Metal Reviews

What 2006 albums have you listened up to now?
I have listened:

1)Psycroptic-Symbols of Failure (95/100)
2)!T.O.O.H.! - Rád A Trest (85/100)
3)Decapitated-Organic Hallucinosis (80/100)
4)Dismember-The God That Never Was (75/100)
5)Devin Townsend-Synchestra (80/100)
6)Darkthrone-The Cult Is Alive (70/100)

Darkthrone - The Cult Is Alive: 85/100
Green Carnation - Acoustic Verses: 90/100

I tend to steer away from buying albums just to actualise a band's discography in my possession, or buying it because it's new and everybody is listening to it. 2006 is young, so there will be a couple more I'll pick up before its end.

In any case, for me these two albums are already in the running for album of the year.

What does Green Carnation play?

I try to keep up with as many as I can. So far it's:

Silentium - Seducia (85/100)
One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - 21st Century Killing Machine (65/100)
Elvenking - The Winter Wake
Edguy - Rocket Ride (68/100)
Rage - Speak Of The Dead
Altaria - The Fallen Empire (75/100)
Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse (93/100)
Norther - Till Death Unite Us
Winterlong - Metal/Technology
Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver
Thyrfing - Farsotstider (80/100)
Diablo - Mimic 47 (75/100)
The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra
Axxis - Paradise In Flames (82/100)
Twilightning - Bedlam EP

In a few days:
Kalmah - The Black Waltz
Adagio - Dominate
Misery Inc. - Random End
In Flames - Come Clarity
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
Jorn Lande - The Duke

Edit: Forgot the scores on some. The others aren't rated cus they need more time..

Shit i did not list some albums like:
Diablo-Mimic 47 (70/100)
Misery Inc-Random End (70/100)
In Flames-Come Clarity (30 /100)
One Man Army-21st century killing machine (55/100)

They've played lots of stuff, from Doom to almost mainstream rock. The Acoustic Verses is an acoustic rock album, and an excellent one at that. "Maybe" in particular. Alex wrote a good review of this one, so go read it.

Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage (85/100)
Edguy - Rocket Ride (80/100)
Elvenking - The Winter Wake (95/100)
Green Carnation - The Acoustic Verses (96/100)
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime II (70/100)

Elvenking - The Winter Wake 90/100
Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra 90/100
DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage 89/100
In Flames - Come Clarity 69/100
Edguy - Rocket Ride 62/100
Adagio - Dominate 79/100
Twilightning - Bedlam EP 65/100
Thyrfing - Farsotstider 71/100
Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver 60/100
Rage - Speak Of The Dead73/100


Its been a great year so far.

I have no 2006 albums. :(

You all forgot Kayo Dot!!!! 92/100 or so

95% for Psycroptic, Dago? I obviously need to listen to it more..

Lars' solo project?

Day Without Dawn - Day Without Dawn EP - Big disapointment after The Postman Syndrome's debut basically became my new favourite album over the last month, 65/100

*Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress - Pretty much the same stuff as their first album, still the best in the "melodic-bordering-on-pop" death metal genre though. By that I mean the only band I enjoy in it. 80/100

*Sceptic - Internal Complexity - Extremely well played melodic death/thrash metal with AMAZING, i repeat AMAZING solos. 85/100

Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage - Not much to say besides I wish they could write more than one song. 50/100

*Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone... - Very weird, in a genre of their own - 85/100

*Canvas Solaris - Penunmbra Defuse - Great, well written, varied, spacey technical instrumental progressive metal (mass adjectives ^_^) 90/100

Ahleuchatistas - What You Will - Impressive, entirely clean (no distortion) math rock - 75/100

Demiricous - One (Hellbound) - Such average death metal I wouldn't hesitate to call this album pointless, 40/100

*Devin Townsend - Synchestra - Yea... 99/100

Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis - I love their new singer, the other one made me want to throw up. Sort of like Meshuggah playing brutal death metal 80/100

Eyes of Fire - Prisons - Atmospheric sludge metal with a sort of accesible/mainstream style of songwriting (verse/chorus etc) 75/100

In Flames - Come Clarity - Yea... 50/100

Amorphis - Eclipse - Can't really judge it against their other rock stuff, but it was decent 70/100

Kataklysm - Arms of Devasation - First album by them I've liked, great melodic death metal 75/100

Null - Intronaut - Technical sludge metal with no emotion or energy at all and terrible vocals. Mildly interesting in parts 50/100

*The Ocean - Aeolian - A great album of insanely heavy sludge metal that is meticulously composed. It loses some energy because of that but the heavyness of the music just totally makes up for it. 85/100

Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance - Yup, they're still sad 70/100

In other news, I listen to way too much music

Devin Townsend-Synchestra (so far a solid 80/100)
In Flames - Come Clarity (around 60/100)
Diablo - Mimic 47 (70/100)
Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage (around 70/100)
Edguy - Rocket Ride (around 60/100)
Green Carnation - The Acoustic Verses (around 70/100)

from your lists I need to listen to :
Psycroptic-Symbols of Failure (since Dago likes it soooo much)
Rage - Speak Of The Dead
Kalmah - The Black Waltz
Adagio - Dominate
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime II
Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone
Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
The Ocean - Aeolian
Eyes of Fire - Prisons
Ahleuchatistas - What You Will
(in red those I'm most eager to listen to)

um, bleeding through - the truth :oops:

i know it sucks. i wasted that 30 dollars for sure.

But im hoping to get:

darkthrone - the cult is alive
dragonforce - inhuman rampage
psycroptic - symbols of failure

ASAP

Ha, I had TIS,TIM for a while, not dreadful, but not good enough to keep. Anyway, from what I've hearda the new one they've gone like everyone else. Sellouts. Still have a very nice keyboardist, though.

And nothing on topic.

Yep melodic is the exciting new direction for them, and 96847464 other bands...

Is this just a list of 2006 metal albums that have impressed us so far? Man, this year is going to be awesome for metal! Just look at these killer albums that have either already come out or have leaked and are due within the first 6 months of the year:

The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra (99/100)
Jorn - The Duke (89/100)
Rage - Speak Of The Dead (89/100)
Beyond Fear - Beyond Fear (75/100)
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II (79/100)
Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance (70/100)
Katatonia - My Twin (CD Single) (60/100)
Blind Guardian - Fly (CD Single) (60/100)
Astral Doors - Astralism (95/100)
Amorphis - Eclipse (85/100)
In Flames - Come Clarity (90/100)
The Sword - Ages Of Winter (85/100)
Edguy - Rocket Ride (93/100)
Witchery - Don't Fear The Reaper (75/100)
Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse (70/100)
Raunchy - Death Pop Romance (75/100)
Eyes Of Fire - Prisons (89/100)

That is just what I've heard so far, but there are also a ton of albums scheduled for release this year that should be excellent. 2006 is going to be an amazing year for metal, one of the best in a long, long time.

I thought 2005 was great as well, although it was also the first year where i started looking for metal releases

2005 was definitely good, but just the first quarter of 2006 is amazing!

I have only heard two 2006 releases so far:

Darkthrone - The Cult is Alive (75%)

Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue (not sure about the score yet.. More listens required... But it is moving in the interval 80-90%)

Not one bad release so far..