It's 1988 and visions of a new Daydream Nation waft through my semiconscious mind. I want a Teenage Riot and hope to someday ride the Silver Rocket. As I shake my dreary mind back into the year 2002 I wonder what the hell happened to the great an mighty Sonic Youth and the alternative noizesters like Dinosaur Jr., Misson of Burma, or Pussy Galore. Oh wait all those bands were binged and purged by the all-consuming capitalistic record industry and left to wallow for dead in their semi relevant circles or as a reference to influences that shaped the bands of the present day. This present day the band I'm calling "Trail of the Dead" has taking said prior references of the old true alternative music like the vital sounds of Sonic Youth along with the same passion to make kick ass songs without being too arty for the sake of it. This is pure fun and many hours of rocking out knowing the spirit of the real alternative underground wasn't (completely) sucked dry by the corporate feeding frenzy of the early 90's. God bless the arty fag college student who is bored and picks up a guitar out of sheer boredom.

All hail the warriors of the icy wasteland of Blashyrkh may your frostbitten kingdom be eternal. Immortal has always been steeped in the occult and mystical nature of black metal and refuses to leave it, even keeping the strict formula of guitar/bass/drums intact after all these years when other "true" Norwegian black metal bands have moved onto the use of techno sounds and less frosty elements. However Immortal has tweaked their sound a little bit through the years, the song writing has gotten tighter and less chaotic and the production details improve on every release with a fatter and thicker guitar tone and bigger panoramic drum sounds. Its amazing how straight forward and rockish these songs sound and at the same time they can conjure feelings of grandeur of snow driven landscapes and epic battlefields. Some of these songs are actually hummable. On a whole this album never fails to impress, from the brutal icy riffing to the slow thick and dark sludge that drifts over the listener. The blackened riffs are usually of the snap-your-neck variety and the growling fearsome warrior vocals lend themselves perfectly to the soundscape of battle under a clear star filled sky. The dazzling song "In My Kingdom Cold" is quite possibly one of the best death/black metal anthems ever produced and "Beyond the North Waves" paints from the same pallet as the "Mother North" song penned by Satryicon. A call to war felt upon the heart and soul to defend the motherland against the invaders of the pagan faith. Makes my Thor loving heart proud. This is a truly monumental black metal statement.

In my continuing evolution with music in my life the year 2002 was a branching out into genres and subgenres that I have left uncharted and unexplored prior. Somehow the durst of my experimenting and discovery was with hardcore metal and emo hardcore. Used to be that my opinion of most hardcore music was viewed with disdain because of its sameness and semi musical abilities. Sure there is a great deal of passion behind this youth based genre, however the tough guy attitude and closed minded aspects of the music and scene was "off putting" but mostly it was the generic everybody sounds like everybody else hardcore style. Same chords, progressions and riffs over and over. Saying all that, this disc is a complete guilty pleasure. It's sappy tough guy emo hardcore with devastating riffage and Will Haven foreboding intensity. Take away the contrived lyrics which to me feel forced at times, only a handful of songs seem lyrically true but its the music that does the talking. The throw downs are huge and pile driving with vocals that use an evolved Anselmo vocal approach with brief hints of mellow singing that reminds me of Jonah from now defunct Far. When I want to get all "guy tough and weepy" this disc is an enjoyable combination of metallic crunch roaring in unison with melodic overtones and faux angst ridden wallowing. Good times...

I wander in a dream mist clutching at the grasps of ethereal beauty. Banished back by the mundane and the absurd of my modern day surroundings. Ever searching. Mystery and longing compells me. Have I forsaken what warms and kindles my soul? Have I lost the grasp of the beauty and the majesty? Take me in your arms and soothe my relentlessness. Ever searching. Glimmmers of recognition and joy fill my spirit. Dashed back time and time again by your foreboding and daunting sullen beauty. Can it be that time has passed and I need you no longer? Woeful. Dispirited. Yearning for a vision. Ever searching. Is the struggle me or you? Enlighten me in your earthbound ways. Burn this shadow off my heart and soul. Why can't I see past the memories that are loved and cherished? Ever searching. Forlorn but longing for a rapture. Time and patience are intrinsic to me and you are everlasting. Struggle will continue...ever searching.

The progression of Novembers Doom from a pure doom metal band with unrecognizable vocal grunts into a band that’s sound is now on par and comparable to aspects of mid period Anathema or even the frailties of Opeth is almost complete. They have evolved themselves into an emotionally stirring entity which should be cherished and praised but the band seems to be condemned to obscurity within a tiny section of the metal underground that throws acocalates on them. Musically, this is a very diverse album that definitely has a doomy feeling to it, but the mid-tempo nature of many songs probably means that Novembers Doom can't be really described as a traditional doom metal band anymore, as they have clearly gone beyond that simple label and are closer in spirit to bands like Opeth and Anathema. The album starts off with "Not the Strong", "Broken" and "Lost in a Day", three fairly dynamic pieces highlighted by some excellent hooks with a slight atonal touch to them that is performed in a emotional and passionate manner. Besides the thick guitar riffs, the band tastefully blends in subtle gothic keyboards and acoustic guitar passages, which serve as a perfect counter balance to the heavier sections and the brutal deathlike vocals. Next track "With The Flesh" is more reminiscent of the bands earlier recordings, preferring a slow, steady rhythm that shows the more crushing doom side of the band. After this heavy first half, the disc switches to a more melancholic mood with the acoustic "If Forever", a beautiful folky gothic ballad highlighted by passionately romantic clean singing. The album returns to a darker mood in the second half, still skillfully oscillating between heaviness, doomy acoustic melancholy and gothic beauty. A dolorous feel is constantly present through the use of acoustic guitars and weeping guitar passages although the songs never lumber into the drawn out agony and angst of true doom. Most of the the songs belie a far more sorrowful atmosphere within its oppressive underside. It all begins and ends with vocalist Paul Kuhr. Paul has the perfect voice for this type of music. His vocals can be very gruff and growled yet highly understandable along with a nice pleasant crooning wail that ultimately portrays the loss, love and sunken hope of the lyrics perfectly.

End Transmission is a concept album, built around a revolution from a corrupt world run by a new world order of corporations. In this world the interconnectedness of each individual to the world has become smaller and smaller. Also in this world the corporations have become fewer yet stronger and are now gravitating and advancing a civilization that concentrates more on efficiency and less on compassion. Gee, does this all sound vaguely familiar! Renegades have formed out of the lowest in the caste system to fight and overcome these new overlords and ideas. These visionaries and revolutionaries who see through the marketing refuse to be sold a new culture yet are willing to fight undeterred for a new beginning. So ultimately, this bleak vision has a ray of hope, a chance to progress and transform the world and self at the same time. This vision is also reflected by the music which uses hypercompressed blocks of dissonance and art-rock leanings that is similar to Fugazi or Quicksand in presentation that sheds the barriers of conventional hardcore sound , which Snapcase was a founder of this traditional hardcore sound. The band blends eerie textured guitar driven melodies that color the atmosphere of the story and theme of the disc. Snapcase writes stimulating and provocative songs that revel in the art of the challenge. They challenge the way we think and the way we act, they challenge the way dynamics are constructed and the ability for things to be better. Let the revolt begin...

Initial impressions can be very deceiving and this band throughly confused me on my first listen. My first impression was of a emo hardcore band meets modern day Katatonia but that is a weak and shallow first impression because this band incorporates much more into their sound. Tightly woven melodies cascade in and around double-barrel riffing and strangulated scream-o vocals that is contrasted with clean vocals and spoken passages, resulting in an uncategorized sounds that is immeasurable in words even by today's overcrowded standards of blahness. Musically we're traveling down an emotionally riveting path, often dark, littered with minor key markings, acoustic passages of harmonic bliss and break in the cloud highlights, somber and unsettling at one glance, spiritually uplifting and joyful the next. The person who wrote these lyrics must have had quite a few messed up relationships that ended badly along with touches of needing to end this mortal coil. Band spotting for influences comes fast and furious from Anathema, Cure, Katatonia, pick any death metal band from Florida, Smashing Pumpkins, old school Metallica, some small town in Sweden type music, At the Drive In, Opeth and Poison the Well. Somehow Underoath pull all these influences together to bombard the senses with their own unsettling and unique angle on the emo hardcore sound.

Zao has received a ton of negative press and reviews after this disc was released upon the world. A majority of the hardcore and metal underground fans were crying foul to their incorporation of poppy melody, vocal diversity, electronic passages and simple song writing structure into the Zao sound. They have incorporated these new elements into their soundscape and it makes for one very memorable listen, albeit not as brutal and bloodletting as their last disc. However this is a different beast that shows the band maturing and evolving. Evolving into what? This has to be pondered because this is supposedly again their last and final release. Everything Zao was before as a band is still here on this disc and more. The same creepy serpentine vocals by Dan along with some nice "gay" singing on "Man in the Womb" and "Angel Without Wings". This new style of singing fits amazingly well into the songs and the structure of the disc. The same blistering ferocious riffs pile on top of riffs are dished out with punk intensity as usual. The band has used these new elements to blend the perfect mix between their face seering self-titled album with new "dare say" poppy and easier to digest songs. Two songs stick out most in my mind "Pirates Prayer" where the music fades and scrawls out of listening range and then it comes back and gets progressively harder and louder until you expect your brain stem will implode on itself before finally the song fades away. This song features this totally enormous and mesmerizingly thick wandering hypnotic guitar line that just oozes with menace. After this song there is a great incorporation of cheesy 80s sounding new wave Depeche Mode industrial breakdown that is the perfect lead in to Zao's greatest song. The song "How are the Weak Free" unites crunchy guitar parts and almost psychedelic tones and lines that alternate with slower, clean, strumming parts, and a spoken vocal, "Free the wolf - From his cage - Watch him hunt - Stalk his prey." The tempo stays slower through most of the song and then fades out to nothing but drums at the end. The raw emotions and scathing vocal delivery sends chills up and down the spine. A perfect blend of mayhem and melody. If this is Zao's last album they have lived up to their moniker and "have been full of vigor and strength" and have truly helped me enjoy life.

Three years since their last album and Rapture tries to find their own identity away from the giant Katatonia shadow that was cast across their "Futile" release. There are still instances of the Brave Murder Day sound on this disc but the acquisition of a new vocalist and new guitar player has changed the sound in a subtle and positive way. And here is the irony, Rapture sound now like the modern day Katatonia doing gloomy pop songs. So who's better Katatonia or Rapture? Believe this is a moot point because they both sew the same seeds from the same salt ridden and depreciated soil. Complete and utter sorrow and despair has never sounded more joyous and wonderful. The atmosphere on this disc is quite heavy and melancholic and the music is indeed rather simple melodies and could even be considered monotonous by the naive or the virgin ear but somehow even via this simplicity the songs never become boring or overwrought. The maturation of vocal arrangements and style are the biggest addition from their "Futile" disc besides the new poppy aspects introduced into the Rapture soundscape. Through the use of two vocalists the band is able to paint a more bleak and dreary undertone with the weak and despondent vocals and then turn around and use the growling vocals to add a little more aggression, desolation and a chilling texture to key lyrical points. Every single track emanates a pure beauty and dreary sorrow but most especially on the slower numbers like "Two Dead Names" and "Farewell" where the wallowing in humanities fragility is most impressive. Most songs deal with aspects of death and transformation of the withering soul. On the whole, "Songs for the Withering's" is of a veteran caliber and it's hard to believe this is only their second album. Pure memorable, gloomy songwriting that has no other peers besides the ones who dance with december souls. Nihilistic - Perfection - nihilistic transfixion for the butterflies of joy.

From a scientific perspective a mastodon is a prehistoric cousin to the woolly mammoth and the evolved modern day elephant. The mastodon was a smallish creature compared to its cousins but was still large and massive at over 6 tons and 10 feet tall. Its diet and lifestyle included browsing for herbs and shrubbery. This is a very fitting name for this band to take due to their impressive heaviness and girth of sound. Also they have a strung out sensibility and short term wandering memory in their songs, which makes it seem like they have scavenged for many herb(s) during their lifetime. Commonalties with the genius of bands like Hammerhead, Today is the Day, and Keelhaul can be heard brewing below the surface of this beast. Mastodon has a knack for incorporating mathrock, stoner vibes, grindcore speed and rhythms, southern rock, sludge and straight up old school metal into their own unique and exuberant sound. Total visceral and over the top in heaviness and the amount of riffs and song changes thrown together makes you think this disc is at times a compilation of many bands under the moniker of Mastodon. Somehow the band combines all these sounds and factors and makes themselves sound timeless and ever present, but in a unbelievable way that you've never heard before. Mastodon has digested the history of metal and its lore and has burped up one ugly hairball that is sheer brilliance and shows where metal can go when given the chance to be innovative and daring.

After the breakup of the mighty At The Gates in 1996, rumors have been going around the underground about a collaboration of Tomas Lindberg's and ex-Liars in Wait guitar player Kirstian Wahlin's new band and the total greatness of such band. Usually the greatness was coupled with the term hardcore band. Odd very odd, because this disc isn't a hardcore disc. Great it is but hardcore, no it isn't. Even their record label and magazines have classified it as Swedish Metal Hardcore which is a total misnomer because this isn't your teenage "cry about the world and girlfriend" emo hardcore or the In Flames wannabe jumpsuit wearing/dreadlock Gothenburg Kornables. This is space metal that takes tones and presence from '80s new wave and perverts them into sheets of acidic drippings that cascade off the listener's mind and then pummels the with crunchy goodness. The perfect intertwining of wah peddle drenched madness with quirky evil Alice in chains riffs gives each song a spacey and dreamy feeling that isn't ambient or boring but in your face and aggressive. The use of off beat rhythms along with some tribal beats backup up the spiraling wah guitar sound. Tomas still has the acidic venomous vocals that so many imitators have tried to steal and make their own but none have succeeded. After all these long years it's nice to hear the master of this vocal approach lay waste to the next generation of Gothenburg clones. Only one minor quibble with this disc is that each song is very catchy but tends to be similar sounding the first couple of listens but through repetition the pearls of greatness and innovation that this band can create comes across to the listener. Definitely one of the most unique sounding bands to come along in ages.

Word came down from the gods that the mighty Opeth was preparing to record a double album that entailed one part which was incredibly heavy and the other part being mellow and soft. And all the Opeth fans worldwide rejoiced wildly and long in anticipation. Fate and destiny (read: record company and money) frowned upon this idea and changed the concept of a double album to now be broken into single releases and thus the heavier part "Deliverance" is delivered into awaiting fans hands while the mellow part "Damnation" is currently awaiting release next year. So the fear of the unknown possibilities tainted my expectation of this disc. Will Opeth go pure straight up death metal heavy and save the quieter and mellow sections for the other disc? Am I getting only half of the artistic vision the band intends? Save to say my fears were completely misplaced because Opeth as always delivers their sweeping opethian melodies and flair and its true this is one of their heaviest album yet but it is also their most experimental and varied. My fear of a total onslaught of death metal is relieved because once again the melancholic acoustic aspect of their sound is heard and is exceptionally done as only a band of the pure genius like Opeth can perform it. With quiet passages interspersed throughout, it’s the more placid number "A Fair Judgement" that stands out as the somber flash of brilliance it is. The type of song to be played in the middle of the night surrounded by pitch blackness, the mood is spine chilling as Mikael utilizes his remarkable singing ability, interweaving it through the band’s understated multilayered melodies. Soft-spoken vocal harmonies are used throughout this album, recalling the likes of 70’s bands such as early Kansas or Yes who regularly used this technique. Deliverance has a much denser, murkier, more morose feel to it than its predecessor, and this vibe comes to a head in this awe-inspiring song of the same name. The end of "Deliverance" is a marvel of tension and build up with its staccato notes and underneath meandering guitar passage repeated over and over. The piano tie in between "Deliverance" and "A Fair Judgement" is brilliant especially when Mikael comes in with his crooning soul searing vocals. The first time I heard the song "Master’s Apprentices" my jaw hit the ground. For a second I wasn't sure if there was a mix up at the mastering plant and Morbid Angel's "God of Emptiness" was inserted onto my Opeth disc. Unbelievably heavy crushing death metal that is a nice homage to the masters and founders of death metal. Eventually this song changes to a mellow acoustic part with a haunting atmosphere which then changes into a Maidenish twin guitar attack at the end of the song. This is definitely the heaviest track on the album and Opeth sound all the better for it. The album finally ends on "By the Pain I See In Others" which is definitely the most experimental thing Opeth have ever done, this track features strange vocal effects and a Victorian sounding middle section that is comparable in nature to "The Chaos Path" by Arcturus. The beauty of this album is that while parts always remind you of their earlier works and Opeth have still managed to stay original six albums down the line. Each song fits together perfectly to create one of the most varied, breathtaking, mesmerizing, addicting and complete album. In the pantheon of Opeth this ranks below "Morningrise" but maybe on par with "Still Life". Gazing into the future may my damnation be long and satisfying.

Remember the first time you heard "Reign in Blood" or "Kill em All" spin on your turntable or in your tape deck. Remember the awe and wonder those albums had on your psyche. Remember the "seeing the top of the mountain moment and feeling". Remember the shit eating what the fuck was that goofy grin on your face knowing you have just experienced the musical foundations of metal being shifted with seemly ease. This disc and band elicits all of those emotions and more. Burnt By The Sun combine the best of death metal, hardcore and grind into one blazingly precise killing machine. The band juxtapose moments of insanely complex rhythms with synchronized thrash fury that morphs into chugging hardcore atonal riffs and then into booming orgasmic power chords and that could be in just 30 seconds of a song. Don't get the notion that this band is a spazzcore or grind band and there isn't a focus or song structure underneath all this madness because a massive groove and purpose exists within each song. Lyrics explore themes of politics, racism, and cultural indifference in a way that always centers on how these issues effect the individual. This is accomplished via the approach of using silly song titles like "Don Knotts", "Dracula with Glasses", "Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom" which draws the listener into the songs and thus trying to figure out how the song titles and movies quotes fit into the whole picture of the song. Somehow after countless listening sessions since I picked this up in February I still get the feeling that these guys are huge John Coltrane worshippers. The reason for this theory is because of the structuring of the songs and the passion for building up each song and then tearing it completely a part to its bare essentials. There are many different ways to appreciate this disc and band. From straight on being bludgeoned by the catchy heaviness to getting lost within the intertwining of instruments and the freeform interplay between each of the sounds. Utterly uncompromising in its intensity and complexity this disc will go down as setting a standard of greatness for years to come.

Low is a band out of Duluth, Minnesota that I saw 7 years ago opening for Thinking Fellers Local Union 282. At the time I was intrigued by their quiet but intense set however my concern and glee was for Thinking Fellers. So the years pass and I refound Low through Neurosis and their Beyond the Pale festival. Hearing one song off the 'Net I was completely mesmerized and had to track down this long lost band. Low play sparse, minimalist, slow, quiet and melancholic music that is an emotionally intense mixture of sad/happy songs which exude fragility and restrained joy. The band is built around the slowburning melodies and the stunning combination of Alan and Mimi Parker's unique voices. So cohesive and vital to each song is this combination that at times the instruments are mere background elements. Musically the guitar sounds weave in an out of the music with some occasions sounding surfy but on the whole the tone is big airy and dry. Not unlike the old blues players used to do with open tunings. The drum work by Mimi is totally spartan and used to accentuate the bass and talk along with it. The songs remind me of gospel and religious music because of the emphasis on subtle variation of expression and repetition of musical and lyrical motifs that reoccur in songs. Also there seems to be a plaintive hopefulness that engulfs each song. Lyrically most songs can be construed and viewed in many different ways however there does seem to be thread of morbidity and coming to terms with things ending that runs through every song. The band's melodies come around gradually and hypnotically and the use of space and quiet in songs is breathtakely off-putting. This is one of the most compelling and quiet, eminently beautiful bands around at this time. Its time for me to move on and investigate their 10 cd back catalog and wallow in the joyous beauty of Low.

"Oceanic" is the zenith of Isis as art. From the packaging, lyrical conception to the awe inspiring amorphous music presented on this album where each song is a transcendent anthem and theme unto itself but there is also a thread of continuity that holds the whole disc together. This thread seems to be the concept of redemption: redemption from a history of sin, redemption of love, redemption of dreams unfilled and the metaphor for this redemption is the use of water as a cleansing is agent. It’s always nice to see a band pushing themselves past musical boundaries and limits set by a genre or sound. Past discs by Isis have been demonstrations of crushing guitar sludge fests with little regard to any other emotion than pure rage. However the evolution of the band's sound has been rather a quick process and subsequent discs have revolved around the quiet-loud song structure. The turning point in the history of Isis is the "Celestial" disc where primordial sounds and textures where used. On "Celestial" the heaviness was that of the moon, of the glacier, of the bone, of the collapse and now on "Oceanic" the heaviness moves to that of the tide, of the sand, of the womb, of love, redemption. The layers and textures that this group of musicians produces on every track showcase their superior song writing ability. The songs are no longer a loud-quiet-loud-quiet pattern, they now contain gray area interludes that do more to bridge the gaps that inevitably arise when the band works in the quiet-loud universe. An example can be heard on the song "Carry" where a crisp and haunting sounds with a simple, dark, wistful refrain that recalls a muscular Sigur Ros or Mogwai. Another evolutionary song is "Hym" which ends the album with a distorted yet comforting movement that requires no screaming or violence to make it memorable. This continued growth of Isis makes "Oceanic" sound so beautifully and organically complex it's frightening. Waves of beautiful dissonant washes of sound flow over the listener, which at times sound like being near a vast body of water or ocean. The whole rise and fall effect going throughout the record: the quiet moments and tender movements are textured, expanded and beautiful, making each song more rewarding as the album flows. Another incredible song is "Maritime" where the concoction of bubbling keyboards and sparkling guitars that possesses no tension, no sense of impending doom, just three minutes of light, concentrated beauty that washes away with a hazy, Eastern melody. The crown jewel of the disc is the song "Weight". It’s a slow, steady, ten minute build that grows from a warm, looking-up-from-the-bottom-of-the-ocean haze to a controlled wail with a climax that is topped off by layers of female vocals. Isis is able to expand and challenge themselves and at the same time challenges the listener to think, and it challenges them to feel. This is by far the most artful and fully realized album without a song, note, drumbeat, sample, squelch or gut-wrenching howl out of place in this languishing story.