Metal Reviews

There are some albums where the music is incredible, yet there is an imbalance due to an overload of instrumentals/interludes. What are some albums you've heard that suffer from this fate, and what are the lengths of the instrumentals that hamper the album? My personal vote goes to Pestilence's Testimony of the ancients, there are a lot of instrumentals as opposed to awesome tracks..

Tool's "Ænima" comes to mind. However, "botched" is a really strong word for it. "Inconvenienced" might be a better one. It's still a fucking fantastic album, damn near perfect in fact, but a few too many interludes keeps it down a bit.

Sabaton-The Art Of War. Couldn't stand those interludes. Don't get me wrong the album is solid but it could have done without those interludes or they could have done the interludes much better than that Vanna White wannabe lady who did them.

+ fucking 1. Atheist Elements comes to mind but Aenima is it.

DHG - Supervillain Outcast

a lot of Machine Head's music suffers from that, huge intros (for me it's the same as having a separate prelude track) and to top if off huge fucking endings as well. i actually find myself editing out that shit when i'm making a playlist for myself, more than with any other band.

I can only recall a few songs of them that take more than a minute before they actually begin. I think I would like those songs less without those long intros.

half the songs on The More Things Change... are like that, i think. Davidian, Blood for Blood, same. haven't heard the new albums except for a few songs, and even those had big-ass intros.

and to me they really don't add value.

mind you i tendo to skip or edit out intros whenever they're over 30sec long lol.

Kamelot - Epica

i should have mentioned earlier that more than an interlude, what really puts me off is an intro. an interlude you can just skip, or if it's the kind that melds into a song both tracks are split just at the right moment.

The whole album feels like an interlude.

I like interludes, when done well.

Me too.

Good interludes : Virgin Steele - The House OF Atreus
Bad Interludes : Frank Zappa - Joes Garage

A bad interlude is Hyperviolet on Pig Destroyer's Prowler. I hate that drone business. On intense headphones that scream/sound fucks your ears up.

Hyperviolet's my favorite song on the album.

Hmmm I thought that was the track that the word explosion gets stretched out and distorted and that drives me crazy but I definitely remember the song itself is good but I just hate the 40 second drone aspect. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong track.

Yeah, wtf, great track. And not at all an interlude.

The "prostitutes of fire" track is Body Scout. Hyperviolet does have a bit of a droning thing at the end, but I think it's totally appropriate after that badass drum solo ends. It kinda just leaves you floating in a space of feedback. I like it.

Body Scout is it! I so hear the prostitutes on fire now that you mention it. I've had my ears fucked so many times because of that track. Then it leads to that sweet riff the beginning of Snuff Film. You guys are right though; Hyperviolet is sick and that droning/atmospheric bit at the end is fine and works within that song. The distorted vocals which kinda introduce the second half of the album in Body Scout just bug me to no end and are kinda an interlude insofar as they lead into the second half which is much sludgier and metal than the beginning I think.

Nonsense.