One poor line does not derail an album otherwise boasting solid lyricism.

I"M MADLY IN ANGER WITH YOU!

[Pretty_Much]

I hate this guy. He is so fricken biast.

Im not the biggest Trivium fan, but the album deserves more than a 7. And same with Metallica. And Pscroptic and Lord Belial don't deserve a 9. You're reviews are pretty bad bud... The only time i look forward to your reviews is to see how stpid and crappy they are.

[cheaposhredder]

Scar symmetry died?!? that sucks

[Nightfyre]

Hey Pete... I owe you a big one. Having listened to various Green Carnation songs, my mind is officially blown. Thanks man!

[Reviewer Pete]

Pretty_Much wrote:

I hate this guy. He is so fricken biast.

We can't all be independent, free thinking and completely un-biased individuals like yourself, the one shining beacon of true objectivity.

[sghunter182]

WHAT ABOUT LAMB OF GOD WHO STARTED RECORDING THEIR ALBUM THIS MONTH?????

[Reviewer Pete]

HavokStrife wrote:

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness


Yeah, a band a never heard of..coming from a metal head in a metal band.

Whoever the hell is reviewing these albums is obviously Black/Death metal bias. I somehow doubt some Dimmu Borgir junk is really better than All That Remains, Trivium, Metallica, The Haunted, and all of the other ridiculously good CD's that came out this month.

Give it a spin before you knock it. Just 'cause you're in a metal band doesn't mean you get a list of All The Great Metal Albums Ever Release(tm), y'know. There're plenty of nuggets that are released under the radar.

[Reviewer Pete]

sghunter182 wrote:

WHAT ABOUT LAMB OF GOD WHO STARTED RECORDING THEIR ALBUM THIS MONTH?????

Well, the announcement that they'd start recording in September was out well before they actually entered the studio, and thus it's been reported in a previous edition of TMIM.

[beelaal85]

I think these review need a little tilt.

[beelaal85]

correction >-> 'reviews.'

[The_Raven]

I disagree...I like Death Magnetic, but the lyrics really are quite horrendous.
"Love is a four letter word!"
Yes James! We know you can count!

[The_Raven]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Pretty_Much wrote:

I hate this guy. He is so fricken biast.




We can't all be independent, free thinking and completely un-biased individuals like yourself, the one shining beacon of true objectivity.

:haha

[Distortion360]

KREATOR!!!!

[Paroxysm]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Paroxysm wrote:

Where's Torn by Evergrey?


Elsewhere
Can't review everything, even though I'd like to.

But at least Torn is a metal album. If you have another band besides Trivium than I wouldn't care that much.

[Bored to Tears]

Good reviews, especially Death Magnetic. The solos aren't good, I think they're even annoying at times. The lyrics aren't that good, but they are certainly a step up from St. Anger..

[mhylands]

Definitely loving Amon Amarth and Metallica's new albums. I'll admit that the review was fair, and honestly in the sense of a more broad standpoint they deserved those ratings. However, I think both of them are did great and they've been my primary listening material for the past three weeks. (Amon Amarth past one week, whatever, haha).

[Burning_Angel]

southernalex wrote:

trivium's new album is better than all of these

Fail.

Anyway- Is Cynic's Traced in Air going to be in the next one? That should very well be called an anticipated release. It's damn near cult status (and one of the best of 2008, by far).

[Reviewer Pete]

Burning_Angel
Anyway- Is Cynic's Traced in Air going to be in the next one? That should very well be called an anticipated release. It's damn near cult status (and one of the best of 2008, by far).

It most certainly will.

[Pukka-VCU]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

HavokStrife wrote:

If Death Magnetic and Shogun are 7's... WTF exactly is a 10? Nelly, DMX..?

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

+one ****ing million

[xXChimairaXx]

YEAH!!! Wichers back in SOILWORK!!! And pretty good reviews this time guys...although I would have liked to see what they'd say about ATR's Overcome.

[metallicaftwlp]

Death Magnetic = 8

[jacksonwarrior1]

Plarx wrote:

metallicaftwlp wrote:

death magnetic 7? wtf????

I agree...


should be a 6

6 is way too high, try a 3...maybe

[RATM_11]

i think he hit pretty well for death magnetic. it's not the old stuff all over again but it sure as hell ain't st. f*cking anger. I think it's a sign for potential return to their best. not there yet, but they definetly have started getting their act together.

[HardRockKid]

I'd give it an 8.5 (Death Magnetic that is) I like it Not and think its a Step in the right direction for them. It reminds me of AJFA and I like it

[HardRockKid]

I'd give it an 8.5 (Death Magnetic that is) I like it
and think its a Step in the right direction for them. It reminds me of AJFA and I like it

[Sjusovaren]

Christ... Some people just stun me. These TMIM are part of the high-lights on UG. Why? Because Petter is the first reviewer I've seen on here who not only writes good review-texts, he uses a sensible grading-scale! I've seen

"I didn't like "song1" nor "song2" of this 6-song EP, and the only song I really like is "song4". I rated it as whole an 8 though". Come on! If you give albums that you like 9's and 10's, what are you gonna award the album that could come along that you wouldn't change a single thing about (if that were to ever happen). That's what the 10 is for in my opinion, a flawless product. FLAWLESS. Not good. Not very good. Not great. Hell, not even amazing. FLAWLESS. Very few albums deserve anything over 9, if any.

/rant.

[guitargodwannab]

at least Metallica proved to the world that they can still bring out kick ass records. DM is the best album since their self titled album "Metallica" in 91. I'm not sayn that Load and Re-Load are bad but they are, ST. ANGER on the other hand, well lets just forget and forgive 'tallica, nd be thankfull that this "The Day That Never Comes" came at last. i do agree with HardRockKid tho:

HardRockKid wrote:

I'd give it an 8.5 (Death Magnetic that is) I like it
and think its a Step in the right direction for them. It reminds me of AJFA and I like it

[jp2_2026]

Come on!!!! Metallica at least deserves a 9!!!!

[ozzysdad]

HavokStrife wrote:

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness


Yeah, a band a never heard of..coming from a metal head in a metal band.

Whoever the hell is reviewing these albums is obviously Black/Death metal bias. I somehow doubt some Dimmu Borgir junk is really better than All That Remains, Trivium, Metallica, The Haunted, and all of the other ridiculously good CD's that came out this month.



Give it a spin before you knock it. Just 'cause you're in a metal band doesn't mean you get a list of All The Great Metal Albums Ever Release(tm), y'know. There're plenty of nuggets that are released under the radar.


That is very true. Check a band like Agalloch (Portland, OR) One of the best bands many have never heard of.

[Burning_Angel]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Burning_Angel
Anyway- Is Cynic's Traced in Air going to be in the next one? That should very well be called an anticipated release. It's damn near cult status (and one of the best of 2008, by far).

It most certainly will.

Sweet.

HavokStrife wrote:

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness


Yeah, a band a never heard of..coming from a metal head in a metal band.

Whoever the hell is reviewing these albums is obviously Black/Death metal bias. I somehow doubt some Dimmu Borgir junk is really better than All That Remains, Trivium, Metallica, The Haunted, and all of the other ridiculously good CD's that came out this month.

So to be good you have to be heard of? That's all i get out of that logic. Many of the best bands i've ever heard are relatively unknown. Like Pete said, listen before you judge. Green Carnation is one of the few bands I've heard that actually gets overwhelming positive reviews (and it's also not 'Dimmu Borgir junk', as you seem to think).

[SRV59]

ferretmanmulti wrote:

a fine return to form for Hetfield when it comes to lyrics.


um what?
let me present you with this gem from broken beat and scarred.
"what don't kill ya, make ya more strong"
yep, thats a pretty good return to form there

dont forget "Love is a four letter word"

[Axlthegreat]

I thought shogun was one of the strongest songs on shogun along with torn between scylla and charbodis and down from the sky. also into the mouth of hell we march is by far the worst on it, horrible song.

[Trivium_Fan13]

So ummmmm do you review when you are DRUNK? ICED EARTH A 4 ARE YOU A MORON?

Checked

[ruker]

Ob(servant) deserves an 11... however it isn't being released until later this month (October).

[YetAnotherMuso]

Nice work Pete, I always look forward to these reviews...keep it up!

[Virtuoosi]

sigh. You call the reviewer bias, yet you dont realize that the reason you say that youself is because you too are bias. If you think these deserve higher scores, thats your bias mind talking right there.

[-xCaMRocKx-]

Last I heard, we weren't allowed to call Trivium metal on this site.. Interesting.

[Perpetual Burn]

Trivium_Fan13 wrote:

So ummmmm do you review when you are DRUNK? ICED EARTH A 4 ARE YOU A MORON?

You need to get a good look of yourself in the mirror. Death Magnetic a bit high imo but great reviews.

[Reviewer Pete]

ruker wrote:

Ob(servant) deserves an 11... however it isn't being released until later this month (October).

Was released September 26th over here in Europe.

[Reviewer Pete]

Trivium_Fan13 wrote:

So ummmmm do you review when you are DRUNK? ICED EARTH A 4 ARE YOU A MORON?

No.
No.

[git-airman]

kdownes wrote:

i agree whole heartedly with your comments about Death magnetic, especially Lars and Kirk. Where has Master of Puppets and Enter Sandman-esque solos gone, i ask? Mindless self-indulgence is exactly the words i've been looking for. Oh, and i love the fact that UG put the wrong link on the home page.

dude theyve got family now, they cant operate the same when they have stuff to take care of. it aint as if you cant listeen to the master of puppets album anymore, just try and think its another metalicca album not a continuation.

[bigtimmy]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Trivium_Fan13 wrote:

So ummmmm do you review when you are DRUNK? ICED EARTH A 4 ARE YOU A MORON?
No.
No.

I agree pete. iced earth didn't deliver. might check out lord belial, sounds good.

metallica made a step back in the right direction. the 1 - 10 scale is really based on opinion so even if some guys thought it gets a '4' they still made a better effort.

[beelaal85]

Metallica said for 'DM': "believe us, this is the best we can do..." >->So guys trust Metallica!

[beelaal85]

'DM' deserves 10/10...

[MetalliDaz]

I wish people would get past the point of saying it aint Master of Puppets II. Of course its not because metallica said right from the off that they weren't trying to recreate a masterpiece that is Master of Puppets. The guitar work for me is one of the best ever for Metallica and please stop comparing them to Mindless Self Indulgence. 1..record sales?? no comparison. 2..at Leeds festival not one thing was chucked at Metallica. Could the same be said for that band MSI?

[Reviewer Pete]

MetalliDaz please stop comparing them to Mindless Self Indulgence. 1..record sales?? no comparison. 2..at Leeds festival not one thing was chucked at Metallica. Could the same be said for that band MSI?

:lol: :lol:

[lpcustom325]

amon amarth is on metalblade not nuclear blast

[Reviewer Pete]

lpcustom325 wrote:

amon amarth is on metalblade not nuclear blast

Whoops!

[Unskathed]

sunofnothing4 wrote:

Damn... who gives a crap about the Metallica album guys. Noah Martin left Arsis! Arsis is very under appreciated.

I agree!
I saw him at Dirfest and his hair whip is amazing!

[Vitor_vdp]

i love how the guitar is distorted in Down from the Sky. Damn sweet song, even thought im not a fan of Trivium

[Virtuoosi]

beelaal85 wrote:

'DM' deserves 10/10...

people goddamnit will you stop saying idiotic remarks if your not gonna back em up afterwards with anything?

[GriphithxD]

yeah death magnetic = 10

Checked Magnetic.

[KsE909]

Great Reviews. Amon Amarth is bringing insane to all of us again. Shogun sounds good, better than The Crusade. And of course Death Magnetic is a Metallica classic. It isn't Master of Puppets, but the again what is.

[Slayer_Guy]

MetalliDaz wrote:
please stop comparing them to Mindless Self Indulgence. 1..record sales?? no comparison. 2..at Leeds festival not one thing was chucked at Metallica. Could the same be said for that band MSI?

I'm not saying go and compare them but those are some crappy reasons not to compare two bands.... I also loved the way that you said not to compare them and then compared them :P

I do agree with you that people shouldn't have been expecting a MoP II though. If any of you were expecting that then tbh you deserve to be disappointed.
Thanks for the great reviews, I was considering Ob(Servant) & Amon Amarth I'll probably get both now.

[Donkey Fly]

Everyone expects a 10 from Metallica because nowadays it's a crime to slag the band off but you all have to face it that DM is only a average and solid album and nothing more.

As for Iced Earth, I haven't heard the new one but I suspect that if it is the same as their last effort then the 4 is justified. They haven't been as good since Something Wicked.

[Metfan1991]

I somewhat agree with 'Death Magnetic', but I thought Shogun was a masterpiece, havent stopped listening to it since I got it!

[littleleo88]

im quite pleased the metallica review seemed unbiased, as i agree a 7 is sufficient for death magnetic. however, for the first time, i'd have to say that trivium's shogun is actually better than death magnetic, in which case it probably deserved an 8.

[COBHC728]

Zero Order Phase?

[littleleo88]

COBHC728 wrote:

Zero Order Phase?

no, because jeff loomis is boring and over rated as a guitarist.

[Reviewer Pete]

COBHC728 wrote:

Zero Order Phase?

It's good.

[Bard_of_all]

Are you stupid as hell or something? Trivium deserves at least a 9.

[sephiroth033]

freakin shogun pwnd, i agree with Bard of all, it deserved at least a 9. They didn't blow all their efforts early, He Who Spawned the Furies is a nice, morbidly-br00tal song, especially the heavy breakdown. I was quite satisfied with "Shogun".

[Reviewer Pete]

sephiroth033 wrote:

freakin shogun pwnd, i agree with Bard of all, it deserved at least a 9. They didn't blow all their efforts early, He Who Spawned the Furies is a nice, morbidly-br00tal song, especially the heavy breakdown. I was quite satisfied with "Shogun".

"Quite satisfied" and "at least a 9" doesn't rhyme for a reason.

[TheBodomBullet]

Whoever reviewed Shogun was high whilst writing that review. How can you even try to claim any of those songs as fillers? Each one has single material. The title track is best track on the whole damn album! Yeah. The general consensus is that Shogun is their best album and that Shogun is probably one of the best metal albums in a long while.

[beelaal85]

What I like about DM is it's sound quality, it's so next generation and cool. The songs are hard to remember, but that's Metallica's trick. Metallica wants you to listen to this record at least 3 times a day, that's 21 times per week. If you think that's too much for your ear, then lower your audio player's equalizer settings. Listen guys this album deserves 10/10. Because it went best-selling, broke some records, it also went number 1 in 25 countries. I guess this is pretty impressive. I got a chance to listen to 'shogun,' 'the black curse' and 'ob(servant).'

[Reviewer Pete]

beelaal85 Listen guys this album deserves 10/10. Because it went best-selling, broke some records, it also went number 1 in 25 countries.'

Critical and commercial acclaim are totally irrelevant to the actual quality of an album.

[synysterv]

Ulrich is passed his prime?
more like metallica is passed its prime!

[ticklemeemo]

You forgot to mention that Between the Buried And Me has a live dvd coming out. (Which should be reviewed)

[watevalah]

woot! I just got my copy of death magnetic and wow, i could'nt agree more with ug's review. It definitely sounds like the classic metallica(which is GOOD) but i wish that hammet could have come up with better solos. ill give it a 9.

[NeoNoks]

DM deserves a 9

[pataldo]

7 was a great number for DM. All the Metallica fanboys are just too psyched that Metallica delivered an album that (kind-of) brings back aspects of their sound. Give the album a real listen after you get over the fact that it's not St. Anger and you'll see that its not worth anything better than a 7.

[Camaro4726]

good reviews, Trivium i think deserved a little more credit though because I'm thankfully glad they didn't cut the album by eliminating those songs shogun the track goes kinda far but torn between is a great song, and travis smith bad?? cmon!!

[SlashKirkSynG]

death magnetic and shogun deserve at least a 9.
definitely not 7.

[Virtuoosi]

SlashKirkSynG wrote:

death magnetic and shogun deserve at least a 9.
definitely not 7.

you willing to tell us why or just naming another dumb opinion with no justifications?

[colster6000]

Id never actually got round to listening to Amon Amarth until I saw the new video on the UG frontpage, needless to say I spent the next 2 hours on Youtube watching a whole lot more of it! "Twilight of the Thunder God has blown me away!! The raw, epic power of the band is incredible and I like the extent to which they mix melody and brutality I think the reviews of Trivium and Metallica are pretty much spot on, im enjoying listening to them but they're not blowing my mind. Im going to check out a couple of others you have reviewed, keep up the good work!!

[ffaf_kick_ass]

triviums album is very good. it doesnt quite match the same standard of acsendancy but shows up the crusade as a poor album. peed off about scar symmetry there vocalist has an awsome voice and the band had some good riffs. hope to hear him again in the future.

[ThePowerslave11]

thanks for the review, ill have to check out the amon amarth stuff and psycroptic. I liked death magnetic but im not gonna whine about how it deserves a higher mark. In fact, i dont think im on the same page as anyone here because i like the unforgiven III....theres nothing wrong with it, i dont see what people have against it. if any song wastes too much time on death magnetic id say its the judas kiss or all nightmare long. Gonna get flamed.....

[ascendancy2]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

ascendancy2 wrote:

good reviews - I still disagree on The Haunted one though


You like it more or less?

I like it more - like I said on the actual review page, I think that a 7 might be a bit too harsh considering there isnt really anything wrong with it. Granted it doesnt have an instant hit such as 99, All Against All but some would sound just as good live (Moronic Colossus, Ceremony). Each to his own i guess, but by the sounds of the review, you knocked it back quite a bit just because it didnt have songs like 99, all against all.

[ascendancy2]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

ascendancy2 wrote:

good reviews - I still disagree on The Haunted one though


You like it more or less?

I like it more - like I said on the actual review page, I think that a 7 might be a bit too harsh considering there isnt really anything wrong with it. Granted it doesnt have an instant hit such as 99, All Against All but some would sound just as good live (Moronic Colossus, Ceremony). Each to his own i guess, but by the sounds of the review, you knocked it back quite a bit just because it didnt have songs like 99, all against all.

[Reviewer Pete]

Well, 99 & AAA are great songs and such tunes are exactly what the album is lacking. Thus it gets knocked back. "Moronic Colossus" and "Iron Mask" are great, but that's about it as far as greatness goes, the rest is "merely" good.

[Sonicxlover]

I think 7 is spot on for Death Magnetic. It's not bad, but it's far from great. There are no songs that are just "wow, maybe Suicide and Redemption. Not once during any song did I want to pick up my guitar and learn how to play something, anything. No great riffs, unmemorable solos as well but that's not unusual with Metallica. Hetfield's singing sounds overproduced and unnatural, we already went over Lars, and you couldn't hear Trujillo enough. Way better than Load - St. Anger, but I'm left disappointed.

[l)ragonForce]

yeh i can agree with a 7 for Death Magnetic... it just doesn't feel like the old Metallica even if the riffs and lyrics are good in the songs

[kaizerkhan13]

Vitor_vdp wrote:

JRowe3388 wrote:

All That Remains and Gojira also had good albums come out last month.

\m/


Definitely, Overcome was a nice listen. : )

oh god yes it was. metallica...eh. ive enver been big on em, so i dont really know enough to rate the album. but i cant stop listening to Shogun. Travis is a beast on drums, Paolo really is "solid as ever" and the vox and guitars have deff. been stepped up. its a great album. ...and not long enough. so there.

[metaldud536]

I can't believe Scar Symmetry got rid of their singer...he was so cool

[Viking_Swede666]

TWILIGHT OF THE THUNDER GOD FTW!!!!!

[RZK88]

Twilight of the thunder god is very nice I never really listened to Amon Amarth but I think this will change in the future . About Metallica... I'm disappointed. I was expecting something else I would give them a 6.

[tbarrettl]

Noverion wrote:

The singer fomr Scar Symmetry left?! that guy was one of the best vocalists i have EVER heard period. If you aint ever heard him, check out their myspace, his range is unbelievable.

True, I can't think of a suitable replacement, he was far better in range than any Melodic Death peers.

[Ash on fires]

Psycroptic is now the only extreme/tech death band that I like. Thank you Mr. Pete

[beno_guitar9]

Twilight of the thunder god is good. Metallica is old. They should retire

Checked.

[6sic6_blank]

Wow, I never really bothered to look into Amon Amarth. But after reading this, I think I'll buy an album. Good reviewing! Way to stay open minded!

[SilverSpurs616]

Decent review of the Trivium album, loved every song myself! But I don't understand why the reviewer feels that the albums length detracts from the listening pleasure.

[Graveworm]

I don't know what is up with all this DM craze? I listened to this album two times and nothing grabed me into it. I thought that it was just something Metallica just meh'd on and didn't put creativity into it.

Just staring my opinion.

[Graveworm]

But I did enjoy Trivum's album.

[Reviewer Pete]

SilverSpurs616But I don't understand why the reviewer feels that the albums length detracts from the listening pleasure.

Just because an album is long doesn't mean it's bad. Some of my favorite albums are around the hour.

[Sonicxlover]

Oh, and a shame the guy from Arsis left, killer bassist.

[pimpinazndude]

trivium got a 9?
is it rly that good?

[adrianjunger]

pimpinazndude wrote:

trivium got a 9?
is it rly that good?

No, Trivium got a 7.
Which I personally would disagree with, but Pete generally has really unbiased and relly good reviews, so I'm not gonna argue about it

[IwannaBeSadated]

Yo you should have mentioned what style trivium were going for. I really dont wanna waste my money on Ascendancy II or The Crusade II, i like ascendancy, but it's to nu-metal for me at this point, have they tried to trot down a bit of a heavier path? And the crusade was just stupid, it had some good bits, but the singing just ruined it.

[bassman213293]

6sic6_blank wrote:

Wow, I never really bothered to look into Amon Amarth. But after reading this, I think I'll buy an album. Good reviewing! Way to stay open minded!

amon amarth ****ing kick ass. the album is a masterpeice in my opinion, probably the best album on this list
but hes right, they haven't really changed from thier previous 2 or 3 albums, but i don't really care, amon amarth's sound is just epic.

[ruker]

If Trivium and Metallica both deserve 9, then there is something seriously wrong with music these days...

[titter]

this reviewer...makes me want to never value anothers opinion about music again

[titter]

As often is the case these days, the band blows their load early with “Kirisute Gomen”, “Down From The Sky” and “Into the Mouth of Hell We March”

This guy needs to stfu

[Spoony_Bard]

Random Note: I noticed that the news about Peter Witchers rejoining SOILWORK (news which I personally am stoked to hear) is mixed in with a note about Behemoth. Just thought I'd point that out because I've heard people saying that Soilwork was left out of this article.

[driggsi424]

Who cares whawt a over-critical UG reviewer says? The only half decent and somewhat fairly trustworthy music reviews are on All Music Guide. Otherwise don't trust other people to inturpret music for you, that's bull. All this guy does is bash on the well known bands and pick away at them.

[Rokeman]

Solid as Ayers Rock and in places just as heavy

it's called Uluru these days, just thought i'd mention it.

also nice reviews, one of the best things i read on UG these days.

[Metallicam]

Reviewer Pete wrote:

Pretty_Much wrote:

I hate this guy. He is so fricken biast.



We can't all be independent, free thinking and completely un-biased individuals like yourself, the one shining beacon of true objectivity.

+10

I 100% agree with the Metallica review. And yes, Unforgiven III was absolute crap. It's got a boring as hell intro, and an boring as hell chorus. Nowhere near as good as number 1 or 2.
I only made this comment for that burn on Pretty_Much though, pretty damn funny. There's no such thing as being unbiased guys, it's not humanly possible. Get over it.

[Reviewer Pete]

titter wrote:

this reviewer...makes me want to never value anothers opinion about music again

Be my guest.

[rejected1]

Yeah! Psycroptic deserves a 9! Nice review.

[ejfr1985]

i dont think that a number can define how good is an album and about metallica they got what they deserve 5 years to make a record and they come with DM i bought it and heard it and i like 3 or 4 songs but it has no feeling to me it's just music for sale

[The_Metalfreak]

Reviewer, if you are still reading posts, can you answer me this;

why do you have such a problem with long albums? Personally i prefer them long (take Machine Head's The Blackening for example) as it is simply more metal- you get more bang for your buck. Even if some bands put some different stuff in there to fill up that time, even if those so-called 'filler' songs aren't your favourite, they may appeal to others, and you can't blame a band for trying to appeal to as many people as possible. I think it's pretty much always a plus for a band to release a longer album than not. As I mentioned above, this is especially relevent when trying to convince people to spend good money on their album. I always feel somewhat gipped forking out for an album that clocks in just over the half hour. Why the hatred of the long, Pete?

[Reviewer Pete]

I do *not* have an inherent problem with long albums. Like I previously stated - some of my favorite albums are bloody long.
I however view albums as works of art, and if the work of art has a section (read: song) that is arse, then I will criticize them for it.

"Even if some bands put some different stuff in there to fill up that time, even if those so-called 'filler' songs aren't your favourite, they may appeal to others, and you can't blame a band for trying to appeal to as many people as possible."

Then I might as well retort to writing "Band X has released an album, it belongs to Genre Z, you might like it". Not giving my opinion about something somewhat defeats the purpose of reviewing.

And yes, I can blame them for trying to appeal to as many people as possible - if the albums sucks. I review art, not consumer products.

[The_Metalfreak]

Sorry, I should have phrased that slightly better. Perhaps I should have thrown the word 'diversity' in there. A diverse album can have many elements that appeal to you and some that don't...and since when was diversity a bad thing? focus is good, yes, but being able to broaden your horizons is arguably better. So while you are not reviewing consumer products, you are reviewing an artist's work, therefore also assessing their ability to diversify.

"Then I might as well retort to writing "Band X has released an album, it belongs to Genre Z, you might like it". Not giving my opinion about something somewhat defeats the purpose of reviewing."

I disagree with that actually- I enjoy reading your reviews partly because you offer comments like "if a band that does such and such is your style then you will probably love this album". Otherwise it becomes useful only if you are Pete, rather than a good review that most people can get something out of. You're right, you do need an opinion, but you also need objectivity and the ability to see through other people's eyes. Having said that, don't get me wrong, I think for the most part, and especially of late, you do that fairly well. So well done on that, but these comments are just my own feedback. Do what you will man.