HMaM Global Mod
Post by GL on Dec 31, 2010 13:53:45 GMT -5
Modern Metal- Death Metal- Since this New Year turning over is actually the end of the decade, let's take a look at the last decade in Modern Metal:
2000-
10. Dead to the World-Beyond this Sterile Existence
9. Stampin’ Ground-Carved from Empty Words
8. Stretcher-Annomundi
7. Cataract-Golem
6. Kill II This-Another Cross II Bear
5. Shadows Fall-Of One Blood
4. Heaven Shall Burn-Asunder
3. Pissing Razors-Fields of Disbelief
2. Nevermore-Dead Heart…In a Dead World
1. Soulfly-Primitive
Wow, was this an impressive offering, dropping all the utterly lame nu-metal aspects of the previous album and making an utterly ripping and devastating release. Managing to make the mixture of tribal instruments and atmosphere with metal interesting instead of the abominations of his previous attempts in his other band, it’s what makes the record so good. It alternates from the full-on thrashing brutality to the quieter, introspective moments with their use of the tribal elements, and the whole thing is a competent mixture of the two that’s unique, fresh and actually is a rather interesting mix of the two. With a full-mixture of different styles represented here that all manages to come across cohesively and interestingly, this here represents how they should go forward, instead of that abomination they tried on their first one, and will be the version Max should be the most proud of.
2001-
10. Diecast-Day of Reckoning
9. Pain-Rebirth
8. Machine Head-Supercharger
7. Kittie-Oracle
6. Fear Factory-Digimortal
5. Kalmah-Swamplord
4. God Forbid-Determination
3. Children of Bodom-Follow the Reaper
2. Rammstein-Mutter
1. Soilwork-A Predator’s Portrait
As Sweden is slowly starting to take over the metal world, these guys will soon be the next big thing to come from there and this is their calling card for recognition in the new world order when it’s all said and done. From their just flat-out impressive guitar-playing, that strikes the ever-confusing line between melody and brutality, each of these songs have their own identity and that makes this a rather intriguing listen whether you prefer one over the other since both have their moments, and with their virtuosic solos, rampant tempo changes and general memorability, this is an impressive part of the album. Not to be outdone, the drumming is kept in perfect harmony with those great guitars and that newfound Swedish ability to mix in the clean vocals and harsh screaming gives these guys a fantastically original sound that only gets better with time. One to watch in the years to come.
2002-
10. Deride-First Round Knockout
9. Skinlab-reVolting Room
8. Barium-Education by Error
7. Heaven Shall Burn-Whatever It May Take
6. Pain-Nothing Remains the Same
5. Remembering Never-She Looked So Good in Red
4. In Flames-Reroute to Remain
3. Soilwork-Natural Born Predator
2. Hatebreed-Perseverance
1. Killswitch Engage-Alive or Just Breathing
Okay, so the video doesn’t match the song on the record, I personally don’t care since the record version isn’t that great, and the new singer fits them so much better anyways, so I’m bending a rule here and using that version instead of the album version. Either way, though, the music is just an absolute blast since it manages to combine the brutality of Industrial with the slowly-exploding Metalcore scene, itself an offshoot of the Melodic Swedish Death Metal scene that’s currently ruling the scene, and these guys are one of the better bands coming out of that scene. With their crushing guitars, thunderous drumming and utterly, insanely heavy production that gives the whole thing the weight of a thousand stone bricks, it creates a real sense of heaviness and accessibility that invites repeat listens as well as a sense of melody amidst the brutality. A refreshing and engaging listen from a band that should only get better in the years to come, now that they’ve got all the pieces necessary, now all we need is a re-recorded version with the new guy.
2003-
10. Pissing Razors-Evolution
9. Himsa-Courting Tragedy and Disaster
8. Cannae-Horror
7. Sinai Beach-When Breath Escapes
6. Ministry-Animositisomina
5. Lamb of God-As the Palaces Burn
4. Soilwork-Figure Number Five
3. Strapping Young Lad-SYL
2. Children of Bodom-Hate Crew Deathroll
1. Nevermore-Enemies of Reality
An absolutely amazing album, this one here just utterly blew me away on first listen. This here is quite possibly one of the classiest-sounding metal bands around, as the entire album is just dripping with class, professionalism and a raging sense of fun. That’s right, this album scorches with a touch of class that still manages to get the blood boiling and the head banging, a statement to the absolutely wonderfully-written compositions and riff-work on display. Technical, complex and yet hauntingly memorable, the guitar riffs are without-a-doubt some of the absolute best on display in their catalog, and with the thrashing drumming, over-the-top vocal performances and an absolutely devastating attack, there’s hardly anything out there that can topple these guys right now with the role they’ve been on. It’s a tough choice, but they’ve earned the Album of the Year award with this one, it’s that good.
2004-
10. Heaven Shall Burn-Antigone
9. All That Remains-This Darkened Heart
8. Fear Factory-Archetype
7. God Forbid-Gone Forever
6. Killswitch Engage-The End of Heartache
5. Chimaira-The Impossibility of Reason
4. Hatebreed-The Rise of Brutality
3. Lamb of God-Ashes of the Wake
2. Machine Head-Through the Ashes of Empires
1. Rammstein-Reise, Reise
The greatest band from Germany continues their march onward with perhaps one of their best records in a long time, and it might be the peak of their career. With their propensity for delivering face-melting Industrial metal with memorable riffing, thunderous drumming, absolutely furious vocals, utterly memorable choruses and haunting keyboards underneath it all remains intact, yet it just feels like this is a selection of some of their absolutely best material in a long time. From a variety stand-point, it sure feels like a lot of different elements are present here, from their full-throttle ragers to the live-ready shout-a-longs and the singles through to the more varied, obscure tracks that show a remarkable breadth to their writing which makes this one so much fun. One of their best, and that’s fun to see.
2005-
10. Throwdown-Vendetta
9. Darkest Hour-Undoing Ruin
8. Chimaira-Chimaira
7. Soilwork-Stabbing the Drama
6. Trivium-Ascendency
5. Children of Bodom-Are You Dead Yet?
4. DevilDriver-The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand
3. Strapping Young Lad-Alien
2. God Forbid-IV: Constitution of Treason
1. Rammstein-Rosenrot
Almost immediately issued right after such an utterly amazing album like their last one, this one manages to almost topple it, but still remains a strong effort on its own. Filled with their usual elements of thrashing Industrial metal with memorable hooks, catchy choruses and thunderous drumming underneath atmospheric keyboards and vicious vocals, the fact that this is one of the few times they experiment with their sound with the utterly frenetic and insanely catchy Mexican mariachi-duet that frankly finds itself still fitting into their sound despite the incredibly odd combination attempt. Despite that awesome song, there’s still plenty to adore here, with their full-on muscle still pumped up on several tracks, the ballads aren’t their best but still have enough to seem tender and romantic at times and their attempt to do somewhat slower songs offer up some nice variety. It’s an experimental touch here, but frankly it works wonders and still sounds as massive as they’ve ever done, which is always a good thing with these guys.
2006-
10. Strapping Young Lad-The New Black
9. Heaven Shall Burn-Deaf to Our Prayers
8. Scar Symmetry-Pitch Black Progress
7. Killswitch Engage-As Daylight Dies
6. Lamb of God-Sacrament
5. All That Remains-The Fall of Ideals
4. Himsa-Hail Horror
3. Trivium-The Crusade
2. Dagoba-What Hell is About
1. Hatebreed-Supremacy
Despite this not being such a big year, it wasn’t a hard choice to give this band this ranking, especially in the face of what was easily one of the better albums released this year. Still showing signs of their incredibly tight musicianship, absolutely amazing vocal shift-ups and intense drumming that make this group one of, if not the best in this genre, this one manages to go a step further and introduce a bit of variety amongst it all to make for an even more damaging release. From the introduction of some slight and somewhat brief guitar solos into the mix, coming from a band of this style, combined with the more traditional intense break-downs and an increased amount of clean, soaring vocals interspersed into their classic riffing and barbaric drumming, this one is an absolutely addicting piece of metal that shows these guys going into a somewhat experimental stage that may or may not pay-off in the long-run but it should be fun to watch them do that.
2007-
10. Kittie-Funeral for Yesterday
9. Daath-The Hinderers
8. Darkest Hour-Deliver Us
7. Chimaira-Resurrection
6. Himsa-Summon in Thunder
5. Divine Heresy-Bleed the Fifth
4. As I Lay Dying-An Ocean Between Us
3. Soilwork-Sworn to a Great Divine
2. DevilDriver-The Last Kind Words
1. Machine Head-The Blackening
It’s been bandied as the ‘Master of Puppets’ for this generation, and while that’s a little extreme, that’s certainly not as far off a claim as it might at first suggest. While more truthfully it might be this generations’ ‘Reign in Blood,’ no matter what hallowed album you put it up against, it can’t be denied this is still an epic, crushing slab of metal that can only be called utterly classic. There’s absolutely nothing on this album that’s weak, from the just plain insane guitars, spitting out riff-after-riff of catchy, memorable metal, the inhuman drumming that’s just utterly thunderous, dizzyingly complex yet still memorable and just an absolutely killer air of fury and anger throughout every track. Yet, despite all that anger, it’s not afraid at all to incorporate some moments of haunting melodicism that makes it all that more memorable and essential. One of the top albums in the genre so far, and easily available as Album of the Year.
2008-
10. Dagoba-Face the Colossus
9. All That Remains-Overcome
8. Unearth-The March
7. Children of Bodom-Blooddrunk
6. Scar Symmetry-Holographic Universe
5. Bleeding Through-Declaration
4. Winds of Plague-Decimate the Weak
3. Trivium-Shogun
2. Cavalera Conspiracy-Inflikted
1. Soulfly-Conquer
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Now this is what I call a return to form. I used to really dig these guys a while ago, and then they started experimenting with ever-more tribal rhythms and it got a little much, but with more of a return to all-out Metal, this here is as vicious and unrelenting as prime-era Sepultura. In fact, several songs here seem like leftovers from those hallowed sessions and accidentally forgotten about until now, and then some new material was written in that style in a hope of sounding like a cohesive album, which is a fine way of going about things. With the thrashing guitars and expansive solos making this a rather innovative and refreshing version of their traditional sound yet not so far removed from their past that it seems like a brand new effort, some technical drumming and bass work, with a great production job that gives it an old-school flair, topped off with the perfect amount of tribal infusions that made their earlier work so good, this is the prime example of what Max was capable of and should be the start of his next chapter.
2009-
10. Kittie-In the Black
9. Daath-The Concealers
8. Lamb of God-Wrath
7. Hatebreed-Hatebreed
6. Killswitch Engage-Killswitch Engage
5. Winds of Plague-The Great Stone War
4. Scar Symmetry-Dark Matter Dimensions
3. Rammstein-Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da
2. Divine Heresy-Bringer of Plagues
1. DevilDriver-Pray for Villains
There wasn’t much of a chance for anything to top this album, at least in this category as this was a phenomenal album. Starting with the exceptional title track (offered below) on through with it’s just furious guitar-work, frantic drumming, which was also to be a highlight of the rest of the album as well coupled with utterly spectacular vocals and a rather devastating production all leading the charge, this one offers up one fantastic moment after another. When it delves into the more melodic fare, it stands out in sharp contrast to the furious howl the rest of the songs offer when it’s back to the blasting, since those dominate the album as a whole. Not as dynamic as the last one, but frankly with these last two they’ve found their sound and will enjoy a long career with it.
2000-
10. Dead to the World-Beyond this Sterile Existence
9. Stampin’ Ground-Carved from Empty Words
8. Stretcher-Annomundi
7. Cataract-Golem
6. Kill II This-Another Cross II Bear
5. Shadows Fall-Of One Blood
4. Heaven Shall Burn-Asunder
3. Pissing Razors-Fields of Disbelief
2. Nevermore-Dead Heart…In a Dead World
1. Soulfly-Primitive
Wow, was this an impressive offering, dropping all the utterly lame nu-metal aspects of the previous album and making an utterly ripping and devastating release. Managing to make the mixture of tribal instruments and atmosphere with metal interesting instead of the abominations of his previous attempts in his other band, it’s what makes the record so good. It alternates from the full-on thrashing brutality to the quieter, introspective moments with their use of the tribal elements, and the whole thing is a competent mixture of the two that’s unique, fresh and actually is a rather interesting mix of the two. With a full-mixture of different styles represented here that all manages to come across cohesively and interestingly, this here represents how they should go forward, instead of that abomination they tried on their first one, and will be the version Max should be the most proud of.
2001-
10. Diecast-Day of Reckoning
9. Pain-Rebirth
8. Machine Head-Supercharger
7. Kittie-Oracle
6. Fear Factory-Digimortal
5. Kalmah-Swamplord
4. God Forbid-Determination
3. Children of Bodom-Follow the Reaper
2. Rammstein-Mutter
1. Soilwork-A Predator’s Portrait
As Sweden is slowly starting to take over the metal world, these guys will soon be the next big thing to come from there and this is their calling card for recognition in the new world order when it’s all said and done. From their just flat-out impressive guitar-playing, that strikes the ever-confusing line between melody and brutality, each of these songs have their own identity and that makes this a rather intriguing listen whether you prefer one over the other since both have their moments, and with their virtuosic solos, rampant tempo changes and general memorability, this is an impressive part of the album. Not to be outdone, the drumming is kept in perfect harmony with those great guitars and that newfound Swedish ability to mix in the clean vocals and harsh screaming gives these guys a fantastically original sound that only gets better with time. One to watch in the years to come.
2002-
10. Deride-First Round Knockout
9. Skinlab-reVolting Room
8. Barium-Education by Error
7. Heaven Shall Burn-Whatever It May Take
6. Pain-Nothing Remains the Same
5. Remembering Never-She Looked So Good in Red
4. In Flames-Reroute to Remain
3. Soilwork-Natural Born Predator
2. Hatebreed-Perseverance
1. Killswitch Engage-Alive or Just Breathing
Okay, so the video doesn’t match the song on the record, I personally don’t care since the record version isn’t that great, and the new singer fits them so much better anyways, so I’m bending a rule here and using that version instead of the album version. Either way, though, the music is just an absolute blast since it manages to combine the brutality of Industrial with the slowly-exploding Metalcore scene, itself an offshoot of the Melodic Swedish Death Metal scene that’s currently ruling the scene, and these guys are one of the better bands coming out of that scene. With their crushing guitars, thunderous drumming and utterly, insanely heavy production that gives the whole thing the weight of a thousand stone bricks, it creates a real sense of heaviness and accessibility that invites repeat listens as well as a sense of melody amidst the brutality. A refreshing and engaging listen from a band that should only get better in the years to come, now that they’ve got all the pieces necessary, now all we need is a re-recorded version with the new guy.
2003-
10. Pissing Razors-Evolution
9. Himsa-Courting Tragedy and Disaster
8. Cannae-Horror
7. Sinai Beach-When Breath Escapes
6. Ministry-Animositisomina
5. Lamb of God-As the Palaces Burn
4. Soilwork-Figure Number Five
3. Strapping Young Lad-SYL
2. Children of Bodom-Hate Crew Deathroll
1. Nevermore-Enemies of Reality
An absolutely amazing album, this one here just utterly blew me away on first listen. This here is quite possibly one of the classiest-sounding metal bands around, as the entire album is just dripping with class, professionalism and a raging sense of fun. That’s right, this album scorches with a touch of class that still manages to get the blood boiling and the head banging, a statement to the absolutely wonderfully-written compositions and riff-work on display. Technical, complex and yet hauntingly memorable, the guitar riffs are without-a-doubt some of the absolute best on display in their catalog, and with the thrashing drumming, over-the-top vocal performances and an absolutely devastating attack, there’s hardly anything out there that can topple these guys right now with the role they’ve been on. It’s a tough choice, but they’ve earned the Album of the Year award with this one, it’s that good.
2004-
10. Heaven Shall Burn-Antigone
9. All That Remains-This Darkened Heart
8. Fear Factory-Archetype
7. God Forbid-Gone Forever
6. Killswitch Engage-The End of Heartache
5. Chimaira-The Impossibility of Reason
4. Hatebreed-The Rise of Brutality
3. Lamb of God-Ashes of the Wake
2. Machine Head-Through the Ashes of Empires
1. Rammstein-Reise, Reise
The greatest band from Germany continues their march onward with perhaps one of their best records in a long time, and it might be the peak of their career. With their propensity for delivering face-melting Industrial metal with memorable riffing, thunderous drumming, absolutely furious vocals, utterly memorable choruses and haunting keyboards underneath it all remains intact, yet it just feels like this is a selection of some of their absolutely best material in a long time. From a variety stand-point, it sure feels like a lot of different elements are present here, from their full-throttle ragers to the live-ready shout-a-longs and the singles through to the more varied, obscure tracks that show a remarkable breadth to their writing which makes this one so much fun. One of their best, and that’s fun to see.
2005-
10. Throwdown-Vendetta
9. Darkest Hour-Undoing Ruin
8. Chimaira-Chimaira
7. Soilwork-Stabbing the Drama
6. Trivium-Ascendency
5. Children of Bodom-Are You Dead Yet?
4. DevilDriver-The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand
3. Strapping Young Lad-Alien
2. God Forbid-IV: Constitution of Treason
1. Rammstein-Rosenrot
Almost immediately issued right after such an utterly amazing album like their last one, this one manages to almost topple it, but still remains a strong effort on its own. Filled with their usual elements of thrashing Industrial metal with memorable hooks, catchy choruses and thunderous drumming underneath atmospheric keyboards and vicious vocals, the fact that this is one of the few times they experiment with their sound with the utterly frenetic and insanely catchy Mexican mariachi-duet that frankly finds itself still fitting into their sound despite the incredibly odd combination attempt. Despite that awesome song, there’s still plenty to adore here, with their full-on muscle still pumped up on several tracks, the ballads aren’t their best but still have enough to seem tender and romantic at times and their attempt to do somewhat slower songs offer up some nice variety. It’s an experimental touch here, but frankly it works wonders and still sounds as massive as they’ve ever done, which is always a good thing with these guys.
2006-
10. Strapping Young Lad-The New Black
9. Heaven Shall Burn-Deaf to Our Prayers
8. Scar Symmetry-Pitch Black Progress
7. Killswitch Engage-As Daylight Dies
6. Lamb of God-Sacrament
5. All That Remains-The Fall of Ideals
4. Himsa-Hail Horror
3. Trivium-The Crusade
2. Dagoba-What Hell is About
1. Hatebreed-Supremacy
Despite this not being such a big year, it wasn’t a hard choice to give this band this ranking, especially in the face of what was easily one of the better albums released this year. Still showing signs of their incredibly tight musicianship, absolutely amazing vocal shift-ups and intense drumming that make this group one of, if not the best in this genre, this one manages to go a step further and introduce a bit of variety amongst it all to make for an even more damaging release. From the introduction of some slight and somewhat brief guitar solos into the mix, coming from a band of this style, combined with the more traditional intense break-downs and an increased amount of clean, soaring vocals interspersed into their classic riffing and barbaric drumming, this one is an absolutely addicting piece of metal that shows these guys going into a somewhat experimental stage that may or may not pay-off in the long-run but it should be fun to watch them do that.
2007-
10. Kittie-Funeral for Yesterday
9. Daath-The Hinderers
8. Darkest Hour-Deliver Us
7. Chimaira-Resurrection
6. Himsa-Summon in Thunder
5. Divine Heresy-Bleed the Fifth
4. As I Lay Dying-An Ocean Between Us
3. Soilwork-Sworn to a Great Divine
2. DevilDriver-The Last Kind Words
1. Machine Head-The Blackening
It’s been bandied as the ‘Master of Puppets’ for this generation, and while that’s a little extreme, that’s certainly not as far off a claim as it might at first suggest. While more truthfully it might be this generations’ ‘Reign in Blood,’ no matter what hallowed album you put it up against, it can’t be denied this is still an epic, crushing slab of metal that can only be called utterly classic. There’s absolutely nothing on this album that’s weak, from the just plain insane guitars, spitting out riff-after-riff of catchy, memorable metal, the inhuman drumming that’s just utterly thunderous, dizzyingly complex yet still memorable and just an absolutely killer air of fury and anger throughout every track. Yet, despite all that anger, it’s not afraid at all to incorporate some moments of haunting melodicism that makes it all that more memorable and essential. One of the top albums in the genre so far, and easily available as Album of the Year.
2008-
10. Dagoba-Face the Colossus
9. All That Remains-Overcome
8. Unearth-The March
7. Children of Bodom-Blooddrunk
6. Scar Symmetry-Holographic Universe
5. Bleeding Through-Declaration
4. Winds of Plague-Decimate the Weak
3. Trivium-Shogun
2. Cavalera Conspiracy-Inflikted
1. Soulfly-Conquer
Now this is what I call a return to form. I used to really dig these guys a while ago, and then they started experimenting with ever-more tribal rhythms and it got a little much, but with more of a return to all-out Metal, this here is as vicious and unrelenting as prime-era Sepultura. In fact, several songs here seem like leftovers from those hallowed sessions and accidentally forgotten about until now, and then some new material was written in that style in a hope of sounding like a cohesive album, which is a fine way of going about things. With the thrashing guitars and expansive solos making this a rather innovative and refreshing version of their traditional sound yet not so far removed from their past that it seems like a brand new effort, some technical drumming and bass work, with a great production job that gives it an old-school flair, topped off with the perfect amount of tribal infusions that made their earlier work so good, this is the prime example of what Max was capable of and should be the start of his next chapter.
2009-
10. Kittie-In the Black
9. Daath-The Concealers
8. Lamb of God-Wrath
7. Hatebreed-Hatebreed
6. Killswitch Engage-Killswitch Engage
5. Winds of Plague-The Great Stone War
4. Scar Symmetry-Dark Matter Dimensions
3. Rammstein-Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da
2. Divine Heresy-Bringer of Plagues
1. DevilDriver-Pray for Villains
There wasn’t much of a chance for anything to top this album, at least in this category as this was a phenomenal album. Starting with the exceptional title track (offered below) on through with it’s just furious guitar-work, frantic drumming, which was also to be a highlight of the rest of the album as well coupled with utterly spectacular vocals and a rather devastating production all leading the charge, this one offers up one fantastic moment after another. When it delves into the more melodic fare, it stands out in sharp contrast to the furious howl the rest of the songs offer when it’s back to the blasting, since those dominate the album as a whole. Not as dynamic as the last one, but frankly with these last two they’ve found their sound and will enjoy a long career with it.
