Illdisposed – 1.800.Vindication

The overall quality is somewhat fluctuating by Danish premier death metal band Illdisposed. Their Kokaainum album (2001) is a hit-or- miss affair for example. The band’s next album, entitled 1.800.Vindication, is a solid affair with a couple of new elements. Let’s take a closer look at what this album has to offer.

Machine Head – Through The Ashes Of Empires

Machine Head made quite an impact on the metal scene with their 1994 album Burn My Eyes. It was instant classic and the follow-up album was quite a smasher in its own right. Things went downhill for Robb Flynn and Co after that. The hardcore fan base didn’t appreciate the nu metal tendencies of The Burning Red (1999) and the punk rock influences of Supercharger (2001) didn’t turn any heads either. Machine Head remained a powerful live act and that saved them from certain annihilation. Through The Ashes Of Empires was a reflection of that period and it put them back on the metal map. Let’s take a closer look.

Machine Head – The Blackening

Through The Ashes Of Empires was a more than excellent return to form for Robb Flynn and Co. Machine Head gained some momentum again and they also managed to let the creative juices flow freely once more. The culmination of their newly gained confidence came in the form Of The Blackening, arguably their most ambitious and pretentious album to date.

Satyricon – The Age Of Nero

The Age Of Nero is the most recent full length by Satyricon. It’s the third installment of a triptych, formed by Volcano and Now, Diabolical. Those albums are very much from the same mindset, but are quite different from each other as well. A thing I’ve come to expect from Satyr and Frost. Let’s take a closer look at what The Age Of Nero has to offer.

Satyricon – Now, Diabolical

Now, Diabolical, Volcano and The Age Of Nero by Satyricon form a triptych in a very weird way. All three albums are stylistically quite different from each other, but they share the same sinister feel and the band’s signature urge not to repeat themselves. Subject of this review is Now, Diabolical which represents another step forward in their ongoing evolution.

Satyricon – Volcano

The musical backbone of Satyricon is formed by the impressive drumming skills of Frost and the considerable compositional talent of main man Satyr. Never satisfied with releasing an album in the same mould twice, they led the band through an interesting evolution from their primitive beginnings up to The Age Of Nero (2008). Volcano (2002) is the album on display here and it marks the beginning of a trilogy of albums, which have a more stripped down approach, compared to the older material.

Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Dream Theater is the most prolific band when it comes to progressive rock and metal. Their technical and musical abilities are second to none and records like: Images And Words (1992), Awake (1994) and Scenes From A Memory (1999) are absolute classics. The amount of individual side-projects is also work of legend, but I feel it has taken its toll on albums like Train Of Thought and Octovarium. They are both great records in their own way, but simply not as focused as their older material. Black Clouds & Silver Linings is the

Porcupine Tree – The Incident

Becoming more popular with every album released Porcupine Tree’s 2009 album The Incident was highly awaited by fans and critics. Especially as Steven Wilson announced the album being one almost hour-long song that didn’t work out in the end. It’s actually a concept album consisting of fourteen tracks, summarizing the sound of the previous albums.

Opeth – Watershed

To be frank, there is one band that should not be missed out by anyone who has only the slightest inch of liking for prog rock and metal: Opeth. This is prog metal to the max: long songs, jolting keyboards, a Hammond organ here and there… And don’t forget the experiments with folk, jazz, psycho, avant-garde, and so on. Ever since the band’s debut in 1995 with the brilliant album Orchid, expectations have kept rocketing sky high. And I must say: they still manage to live up to the expectations.

Down – Over The Under

As many of you might know Down is a so-called super group with (former) members from Pantera, Crowbar, Eyehategod and Corrosion Of Conformity. It basically started out as a fun project, however things got quite seriously when their debut album Nola turned out to be quite a classic. Its successor didn’t turn many heads, but still had some decent tunes. Their third record, entitled Over The Under, is a real killer. Let’s talk some magic here.