Bal-Sagoth's Best Album
936497
I had been into black metal for a few years and had heard the name 'Bal Sagoth' many times before I finally decided to give this band a try.  I believe I had, at the time, 4 of their albums to choose from but I chose this one based off the totally outrageous long album title. And I'm glad I did as I don't think I would've came away with the same impression of the band had my bal-sagoth cherry been broken by one of their not-as-good releases at the time, such as 'Battle Magic' or 'The Power Cosmic'. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love all six of their releases. Starfire Burning just happens to be the best.  This is one of those albums where you never forget where you were and what you were doing when you listened to it for the first time. It's just that special.

From the minute you press play you are whisked away into an utterly f*cking epic world of barbarian sword battles, dark sorcery, esoteric space gods, and betrayal. Okay, I know the word "epic" gets tossed around in the metal scene way too much, but this IS the definition of epic. To this day I still have yet to place Bal-Sagoth in any sort of genre. They are just Bal-Sagoth.  Period.

Don't get this confused with cheesy powermetal with lyrics such as "ride the dragon to the sky" or anything like that. The story of this universe, and its past and future, that unfolds across Bal-Sagoth's six albums could easily fill a 10,000 page book if fully fleshed out.  And the lyrics are set to an arrangement of brilliantly creative guitar riffs, absolutely mold-breaking keyboard passages, great drumming, and interesting vocals.  The best part is that if you read along, and you must if you want the BEST  lyrics/story ever penned for a metal album(s) - period! - , the music actually fits perfectly what is going on in the story.  Track 2 is a perfect example of this.

The spine-tingling, hair raising emotional ride this album puts you through is practically impossible to muster into thoughts and sentences that actually make sense.  Just go pick this up and give it a try for yourself.  If you like it, definitely follow it up with 'Battle Magic' and their latest abso-f*cking-lutely-awesome-to-listen-to-I'm-gonna-cry-because-this-is-their-last-recording, The Cthonic Chronicles. Then get the other three.  If you like your metal interesting and definitely unique, Bal-Sagoth's entire catalog should be in your collection. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to Starfire Burning for the 9 millionth time.
3778595
I often tell my friends that if there were a God and he was in a band, it would be Kamelot. This is the band's magnum opus. It took me a little while to appreciate it for what it is, but now, as the title of my review states, it is my favorite album of all time. It is melodic, heavy, and deep with story and content. If you want something on the darker edge that's not too extreme, this is definitely an album you should pick up.
Standout tracks are March of Mephisto, When the Lights are Down, The Haunting, Abandoned, Moonlight, and Memento Mori.
Songs that are great to sing along to are Soul Society, Nothing Ever Dies, and Serenade.
4786451
This is certainly Deuter as his mind-expanding best. Like his other albums from the seventies the music is very similar to the music he made for Osho's meditations, weird, inventive and obvious coming from a space far beyond the ordinary mind. In fact it's said that most of the music was channeled to Deuter from Osho (Deuter living in his ashram in Poona at this time of his life).

I like his later more slick and polished new age productions, but this music represents the highlight of his career. Strange, beautiful and pointing directly to the Beyond.
664921
I have this album in my LP collection courtesey of my father. He always said it was his all time favorite Legrand album. Legrand has MANY good albums, but this one is truly one of his best. It's unfortunate that Columbia still hadn't switched over to stereo yet. It was recorded in 1956. RCA was already recording in stereo by 1954, why not Columbia? This album really would have benefited from this. But it's still enjoyable. When I purchased this cd, I was worried that since it's not an official US release, that the sound quality would be bad. But I was surprised that it sounded good. Much better than my worn out original pressing. The album captures the full flavor and spirit of Spain, complete with sounds of matadors and other Spanish activities. But without question, the absolute highlight of this album is the magnificent arrangement of "Jungle Drums". If you have heard the ones by Morton Gould, Stanley Black (both versions), Artie Shaw and the rest, forget about them. This is the GREATEST arrangement EVER. I dare ANY arranger to even come close to the sheer genius that Legrand cooked up for this gem. It begins with trumpets in an echo style call and response, then as they fade string enter and glide to an oboe solo. Then the brass re-enter and attack in recapitulation before the strings introduce the main melody over the muted harmonies of the trumpets. Sheer genius. Absolutely NOTHING will do for this song other than Legrand. Makes Black and Gould sound tame by comparison. Sure those guys have stereo sound, but their arrangementa fall short. Buy this cd for this recording alone. It's worth it!
2449563
Fates Warning are often credited as the founders of progmetal, and are also considered by many to be one of the best in the genre.  And, although I'm not a huge fan of progmetal anyway, I must agree.  To be honest, a lot of their stuff isn't really my preferred style, although I consider it to be well above a lot of newer progmetal bands, most of which I just can't stand.  This album, however, is something else entirely.

With "A Pleasant Shade of Gray", Fates Warning reached a level of brilliance that far eclipsed anything they did before, or have done since.  This is a progmetal album, of that there is no doubt, but aesthetically it is very different from what one might expect.  It is dark, melodic, brilliantly subtle, very multi-layered rhythmically and melodically, and the songwriting overall is just immacculate.  A lot of people say that this album is slow, plodding, monotonous, etc, but I honestly don't hear that at all.  Sure, it's not a shredfest by any means, but there's a lot going on here.  Mark Zonder's drumming is dizzyingly intricate and nuanced, and Matheos's playing is crisp, tight, and extremely engaging.  Not to mention, the amazing Kevin Moore contributes beautifully tasteful keyboard melodies as only he can.

As you probably know, the album is (or rather is meant to be) all one song, separated into 12 parts.  Although the flow is excellent, and there are numerous repeated themes, it really sort of just feels like a concept album to me, not really all one song.  But, that doesn't really matter, because either way, the album is meant to be taken as a whole, and in that sense it is a tremendous success.  It goes beautifully from minimalist arrangements to dazzling proggy interludes, from chilling acoustic balladry to crunchy metal riffage.  The highlight for me comes in Part VIII, in which Moore and Matheos play this mesmerizing unison line of piano and classical guitar.  This is right up there with Pain of Salvation's "Dryad of the Woods" as one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard a progmetal band do.

And of course I can't forget Ray Alder.  Having heard his vocals on previous albums before this, I never could have imagined how he'd mature here.  He's toned down his soaring operatic 80's metal style a great deal, and belts out his vocals with pure dark emotion.  Much like Geoff Tate, he started singing in more of a low range, and it only made him better.  The vocals are still sort of operatic, but with much more style and restraint.  I really can't imagine them fitting this album any more perfectly, especially with the touching, introspective lyrics, which are given a whole other level of power and conviction.

All in all, this is hands down one of the best progmetal albums I've ever heard.  It really just doesn't get much better than this.  Of course, I say this as a non-fan of progmetal, and the fact that it pretty much flies in the face of nearly everything progmetal is "supposed" to be is what I love about it the most.  But, that said, I think any open-minded fan of the genre will greatly enjoy this, as long as you expect the unexpected.  Either way, this is WAY too good to pass up.
4164627
One of the great joys of being Anouar Brahem fan is that you can always regard any upcoming album of his as a "must buy" no matter what instrumentalists he's collaborating with.  If I knew his next album was a collaboration with a bagpipe player, a trombonist, and a beat-box player - I'd still buy it.  Brahem is devoted to detailing a beautiful melody with precision and contemplation, and the players on his albums all use minimal instrumentation to maximum effect.  Modulation is never taken for modulation's sake - which is not something that can be said for many, many jazz artists.

On "The Astounding Eyes of Rita", Brahem and his group continue developing a music firmly in between jazz and chamber music.  Perhaps this album is a bit more jazz than chamber music - unlike the last two albums, but like "Thimar"... and yet, this album feels very different from "Thimar"<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Thimar/dp/B000024ZYP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Thimar</a>&nbsp;in that it has an even stronger ensemble feel than that album.  Let me just walk you through this beautiful album.

The opening track, "The Lover of Beirut," is a langorous track beginning and ending with what I can only describe as a chime on the guitar.  The oud and clarinet play in unison, tracing out a typical Brahem Easternish melody with exquisite care.  "Dance with Waves" is a short jazz track making good use of the bass player, and a perfect blend of the sanguine and the phlegmatic moods that characterize this album.  "Stopover at Djibouti" is one of my favorite pieces.  It's very light on its feet and its simple but quick tune is so sunny that it feels miles away from most everything on "Le Pas du Chat Noir".  There is a moment in the middle when the clarinet cuts out, the opening guitar chime returns, and the clarinet softly returns in a high register with a delicate phrase - it is true beauty.  "The Astounding Eyes of Rita" (the title track) starts with a pensive oud solo (accompanied with minimal wordless vocals by Brahem), but then shifts to a sauntering quasi-bossa nova rhythm (Rita?).  It is a more melancholic piece but exhibits the virtuosity and emotional maturity we've come to expect from Brahem and his players.  "Galilee Mon Amour" is likewise a rather melancholy piece built on an unusual rhythm and some great drum playing, not as interesting to me as the title track, but still excellent, interesting music.

"Waking State" is a slow piece with some beautiful oud playing (in unison with clarinet at times) over held tones from the guitar (clarinet later).  Thinking about the title of the song, I'm left with the impression of the pondering you might do when you wake up but you don't have to be anywhere very soon.  "For No Apparent Reason" returns the album to a sanguine mood with some clever interactive playing among the musicians.
4936207
Wow. This is one of the best albums i have ever heard. When my friend showed me COB, i first listened to Bed of Razors, and that has become my favorite song ever since. Each song is heavy and loaded with doublebass, and amazing guitar and keyboard solos. There aren't that many songs, but each song is pretty long, and they are all great. Nice dark lyrics. This is definately the best COB album there is. I brought this cd once, and my friend accidentally broke it, so i bought it again later that day. That is how good this cd is. The only song i don't like on this album is...NONE OF THEM!! Every song is great and you will want to listen to them voer and over again. My favorite song is Bed of Razors, but also don't forget to check out Towards Dead End, Downfall, Black Widow, Children of Bodom, Wrath Within, and Silent Night Bodom Night. You know what? Just listen to each song and you will se how great they all are.
3811458
If you want a compact collection of the best works of Astrud, this is it. This album has been played zillions of times in many situations in my life. It is hard to find an album with so much talent and passions. Astrud has  not only influenced the jazz world, but many rock artists such as  Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, and Broadcast. If I could take an album in my  afterlife, this would be a sure one!
2115995
I found out about Amon Amarth went I saw them open up for Children of Bodom last year in concert. Since then, they have been one of my favorite bands, and death metal isn't nessecarily one of my favorite genre's of metal. But anyways, I completely loved the album Versus the World, and Fate of Norns was alright. When I heard they were making a new album and that it was going to the rutes of their older music, I was excited. As soon as I was able to, I preordered the special 2 disc set. When it came in the mail and I popped in it my stero I was beyond believe.

This album is perfect in all senses of metal. It's better than Versus the World in a sense that the music is just as good, but the recording quality is so damn good that you can hear every instrument, all vocals just so good. The melodies and the war-drums and the low growls all combine for an album that is their best work yet. As someone else said, this sets the stage very high for their next album, but I doubt we'll be disappointed. I mean, if the caliber of this album is so high, what can possibly stop them now?

All Hail Oden!
1388928
Well, with their first two release, SA were very cleary a power metal band.  But with their 3rd release, winterheart's guild, they showed signs of changing into a progressive metal band with power elements.  However, with this release it's clear they are making their transition from power/progressive metal to just straight up heavy metal, with lots of good keyboards.  This time, the guitar is actually playing really good chunky, and at times, very thrashy riffs with speed behind them.  This album is a lot more entergetic than their last two albums and more along the lines of their first one in terms of the speed of the songs.

The bass playing and double bass is a lot more audible this time around and it's clear that the players provide a good backbone for the guitar riffs and singer.  Speaking of which, his accent has gotten less annoying and the lyrics are not extremely cheesy like in their other albums.

the only drawback to this album is the production.  While it is loud, sometimes it's too loud.  Often times, the guitar and especially the bass overpowers EVERYTHING else going on in the songs.  It's not bad enough to dissapoint anybody but their previous 3 albums had crystal clear production.

all in all, a really good cd from sonata arctica.  It's a lot better than their first album, and on par (if not better) than their 3rd album, winterhearts.  However, I feel it isn't better than their second album, silence, because (to me) that album is a total masterpiece and will never be topped.

buy this record!
426856
This is, flat out, (in my opinion) the best album ever released. Massive Attack is an utterly awesome group, and by far the best Trip-Hop band out there.
The album begins with some of the best songs ever created by any artist of any kind, starting with "Angel", sung by Massive Attack's honorary member, Horace Andy. With his wonderfully haunting voice and the song's slow beats and humming bass, the song becomes dark, desolate, and completely otherworldly.
The second song, "Risingson" is probably the best song Massive Attack has created. It's yet another dark song, filled with paranoia and doubt. I love it.
The third track, "Teardrop" is one of my personal favorites. The song is sung by guest vocalist, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. It's Ethereal, dreamy, and utterly wonderful.
And, of course, there is "Inertia Creeps". A truly great song and one of Massive Attack's bests. Eerie, paranoid, and hypnotic: it's a great song to lose yourself in.
The rest of the album cannot quite keep up with its first four epic tracks, but none the less, it's other half beats out most albums without ever even trying. A truly wonderful album. I highly recommend it.
83088
When Celtic Frost released Monotheist I was hooked.  The songwriting was something totally unique and the album in my mind was near perfect.  I was horrified when I heard that the band then split up, what a waste of such an inspired new direction.  I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I first heard Triptykon's Eparistera Daimones.  It definitely wasn't Celtic Frost but it carried on the philosophy of Monotheist.  Tom Warrior's vocals were filled with anger and pain that I had never heard so strong in his Celtic Frost work.  Many have pointed out deficiencies with that album but I feel that it was one of the strongest metal releases in years.  The long wait for a second album brought an almost too high expectation.  Finally, Melana Chasmata arrived... Halleluiah!  The first time I listened I was stunned by the single minded vision of the album.  It is a testament to the artistry of Tom Warrior that the album worries not about anything but delivering on it's promise.  Musically, lyrically and vocally it is superb.  Amazingly, with each listen I become more absorbed by the darkness that it presents.  I would go song by song but it's really not about that.  The album is a personal statement from start to finish.  It is the work of an artist baring his soul.  Melana Chasmata does more than deliver great music... It is simply an artistic masterpiece.
1444742
As a previous reviewer said about his love for Blind Guardian, it suddenly hit me.  Well, first of all, Manticora is a Power/Progressive Metal band kind of in the same vein of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, and their side-project, Demons & Wizards.  By that I mean, their music is very progressive in time, and melody changes.  And for that it's never boring.  Really, music wise, you could probably compare them to the Prog Metal band, Communic.  But as for how to make this band better is to get a better singer.  Now I know what he's trying to do, or at least this is what it sounds like to me, and that is sound a bit like Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards, but he's just not quite there.  So why not get Hansi, himself to do vocals for this otherwise great band?

But anyway, how is this album?  Awesome really.  Probably one of the best debut albums from any band of this genre I have ever heard.  Hell, probably any genre at that.  Every song is catchy with its different tempo, rhythm, melody changes and all.  The musicianship in this band is outstanding.  And to be honest, I have all of Manticora's album up through the Black Circus albums, and this album is the only one that I have thoroughly listened to.  With so many bands out there these days, I tend to buy up whole catalogs of new bands that I find, but never take the time to listen to everything I buy.  It ain't like the old days of a handful of bands and you'd have to wait years for a new record from them.  So alot of times, I notice that when I do take the time to listen to one of my many unlistened to album, I find a gem.  Manticora's albums are total gems.  Just takes a little getting used to the vocals.  But fortunately, the majority of the songs are instrumental....not fully instrumental, but the majority of the song is just plain guitar jamming.
3935390
I have never really heard a Leonard Cohen album before.  The closest I've gotten is a tribute album called "Tower of Song," with covers by other admiring songwriters, such as Don Henley, Suzanne Vega, etc.  After listening to this album, I can assure you I'll be seeking out other albums by Cohen.  His lyrics cut to the bone, the music is moody, cool, and hypnotic.  This album, from the end of his career, is probably a strange way to access a carreer, but I'll be making a backwards trip through the rest of Cohen's music very soon, I can assure you.  This is one of the best albums of the year.
3879872
Review originally written for The Metal Archives:

Those who would regard this as the finest Drudkh album, hasn't obviously listened enough to the some of the other great albums by this band... at least in terms of technicality. That being said, what makes this album special is the sheer innovation of adorning black metal with a whole new dimension which is far from being cold and bleak, as typically this genre is characterized by. This is perhaps the one and only black metal album I've listened to which actually sounds "happy" and has plenty of elements of the spring season, as evident from the album name Autumn Aurora. Sadly though, very few bands took to this dimension of rather warm and joyful atmospheric black metal, which makes this album stand out as a classic in it's own glory.

The album starts with the intro track "Fading" which heralds the advent of spring with plenty of elements of the atmosphere entwined with a short guitar solo. This track, it should be noted, is in sharp contrast with the last song of the album "The First Snow" which announces the phasing out of the warmth as nature gets ready for winter (the first snow). "Fading" almost automatically leads to the second song "Summoning the rain" which richly melodious. Although this song, and the remaining ones in the album, sound very pleasing to the ears one quick thing to note is that there is a serious lack of riffs in the entire album and it never reaches the point-of-no-return or climax in any of the songs. That's perhaps my only complaint about this album, but nevertheless each song is great in it's own merit. Agreed that atmospheric black metal typically consists of repeated sound patterns, the ears feel a little dull in that aspect when listening to Autumn Aurora.

"Summoning the rain" ends with the sound of falling rain and leads to the "Glare of Autumn." This song and the next two songs "Sunwheel" and "Wind of the night forest" are where the album reaches the zenith of good musicianship. Once again, not any of these songs carry with them the cold rawness of typical black metal. "Sunwheel" for example, representing the pagan sun cross, seems to offer a multitude of melody to the pagan sun god. Though the vocals are quite minimal in this album compared to other Drudkh albums, the growls of Thurios falls right in place with the other instruments and conceives a holistic package suited to impress amateur as well as experienced black metal listeners or any heavy metal music fan for that matter. The album ends with the song entitled "The First Snow" which in my opinion is too long of a songs and perhaps could be shortened. It has a very short unique riff which is repeated far too many times through the song. This song typically marks the end of autumn and the beginning of winter and perhaps is the only song is the album with a sad and melancholic feel given the warmth of the atmosphere is slowly fading away.

All in all, Autumn Aurora, the second studio album by Drudkh is a great listen and a worthy follow up of their first album Forgotten Legends. Unlike other black metal albums which require several listens before the intricate musicianship starts to coherently make sense, Autumn Aurora has its hooks on you right from the beginning because it is very difficult not to like this album. But then, once you start liking it and dig a little deeper for uniqueness it disappoints a bit. I would believe this album has given traditional black metal a new dimension, a rather happy and positive dimension which no other band seemed to have followed up with. Despite the lack of an abundant number of riffs, this album goes down as a classic in the history of black metal because of ingenious new dimensions.
2073369
Marduk have gained a very strong following since their inception back in 1990.  In that time they have put out album after album of very quality material, the best being Heaven Shall Burn and Nightwing. With this one, I believe it eclipses both of those by a mile. This album shows why they have gained that strong following.  Brutal guitars, incessant blast beats, demonic sounding vocals(very greatly done btw), and a killer atmosphere. If you like very brutal keyboard-less black metal, then this album will be in your cd player all the time. I very strongly recommend this album to any black metal fan. Also, if you like keyboard black metal, pick up the new Emperor and Cradle of Filth, both of which are phenominal. Hail Marduk!!!
3152641
I'll start off by saying I'm a huge Ihsahn fan; having almost everything he has ever done. "After" is the last chapter in his solo trilogy (Adversary, AngL, and After). This also the first album Ihsahn used a 8-string guitar to record all the songs. "After" is exactly that..the aftermath of the conflict expressed in the first 2 albums and now there is nothing. The opening track "The Barren Lands" you can pretty much feel the rest of the album. There is no life in the lyrics; just darkness and desolation. I'm not saying this a depressing album, it's far from it. In my opinion this is Ihsahn's finest work and that is saying alot since we are talking about the mastermind behind the legendary Emperor.

The whole album is amazing, but here are some standout tracks

*The Barren Lands
*After
*Undercurrent
*Heaven's Black Sea
*On The Shores

Any fan of Avantegrarde, prog, or (real) black metal will not be disappointed.