Fuming Mouth : "the Ringing Bell"

These guys are back with their brand of crusty death metal that still carries more of a hardcore attitude. This time they have Jay Weinberg fromm Slipknot/ Suicidal Tendencies behind the kit. They waste no time doing what they do. The album does not have the overproduced sheen you might expect from a band that is now playing bigger stages. It is pretty raw and almost feels more like a Nails record, the way the riffs crash into you. There is a weird thing going on where they are also using a rougher, more in-your-face approach to songwriting that is not driven by hooky riffs, as it has the bandd work as a unified machine. It is, in other words, taking what they did on their last album and making it more confrontational.

The songs are compact and punchy. "A Blaze of Nihilism" works off a dense rumble with more melodic guitar parts circling its rumble. "After Oblivion" stirs up more of a punk sense of sonics. There is a bit of sludge to some of the heavy-handed riffs. The vocals drop into a lower death metal growl. There is a doomier mood at the onset of "Hidden in the Moor," but the pace quickly picks up."Vivid Reflections" finds more melody beginning to creep in the edges, and this album takes on a darker, more apocalyptic feel." The Flourishing Flesh" is just over a minute yet manages to find its footing.

There are actual sung vocals on the title track. This was unexpected. Guitar-wise, there is a bleaker sound that reminds me of old Kylesa. "Barbarian Scourge" is more straightforward and pummeling until it wanders off into a darker riff in the middle, and feels more like they are jamming out into the guitar solo. They close out the album with the crusty stomp of "Respect Mortality." This album is darker than the previous one but very much on par with it. I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.

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Slipknot : " Look Outside Your Window"

 This is Slipknot, so I am not going to call it anything else. It was recorded during the sessions for "All Hope is Gone," and the band is finally giving it a proper release, even though they are trying to distance it from their discography in this odd manner, because well... it's not metal. The first song is Corey Taylor in a soft, emotive mutter over a more ambient industrial drone; things don't get into solid song territory until "Moth," which is like a 90s alt rock ballad that borders on being trip-hop. It's much more experimental than what they normally do.

 I think they should have worked these songs into what they did on "All Hope is Gone." It would have made for a more interesting album. Corey finally belts it out on this one. Darker than what he does with Stone Sour, it does allow him to open up and sing more. "Dirge" is more industrial, but the Filter/ Godlivesunderwater side of the genre. I can also hear some Faith No More in the verses. "Is Real" is more aggressive, but in a rock fashion rather than metal. It takes a few turns and works well. "Away" is not far removed from it, though compositionally more straightforward, but with a weirder mix. "In Reverse" benefits from a strong chorus, which pushes it over despite the verses being less focused. Then  "Toad" is more of a ballad with some strong vocal harmonies. 

"Juliaette" feels more like an A Perfect Circle song, as it builds tension more gradually. This album has allowed you to not only hear them in a more melodic place but breaking from their normal songwriting formula. Corey Taylor has always said Layne Staley was a huge influence on him, and "U Can't Stop This" is the first song where I hear this. Overall, I think I have let my thoughts be known on this album. I think it's different than what fans expect, but not a drastic departure, just lacking the bombastic drumming and metal guitar tones. I appreciate that they are capable of this and these are decent songs in their own right. I will give this one a 9.5. 

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Vended : "s/t"

 If your dad was in Slipknot it would seem that the last thing you would want to sound like is Slipknot. Simon and Griffin have decided otherwise and the rest of the band is just thankful for nepotism. I am listening to the moments where they do not sound like Slipknot, as I would not be into any other band that sounded like Slipknot, something that kept me away from a band like Mushroomhead for years was based on the fact they wanted to be Slipknot in image alone, so am I going to let this slide? Fuck NO. The vocals at the end of 'The Far Side' allow a little of who they are apart from their parents to shine through. But you can go into any city and at least a dozen bands are doing this sort of thing,. 

The production is not doing any favors to keep from painting these kids into this corner. 'Am I the Only One' has me cursing the fact I have ten more songs like this to make it through. Their songwriting is better on "Nihilism", but they still sound too much like Slipknot, which might be a phrase you are going to get tired of reading. "Pitiful" keeps up the "Iowa" style pounding. They are good at achieving this sound,. but around here, just getting a sound can be dialed in with no creative energy invested. That is where the producer came into play. Lyrically this could be a Slipknot album as they are rating about things being shit, with clean vocals crooning with less hooky tendencies than his father. "Disparager" thrashes a little bit in the same way Slipknot's first album did. But most of you should already own that one. 

"Where Honesty Lies" works off the barked vocals, which are the more dominant focus, though he does not have as much emotion in them as his dad. The first guitar solo I notice is also on this song. Is "Ones" going to be the obligatory nu-metal ballad? But no it's just an interlude. Then it's back to the big dumb pounding of 'Downfall" It's dense but not hooky. The last song is more of an outro than an actual song. I will give this a 7 and it made it that high because they make the sounds well and have a few ideas of their own. 

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Who Not to Miss At Welcome to Rockville 2024 ( a curated guide)

Lots of bands playing throughout the weekend at Welcome to Rockville this year, with festivals set times are compressed, so how can you make the most of your time, while still giving yourself time to rest so you make it to Sunday. Here is a guide to getting the most from your money, with the bands that are going to give you your money's worth. Let's face it tickets for the entire weekend are expensive even on the payment plan. from. I am not suggesting the most popular bands, so if you want to avoid the crowded stages, this list is for you, but most of these suggestions are due to the fact I hate most radio rock, so we are going to be avoiding that and picking the most interesting artist who deliver consistently live. 

Thursday 

Fuming Mouth 12:30 Vortex Stage

One of the best new death metal bands with enough hard-core influence to make them interesting. 

Cold 2:00 pm -Apex Stage

One of the most underrated bands of the late 90s who bridged the gap between grunge and nu-metal. 

Amigo the Devil 3:10 Apex Stage

You can stick around the Apex Stage. It's not Danny's first dance at Rockville, but having to pick him over New Year's Day as his new album is better than theirs. 

Fleshwater -4:10 - Garage Stage 

Emo doesn't have to be a bad ward, as these dudes are in their feelings and still rock. 

Anthrax- 6:00- Apex Stage

Since reuniting with Joey Belladonna these thrash masters have been consistent and deliver live. 

Biohazard -7:30- Vortex Stage 

Not sure why these guys have a later slot than Anthrax but they ruled in the 90s with their brand of cross-over hardcore that influenced what we think of as nu-metal. 

Kerry King - 9:10 Vortex Stage

Stick around the Vortex stage for the dude who is going to prove he is Slayer. 

Friday 

Harms Way - 3:00 -Garage Stage 

You can sleep in for Friday, but make sure you get to the Garage stage for the bad who had the best hard-core album last year, they are certainly Friday's heaviest band and perhaps the weekend. 

Mushroomhead - 4:10 -Inferno Stage

Not just a Slipknot ripoff, they have a more industrial sound that has matured over the years. 

Kittie - 5: 20 -Inferno Stage

Might as well stick around for these gals who have a lot to prove with their comeback, Saw them back in the day and they got blown away by Mudvayne who was opening for them, but maybe they are better now. 

Nitzer Ebb- 6:00 -Vortex Stage 

Industrial legends. Nuff said. 

Slaughter to Prevail - 6:45 -  Inferno Stage

This band has a lot of buzz around them as their career keeps gaining momentum, with a new album coming out soon they have to bring it big time. 

Falling in Reverse - 8:10- Apex Stage

I like Tech N9ne, but rap tends to suck live as it comes across like karaoke, so these guys will bring it better live. 

Mr. Bungle- 9:10 Vortex Stage 

The best band playing this weekend, half the nu-metal or wacky metalcore bands would not exist if not for what these guys started 

Saturday 

Crobot- 1:50 - Inferno Stage

Smoke a joint and check these guys out as they are just fun straight-up hard rock n roll. 

Red Fang  4: 10- Inferno Stage 

Stick around the Inferno Stage to check out these guys, who are hard-hitting stoner rock with punk smarts.

All Them Witches -5:20 - Inferno  stage

The Inderno Stage seems to be the best bet to camp out at today, as these guys are some of the more interesting rockers for those with THC in their veins. 

Baroness -6;45-Inferno stage

Higher energy live than their albums might lead you to believe, a great live band. 

Code Orange - 8;15 

It's a hard choice between these guys and Clutch, have seen Clutch before, but have not seen these guys, and I prefer their sound to Clutch's as it's darker and industrial... have also seen Queens of the Stoneage before, so missing them would not be that big of a deal either. 

Sunday 

The weakest day of the weekend, but if have been out in the Florida sun all weekend you are going to need a less active day. 

GEL - 1:25 - Vortex  Stage

Best punk band of the weekend, not that there's much actual punk, if you think bands like Sum 41 are punk should see this band to get educated. 

Miltarie Gun - 2;30-Vortex Stage

Well, there aren't Turnstile,  but they would like to be. 

Enter Shakari - 5:25  Inferno Stage

Of all the Myspace-era rock this weekend these guys are the best of that crop

Slipknot- 10:15 Apex

If you attend this fest regularly chances are you have already seen these guys, but they have a new drummer, and worth checking out.

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The Top 40 Nu-Metal Albums - 10 -1

 

We have reached the top 10 of  our  Top 40 Nu-Metal albums,  harder choices were made as the sense of nostalgia carried for certain albums from this era was shed. These are the forty albums from the genre that have best stood the test of time. We have not leaned too  heavily on  any one band, These are not the album with singles that got the most plays from Carson Daily or sold the most units back in the day when bands sold albums, but the ones with the best songs. Popularity means nothing, as sheep will just follow the leader. I am also not just limiting it to the mid to late 90s. There are plenty of nu-metal albums released recently that got right what bands before them did not catch onto, as well as a few that preceded the label of nu-metal. 

 Don’t be quick to break out the cardboard just yet, as album that relied solely on rapping are in the minority, as they all ended up sounding like what the Beastie Boys did on “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun”, and if your entire career can not exceed the dynamic range of a single Beastie Boys album, then chances are you are not the best of any genre. I also am standing fast by the metal part, this meant excluding a few great albums by bands who were more post-hardcore or even just intense rock albums that were not metal. Don’t expect to see the Beastie Boys on here either, if you can’t understand they don’t belong on a metal list, then it’s time to drown yourself in the next convenient body of water you can find. With that let’s dig into our Top 40 nu-metal albums.

10--Mudvayne- "LD 50" 

These mutants took everything that worked with nu-metal and infused it with actual metal, then dropped a bunch of acid and the result was this. The first time I heard this band was right when this album came out and they were opening up for Kittie. They blew Kittie off the stage, total annihilation so rather than put Kittie on this list it makes more sense to put the band who destroyed them.

   

9-Glassjaw- "Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence"  2000

This band fell closer to post -hardcore and had enough hooky emotional catharsis to cross over into nu-metal. The often spastic songs are sharpened by witty lyrics that might have gotten the band cancelled if they came out even five or six years ago. 

8- Slipknot -"All Hope is Gone" 2008 

You might be surprised these guys are not higher on the list, as well as surprised that it is not the album from this band that made it here, we can safely assume you thought it was going to be one of the first two albums here. I coming to my conclusion which album it should be I went back and reviewed all their earlier albums, and by clicking around you can find those reviews that will tell you why this is the album that belongs here, and it comes down to best songwriting.

   

7- Code Orange- "Underneath" 

 These guys did not come out and say they wanted to bring nu-metal back when they wrote this album. Instead they took industrial influence and wrote dark grooving heavy music which belongs in the same sonic zip-code as nu-metal but without any preconceived notions aside from catharsis which is what makes the album so great as well as belonging on this list.

   

6-Static X- "Wisconsin Death Trip" 1999

This album was original ranked lower on this list in earlier drafts, but when taking a hard look at what albums I find myself returning to consistently over the years this is one of them thanks to songs like "I'm With Stupid" and "Love Dump". It is just infectious writing which is why they are still dragging the remains of this band about on the road long after Wayne Static's death, because the music lives on. 

 

 5-Marilyn Manson - "the Golden Age of Grotesque" 2003

You might wonder why "Anti-Christ Superstar" is not the album on this list. To tell the truth it really did not do much for me, if felt like he leaned to heavily on Trent Reznor. This one has more explosive dynamics and thicker grooves, with lyrics that feel like the show who he is as a person rather than a role he is playing, I can respect that as I want my rock stars to be like post - apocalyptic pirates with nothing but pain and hedonism to give. 

 

4-System of a Down-"Toxicity" 2001

Yeah, I know "Sugar" is not on this album. Moving on, One of the few bands who transcended the confines of the genre to become something more lasting than trend involving big pants and eye liner. This album set that in motion, with grooves that stand shoulder to shoulder with any other metal album, no matter the sub-genre. 

   

3-Korn- "S/T"  1994

The album that set most of this in motion. They took the angst of grunge and gave it Freudian issues. When this album came out the low tuned thump of the guitar felt like if Primus was as angry as a hard core band, but with severe depression that was causing them to lash out like this. At the end of the day when you listen to the songs they hold up, and take me back to when this album came out which was a darker place as well. 

 

 2- deftones - "Around the Fur"1997

 This is the album where Chino really found his voice, that would go on to propel the rest of their career. "Adrenaline" played it closer to what Korn did and this album abandons the hip-hop influence, so that factors in when it comes to making it stand the test of time and sound less dated than their debut.

   

1- Faith No More -"Angel Dust" 1992  

If you posed the question of what is the best nu-metal album to any of the bands on this list, after the finished explaining that they were not nu-metal they would tell you it was "Angel Dust" , though this album came out before the label of nu-metal was a thing. It very clear where bands like Deftones , Slipknot, System of a Down and Korn all pulled inspiration from this if it is not clear by the second song "Caffeine" then you don't want to hear it .

Looking Back in Anger at Slipknot's Self titled Debut

 

The first song epitomizes the more heavy-handed hammering side of the band. They throw a bunch of sound at you. This played it closer to what was going on with nu-metal in 1999. I think when it comes to the kind of head bashing grooves "Eyeless" works better than the opener. "Wait and Bleed" pretty much became the band's calling card. The chorus slaps, and Taylor became a better singer over time, but that hooks is pretty solid. "Surfacing" is really heavy for what they are doing here and works here because at this point it had not been done to death. The lyrics have more punch than what we heard on the first Rage Against the Machine album, as these guys were raging at the world not just a machine in it. "Spit it Out' has Taylor rapping the verses, which highlights how they blended in with the times, while standing out. 

"Tattered and Torn" finds the band showing their dark side for the first time. If this was your first exposure to this sort of thing and never hear bands like Skinny Puppy before I am sure this was next level twisted. For the purpose of this review it's just an interlude and not even really a song. This album is loaded with these interludes as it's two in a row with "Frail Limb Nursery."  The first song to emerge from this mood setting is "Purity", which benefits from the sung chorus. "Liberate' is what we now expect from these guys so in terms of that this album delivers it is a classic. The chanted screaming being so repetitive is the only keystone of the genre at the time that sounds dated. If any of their fans tries to tell you they sound nothing like Korn play this song for them. They draw out the intro to   "Prosthetics" to draw you into one of the albums best songs. They balance of dark creepiness and their heavier side works well here. 

"No Life" finds them going back to rapped vocals leading into the song and dominate the verses. This causes the chorus to be less impactful. Until the sung refrain they were clowning around here compared to what they have displayed earlier. "Diluted." finds Taylor's screamed questions regarding his life pretty effective. The declaration that only one of walking away, comes and feels pretty real at the time. It hits like hard core band and helps pave the way for metal core to be as big as it is now. "Scissors" is counting as the last song rather than the hidden track for the purpose of this review. They go heavy on the percussion and end up in similar sonic place to where they ended up on "Iowa". It builds into a bunch of creepy mumbling which in these days would get you cancelled. I will also grant this album a 9, putting on par with their others.    

Looking Back in Anger at Slipknot's "Iowa"

 Their 2001 sophomore album found the big turn into one of the biggest metal bands in the world, but is it any good? How has it held up over time? It's better than I remembered, though I walked out of the store with both this album and System of a Down's "Toxicity" album the same day, and System of a Down proved to be the better band that day. "My Plague" grooves more than I remembered. When this came out I thought they were just being heavy for the sake of it. Now I can hear how this album influenced a great deal of what we call metal core. Now I am not sure if that is something to be proud of , but I can hear it. "Everything Ends" is a collision course of sound with some heavy death metal influenced riffs powering the onslaught. I like how angry at the world they are here. This is the best song on the front end of the album for sure. 

"the Heretic Anthem" was the first single released from this album. They hammer at you with rabid riff and Taylor yelling about 666. Which at the time is one of the issues I had with this album as they were trying to drape the lyrics in Satanic imagery when that is not who they are. I have never heard these guys say anything about the occult then their label puts goats and pentagram all over their merch. "Gently" I appreciate they let more melody and dynamics in but it's not until "Left Behind" that they are fucking around and writing a good song. You can hear how this influenced where their songs would end up years later. "the Shape" is what we now expect from Slipknot , but it was pretty new for them at this point as it was not a bouncing Korn grooving. 

"I am Hatred" is one of the few songs that dips into the same flavor nu-metal as their first album. "Skin Ticket" finds them going in a creepier direction. It crashes and bangs you back into the more familiar sonic places when it builds up. "New Abortion" is another that moves in a more death metal direction. It sounds like the prototype for "Pulse of the Maggots". "Metabolic" is another unhinged outburst, while I appreciate this is a darker and angrier album, some nuance might make this more effective. The lore around the title track that closes the album is Corey was naked, vomiting on himself and cutting himself with glass, all to get into a place to give his best performance. His drinking was also spiraling so that might have helped put it into play. There is a really slow burn into get into the song, He goes into the song with more of whispered mumble. It goes off into a droning jam heavy on mood and ambiance. I will give this album a 9, despite what fans might think it's not their best but I understand the nostalgia attached to it. 

Looking Back In Anger at Slipknot's " Vol 3 :the Subliminal Verses"

Working my way back into Slipknot's catalogue, to see what has held up over time. I remember liking this album more than "Iowa" when it came out, as they emphasis shifted from just being heavy to writing songs. The first couple songs did not age as well and come across sounding like a more deliberate attempt to recapture what they did on the first album. It's until the single "Duality" that is really grabs me. That song benefit from a stellar chorus and not trying so hard to be heavy. Heaviness should just be a natural byproduct of your playing not something you can force.  I must have been easier to please in 2004 as the bulk of this album is not hitting like it used to. "Opium of the People" is certainly not the band at their most inspired. 

"Circle" could be any radio rock band during this time period. The power ballads got better over the years. "Welcome" is back to their more spastic explosive side, with the late drummer certainly proving himself, but from a song writing perspective it's pretty lukewarm, and bordering on boring me. "Vermillion" might be one of their best songs, as it has everything, I want from them. It's dark and brooding with melody, yet not compromising. Knowing they can write songs this good makes me ask why do they not always deliver like this?  While "Pulse of the Maggots" is a popular anthem among their fans, it is bull headed hammering, that lacks the groove of thrash to make this worthwhile and sounds like a bunch of glue sniffing. 

"Before I Forget" proves they can be heavy handed and still write great songs, as it carries more groove and hooky melodies to provide some dynamic range. "Vermilion pt 2" is another ballad, my problem with it in retrospective, is it's not that dark. This might as well be Smashing Pumpkins. "the Nameless" is typical Slipknot but with better than their average riffs driving the song. I appreciate the shift of dynamics when the sung vocals some in. Then things get more experimental on "the Virus of Life" as they split the difference between Marilyn Manson and Mr. Bungle, before bringing a tasty crunch. "Danger / Keep Away" lets things simmer in ambiance. Things come together to form a somewhat, blues-tinged ballad. This is a much better version of what they did on the second part of "Vermillion." I like the layers of vocal harmonies he uses here. 

The last song is not as refined as the band's best moments on this album, and while it is dialed in, it is certainly not to ham fisted for it's own good, and one of the band's best times when they have just punched in a wrote some filler, seems an odd choice to end the album with. I will give this album an 8, putting it behind most of the material that came after. 

Looking Back in Anger at Slipknot's "All Hope is Gone"

 Being working on the 40 Nu-Metal album's, this has caused me to  back into Slipknot's catalogue and give some of the albums I have not visited in some time another listen. The first song "Gematria" finds Taylor declaring that he is going to burn the cities of America down. I remember liking this album when it came out in 2008, but by 2008 I has also moved onto heavier styles of music like black metal so this was less impressive in terms of sheer heaviness. There is a slight hardcore tinge to what they were doing here. This is the last studio album to feature all of the original members to it's unlikely I will feel the need to give their more recent offerings another listen and will just go for the first three albums for here. "Sulfur" benefits from a strong hooky chorus that pulls the song together. 

It should also be no surprise that I like the first single from this album "Pyschosocial" as it's really well written with another powerful hook going into the chorus. The momentum of their songwriting stays strong even when they slow things down for " Dead Memories". The drums bring down a more hammering flurry of double on "Vendetta", but thanks to the strong melody of the vocals the song comes together, to make this rather anthemic. "Butcher's Hook" finds Taylor back to barking over dense riffs, with vocals that are not as catchy. "Gehenna" gets both darker and more melodic. There is more grunge influenced moment with the vocals on the chorus. Then it's back to what you normally expect from these guys on "This Cold Black" . It is effective for what they do, but not as interesting as the risks they took when writing melodic songs. 

They continue to dish out the kind of pounding chugged grooves, with Taylors snarling over it on "Wherein Lies Continue". It almost feels like they are recycling what they have already done until you get to the sung hook, but even that is part of the formula. They break that trend with a ballad called "Snuff" which might have over corrected the course in that regard. But as a song it works. The end the album with the heaviest blast of anger, when it comes down to the title track. I will give this album a 9,5, it is the last one from these guys that was on this level. 

The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers-120 to 111

Digging deeper into our list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective, but not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre, while placing the spotlight on the singer's technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? All factors are being considered here, lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking are based on vocal merit alone. How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers.  

The same can be said of song writers which is why most Bob Dylan songs sound better covered by someone else. Needless to say, ole Robert Zimmerman is not making the cut.Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these are doing their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists have still made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.   

120-Sammy Hagar

Replacing a singer with greater charisma pushed Hagar to become an even better singer. While Van Halen themselves might not have released their best work with him, Sammy gave the best performances of his career.

   

 119-James Hetfield 

 His commanding roar might have shaped the direction metal would go, but it is when he backs away from that and gets more introspective that you can really hear what his voice is made of.

   

 118-Corey Taylor

 The versatility of Taylor's voice what has allowed Slipknot to have extended their career past the point of nu-metal's expiration date. He augments his actual singing voice with a wide array of snarls and screams.

   

 117-Don Dokken 

 He is one of the more technically textbook perfect singers I can listen to. Don adds enough of who he is to his performance. He might not be able to take shoulder to shoulder with the greatest singers of this metal are, but he does deserve his spot here.

 

116-David Coverdale

Of all the pretenders to Robert Plant's throne, this guy injected more of himself into the role. This was aided by his time in Deep Purple, where he showed the importance of letting soul flow through your pipes.

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115- Neil Diamond

If this was a list of songwriters, He would be in the top ten, but we are just judging pipes here. There is a mellow warmth to his baritone that pulls you into to his songs, even if his style of music is your cup of tea or not. He can belt it when he needs to but always serves the songs first.

    

114-Robert Lowe

 The soulful wail from this powerhouse is always heartfelt. His best work was with Solitude Aeturnus , but has also taken over the mic for Candlemass. He is not an Ozzy impersonator like most doom singer, though he does barrow a bit from Dio in his belting style.  

113-Damien Rice

The Irish singer/ songwriter only has three albums under his belt, but he puts all of his emotions in each note he urgently sings. Many folk singers are great at the hushed nuance, but few can belt it out like Rice who has an impressive range. 

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112-Tarja Turunen

The former Nightwish frontwoman helped set the bar for how to sing symphonic metal with her colorful operatic voice. What those who followed her footsteps lacked was their own personality which Tarja has m and is often more important than the notes she sings.

 

111- Chuck Billy 

The most impressive thing about the longtime Testament vocalist is how aggressive he can get and still manage to actually sing. This is what makes his band's songs so catchy and makes Chuck stand out as one of the best metal singers from the thrash scene.   

Slipknot : "The End, So Far"

 Every metal band likes to go into the press gauntlet before releasing an album and tell them how this is going to be as heavy as one of their really heavy albums or it's their heaviest album yet is also another classic. None of these are close to true when it comes to the new Slipknot. They try to resurrect their classic sound at time completer with dj scratches. But Vended does Slipknot heavier, however these guys are better songwriters. The album opens with a ballad. They do step back into making old things new again,with "the Dying Song" works best in this regard.  The claimed "Yen" sounded like Type O Negative, I am guessing they never heard Type O Negative. It's a pretty decent song, but it sounds like Slipknot, just brooding more on the verses, but not anywhere as dark as Type O and while Taylor's vocals continue to improve, he is no Peter Steele. There is a cool riff toward the end, but the rule here is cool riffs do not a good song make. 

"Hivemind" is pretty typical Skipknot, with little room for these guys to deny being nu-metal. The vocal hook on the chorus works well. They are just better song writers than 97 percent of the other nu-metal bands which is why they have sustained their career. There is less hook to "Warranty" which is the band thrashing along the middle ground in terms of heaviness, as they might have been impressive when they came out in 1999, but 23 years later, music has changed in terms of what is metal. Even though it's not heavy "Medicine for the Dead: us a really well written song that works incredibly well and serves as a reminder this band can deliver even if they are no longer as consistent. "Acidic' is another song that is not heavy but works off a soulful bluesy energy that compensates for the hard rock direction. 

"Heirloom' is another song where they dust off old sounds and try to breathe new anger into them. What they have going for them is Taylor's sense of hooks, though it also makes this feel more Stone Sour. This song grew on more than some of the others. "H377" Is heavier but it feels like they are trying to hard without yielding much in terms of drawing me into the music. With that said and further illustrating the lack of consistency they dial that song in then deliver the album's best song with "De Sade: They last song is a big epic production rife with dynamics, but it feels kinda of empty in places to  my ears, but for every moment like that Taylor balances it out with a smart vocal line. He pretty saves the album and proves he is Slipknot.  I will give this one a 9, as it is clear they are doing what they set out to do even if there is some misdirection regarding what that is. They are still nu-metal, but happen to be a band that proves nu-metal is not limited to ADIDAS flavored rap metal.  

the Top 10 Hard Rock Albums of 2019

It's that time of year again, to sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, then use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. Later in the month I am making  the top 10 lists for the decade, though to be blunt  this is the decade's weakest year for music.  Especially when it comes to new artists,  there is only one new band on this list . We are once again defining hard rock as having more edge than rock, but not being metal, as how metal is defined by people who know music outside of the trailer park.  As in  past years I am  giving a brief explanation as to why these albums stand over their peers in lower positions on the list. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more.

After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However  I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No,  I do not care what you think about it.   I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list  and  have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 hard rock  albums of 2019 .

10- Cold - "the Things We Can't Stop"

 This is more of an honorable mention. I am more invested in their first few albums . It brings back those memories though is more of a watered down reflection, but that is better than most of the bands they share streaming radio space with.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/cold-things-we-cant-stop.html

9- Korn-"the Nothing"

 There first album is metal. This album has more of an edge than some of the more questionable choices they have made since "Issues". Their sense of groove has always been their strong point and this go around it feels like they actually give a shit again instead of just punching a clock and throwing dub step at thigs to see what sticks. That is enough to earn them the
 number 9 spot.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/korn-nothing.html

8-Steel Panther- "Heavy Metal Rules "

 Perhaps the joke here is they are not a metal band, or are they that self aware. Even in the title track are not metal, Dokken , Van Halen and Kiss. The lyrics are still clever, perhaps not as on point as the previous album, but even when these guys punch the clock it's entertaining as they do not make music like this any more.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/steel-panther-heavy-metal-rules.html

7-Slipknot - "We Are Not Your Kind"


 Sure they have been raging against the label of nu-metal for years. While there is a fine line between mainstream metal and hard rock, I think all of the bandsw on the mainstream metal list who were just not heavy enough to make it on death metal or black metal lists are still heavier than what these guys are doing now. Heaviness aside they are writing some catch poppy rock dittys with an edge. This song writing is superior to that of Steel Panther.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/08/slipknot-we-are-not-your-kind.html

6-He is Legend - "White Bat"


6 albums in you pretty much know what you are going to get from these guys. Though there might be a more spastic energy to this album than what I have heard from them in the past. If Corrosion of Conformity smokes a bunch of meth, the results might be the same. It is most interesting at it's most melodic. I think fans of this band will have little issue embracing this album. More real than Slipknot, they do not need gimmicks.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/06/he-is-legend-white-bat.html

5-LA Guns -'The Devil You Know"


The band survived the 90s so they are not going to be giving up any time soon. I think the fact that they had more of a metal edge than their peers all along helps with this. Phil doesn't sound like he had aged. These guys are holding up better...musically than the bulk of their peers from these time. Yeah some of the guys in Skid Row or Motley Crue might look better, but these guys might have made their heaviest album yet, which is more than you can say for those bands. Easier listen than He is Legend as it's not as spastic.



https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/la-guns-devil-you-know.html

 4- A Pale Horse Called Death- "When the World Becomes Undone" 

 Of the two bands who have former members of Type O Negative in them, this one comes closer to upholding that legacy. The other is more psychedelic where these guys have more heft in their guitar playing. Heavy but not really metal due to some of it's more ambitious melodic leanings . The focus of the song writing puts them over their other peers on this list.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-pale-horse-named-death-when-world.html

3-Emil Bull - "Mix Tape"

 This German band came out wit ha covers album that grew on me this year. The highlights of being their cover of the Killer's "Mr. Brightside " which they nailed and the Billie Ellish song "Crown" which is way better than the original because this guy puts some power to the chorus it lacked before.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/05/emil-bulls-mixtape.html

2- Brume- "Rabbits "

This female fronted band was not what I expected when I first heard them. They are melancholy in a manner that is close to doom with out packing that kind of punch. Instead it just works off sublime vocals . It's heavy without committing to being metal. The vocals tip the scale and give them the edge over most of their competition.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/11/november-doom-brume-rabbits.html

1- New Years Day- "Unbreakable"


 For mainstream rock bands in the post -nu metal world, I typically liked what this band does. Ash Costello's vocals seem to get better with every album. Slick arena sounding production helps the overall sound, but it is the hooks to their choruses that sell it. These are strong songs and pretty fucking catchy one s at that. and the grooves do tend to stick with you. To most who read this blog this is going to feel more like pop than metal, but genre be damned they are good at what they do. This year what they do is better than every one else in the same sonic zip code.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/04/new-years-day-unbreakable.html

Slipknot : " We Are Not Your Kind"

This band has been raging against the label of nu-metal for the past decade. This album might be more user friendly , but I do not suspect it win them any new fans .-The first opens with a children's choir singing along with Taylor. The verse reminds me more of the first album. The chorus finds him singing in a much cleaner voice than normal. The production on this more melodic section is lighter in tone. There are many more electronic elements time time around. Taylor is singing more. The sung vocals are mixed back from the guitar more than they used to be. The verse to "Birth of the Cruel" has a metal core break down feel, though they do find their way to a groove. I had to crank it in order to get the depth of the guitar tone. It is very polished and well written so I can see it growing on me. The interludes in-between the songs sounds like they escaped a Nine Inch Nails album.  "Nero Forte" finds the verses punching again an d a lighter higher vocal on the chorus.

Up to this point the sung vocals have been sung with more finesse, but not among the more memorable hooks I have heard from them. They put the hook in "Critical Darling" . It gets harder to tell this band apart from Stone Sour when they break the acoustic guitars on "Liars Funeral" .  It does get heavier, but even then I would say it's not  the album's strongest song by any means. The guitar sound still doesn't feel as dense to me even when they dig into the heavy on " Red Flag" . It feels like recycled ideas from other songs.  "Spiders" feels darker despite the more pop feel to Taylor's vocal.  Midway into the song things get a little weird. "Orphan" find them latching onto a hook. The verses are more thrashing. "My Pain" is more subdued with layered vocals. Four mins in and never builds into a real song.

"Not Long For this World" is propelled by the hooky vocals. His voice is more emotive this time around when it come to actual singing. After a minute it builds into the meat of the song.There are some pretty cool chugged riffs in this one but the rule hear is "cool riffs alone do not a good song make". It does build into a more thrashing riff.  The album closes with "Solway Firth". There is a drone before it kicks into the actual song.This is the album's heaviest song and also one of the most dynamic. It's also darker than some of the others . Lyrically it is not ambiguous anger, but more personal self loathing in reflection to the rest of the world. I will give this a 9, it's a great deal better than I thought it would be. It is also not as heavy or dark as I thought it would be.

the Weekly Playlist Vol 5 : Nu-Metal edition

Breaking away from the trend of artist specific playlists I had going there for a couple of weeks to switch gears into a sub-genre specific playlist. I was going to stick to the artist theme and then make this a top ten list, but this makes more sense since we have a bunch of top ten lists as it as and the end of the year will be here before we know it. While I was no longer teenager when the nu-metal subgenre exploded in the late 90s, I appreciated the first wave of albums that came from it. Once certain artists got too much radio play it began to become watered down. Even after the first wave a few bands included here slipped by to make decent music.

This afternoon I played DJ for the female of most significance in my life and cued up music of this era to invoke a time when life was simpler. The unbridled joy of catharsis this music could still bring was very touching, So here some deeper cuts from some of those same artists and others from that time period. This music carried an undeniable groove and proved easy to get caught up in as the angst it often boiled gave voice to pain otherwise left to feel unheard. I often reach back in time for music that spoke to me at certain place so listen to the voice of my younger days. I time when idealism was the language of dreams and the weight of the adult world was a burden not fully realized.

Music is a time machine. It reminds me when I was not as calloused by beatings life had given me and I could throw caution to the wind and free fall into feelings with abandon. Older and wiser I try to have a more balanced approach, but music helps keep the vibrations balanced until my mind can catch up to my heart. So maybe dear reader, you to might share such a place in time with these songs, perhaps you might discover a song that went under the radar at the time . Either way life is too short to not have a soundtrack to remind us when we lived and loved at 80 mph. Perhaps we now know, more sustainable speed at which to engage this journey, and every journey needs a soundtrack.  

Disturbed - "Believe"

 

 Static X- "Love Dump"


 

 Korn - "Swallow"


 


Orgy- "Fetisha"

 


 System of a Down - "Spiders"


 


 Slipknot- "Vermilion"

 

 Flaw- "What Do I have to Do"

 

 Mudvayne - "Nothing to Gein"



Deftones-"Mx'


 

Code Orange : " The Hurt Goes On"

I don't review a ton of EPs. But when I do it has to be from a band I really like a lot. Code Orange is such a band. Their album "Forever" rules pretty hard as it showed them utilizing a bigger sound and blending a more industrial tinged influence into the mix. That industrial side of the band is given The first song is gritty and dense metal core that takes the concept of metal and hardcore thrown together and succeeds on every angle. It's only two minutes and considering how much goes down in those two minutes you can hear the grind core influence.

"The Hunt" works off of a sample of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf". Taunt and machine like in the syncopated pummeling the deal. The guitar tone might be even more bad ass than what they beat our ears with on "Forever". There is a great deal of glitch tinged electronics adding the chaos of it's color to the mix. Corey Taylor from Slip Knot adds his vocals to this song, but it's his more forceful bark so it blends in with what they normally do and doesn't turn into some cheesy Stone Sour power ballad. Then the remixes from "Forever" start coming. The first is the title track of this ep. It's pretty close to the album version with just a touch of more electronics that makes it even darker. The Drum Corps remix of " broken.selfish.scum.within" is next and it's almost like an Igorr song. "Power Green" is another stomp down the industrial rabbit hole. The caustic vocals are buried in the buzz of noise laced over this mix.  It gets really noisy by the end of the song.

Sure this is just holding out attention until they release a follow up to "Forever" but that is something I would not want them to rush as the expectations would just be too high. So just taking the EP for what it is I'll still give it a 9 as the first two song rock pretty hard and I love how the left of center electronics are blended with their take on metallic hard core. If you are a fan of the band it's a nice snack to hold you over, the first two songs also serve as a decent entry point for new comers though in the grand scheme of things don't see this really winning over a ton of new fans.

Korn : " the Serenity of Suffering"

While I have not listened to them in over a decade, I like the first three Korn albums. Now that we have that awkward moment out of the way we can talk about the matter at hand. Much like Meshuggah they know they have to have the obligatory down tuned stomping bounce to their sound. The first thing I notice and this has been the bane of many Korn albums since 1999 is the weird production. It sounds like this is Jonathan Davis doing karaoke over an album playing in his bathroom. "Rotting in Vain" doesn't go into dub-step, so it sounds more like them some of their previous albums. There is even a scat growl section. But it just doesn't feel heavy. They are still haunted by the pop ghosts of when they were freaks on a leash. I can almost respect them more when they go for the big radio pop hooks on "Black is the Soul", but I think it would be pushing it to call this metal. Even when they are growling for you to give them back their life.

"the Hating" is an improvement, but calling it a good song might be an exaggeration, it is more tolerable than many of the moments on the first three songs, the melody is stronger. "A Different World" is an duet with Corey Taylor, and while it will please legions of glue sniffers with Corey Taylor as their profile pictures on Youtube think this is the year's best album, the pairing is not needed. In fact "Take Me " is a better song even with it's hip hop influenced nu-metal silliness. "Everything Falls Apart" the first song that on the first listen I'll say is pretty solid. I don't mind the Disturbed influenced cadence of "Die Yet Another Night". Though the chorus strikes me as kinda cheesy.

You can hear they still have their songwriting chops on the verses, though I 'm not sure about the anthem like  choruses on songs like "When You're not There" , but at this point I am surprised these songs are not as offensive to my ears as I went in expecting. We are back to foolishness on "Next In Line" . Then as far as this kind of suburban radio pop goes, 'Please Come For me" is pretty good. Who ever produced this album needs to be shot as the guitars are dialed away too far back in the mix. So they escaped being on the years worst list, I'll give this album a 6 and use it as the measuring rod of what you have to at least be as good as to not get thrown on that ill fated list. If you love Korn after all these years then you one step away from being a juggaloo anyways, however if you want to hear what heavy should sound like in 2016 I'll refer you to either Nails, Fistula or Oathbreaker.

The Top Ten Worst Albums of 2014

I forced myself to listen to some of this so you wouldn't have to. Some of these albums got reviewed, others were so bad I couldn't listen to it again to really put it into words. Twilight's newest album which fell a little short, just missed this list by the skin of their teeth.There are some of the arena rockers you would expect to be dialing it in, but some more underground fare that fell flat too.
So let's count down the Top ten worst albums of 2014


10-Perfect Pussy: Say Yes to Love -Score 5

While they are better than Pussy Riot, what they do tends to fall short of being songs which when you are making music ...well.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/perfect-pussy-say-yes-to-love.html

9-the Dread Lords- Death Angel -5
This is one of those, where I couldn't get into it enough to write a review. A five is generous, but I think the singer has a good voice. The lyrics are beyond silly and trying to hard. The instrumentation is to sparse. The heavier moments feel awkward. I could go on, it's possible these guys might still have a good album in them, this just isn't it.

8-Opeth: Pale Communion - Score 4.5

These guys were once awesome, but the prog wagon has drifted them so far into indulgence they only have two good songs on this album. Sure some of this is well played. But it is wimpier than Jethro Tull

7- Dephosphorus: Ravenous Solemnity Score 4.5

Heavy handed riff chaos, where metal embraces the worst elements of punk. The litany of issues are listed below.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/dephosphorus-ravenous-solemnity.html

6- Foo-Fighters - Sonic Highways Score- 4

My biggest problem with Foo-fighters is they are one of the reasons for Sunny Day Real Estates demise. Their first two albums were decent for radio fluff. Now they are resorting to making HBO document specials to try to breathe life into their uninspired radio fodder. I have no clue why they have three guitar players. Sometimes Dave stumbles over a catchy melody or two. The lyrics are  far beyond horrible.

5- Midnight-No Mercy For Midnight- Score 4.5

We are now passing the point of no return, this is no ooops... better production or maybe we should have tweaked the songs a bit , maybe a disappointment after our last album .... no we are going into you straight up suck.I haven't been that bored listening to an album in some time. Raspberry Bulbs does this better. You can read the rest of my gripes below.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/11/midnight-no-mercy-for-mayhem.html

4 - Issues:-S/T- Score-4

The comeback of nu metal is even more lackluster than you might have braced yourself for. The full list of my issues with Issues can be read below.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/03/issues-st.html

3 - Slipknot: the Gray Album-Score -3

Talk about dialing it in. The new drummer isn't doing these guys any favors. I don't mind Corey's clean vocals , but here they sound like any teenager from Myspace in the 2000's Even worse at other moments they sound like something from a Foo- Fighters album.One of the funniest moments is the fact the song "Kilpop" is one of the poppiest things I have heard from them.



2 - Avenged Sevenfold : Waking the Fallen Score-2.5

They tried to get heavier on this one , but it doesn't work out. Big problem is all of the clean vocal melodies sound exactly the same. The really slam the point home that cool riffs along don't make a good song, in their case they have them wedged i between so much cheese, it's hard to tell one from the next.To even try to score this one I had to fast forward  to catch the gist . Has one of the worst power ballads ever written on this.



1- Black Veil Brides : s/t -Score 2.5

I knew this nu-metal version of Motley Crue would be bad. They have turned more into Avenged Fold, the singer is less Vince Neil and trying to put more balls in his voice, but ends up sounding like the guy from Slipknot. Some of the emo is gone , but replaced by beer rock. For every riff that could be good there is a stupid radio melody that borders on Nickleback.It's not until the 3rd song that the singer returns to his more Hot Topic form. They are really going toe to toe with Avenged Sevenfold to see who can write the worst power ballad. I almost could respect the cock rock emo they used to play more than this. This one I could only get through a minute at a time. "Last Rites" is the only song on here that's listenable.