Heavier Than Heaven

‘Follow the Reaper’ is the third studio album from the power metal band Children of Bodom. This was the album that showed some transition in the kind of music that ‘C.O.B’ made. The album is a mixture of black metal and power metal. It also has a lot of death metal feel to it. We can conveniently say that C.O.B has released an album that entirely defines a genre. This album did to C.O.B what the album ‘Powerslave’ did to Iron Maiden. All the songs in this album are great to hear and have superb keyboard solos to it. However the highlight of the album is the snarling voice of Laiho. His brutal voice is one of the two things that carry this album to its finish line. The other factor should definitely be Alexander kuoppala’s rhythm guitars. The album is so fresh and sounds extremely solid. The opening track ‘Follow the Reaper’ has a wonderful starting riff and with this we explode into a world called Children of Bodom. ‘Bodom after Midnight’ is another track that no metal head should miss. However the only disappointment (not actually a great one) is that Alexi Laiho chooses to scream through out the album rather than sing, but hey, this is a power metal band. On the whole the album tears metal apart and it shows us the different facets of metal(ranging from power to death metal). The sound that ‘C.O.B’ has established is a euphony to all those who call themselves a metal-head.

This is Metallica’s fourth studio album and their first one without their bassist, Cliff Burton. The Band roped in Jason Newsted in the place of Burton. Soulless production, Bass almost non-existent, poorly engineered … these are the complaints that this album had to face. But to me, this is one of my all time favourite albums. “BLACKENED” a track based on nuclear devastation and its aftermath roars with blinding power and energy. But the best moment of this album is “ONE”. A grisly story of a Vietnam War veteran whose legs and hands are blown off in combat. “ONE” is possibly one of the greatest ever Metallica tracks. Right up there!!! It deals with the feeling of depression of the soldier as he nears his end. Then, “HARVESTER OF SORROW” tells you about revenge and the aftermath of fury that happens when one is betrayed. “THE FRAYED ENDS OF SANITY” is somehow a track that makes you feel as if you are mad!!! “TO LIVE IS TO DIE” is a classical tribute to the late Cliff Burton. But the album ends with the fiery “DYERS EVE” that delves into the minds of children and their anger towards their parents who are narrow minded. Excellent finisher! Bleeding guitars, break-neck riffing, angst-ridden vocals mark the trademark Metallica. Surely, one of the top three Metallica albums.

This is the best Metallica album of all time. Lightning fast riffs juxtaposed with melodious undertones thanks to Burton’s bass, “M.O.P” was the album that shook the foundations of metal. Considered by many as the best Thrash metal album of all time, this album combines pure, unbridled thrash with amazing lyrics and deft, classical undertones. The opener “BATTERY” is full of heavy riffs and super-fast guitar solos. But, “MASTER OF PUPPETS” is the one track that has never aged in the past 23 years. Dealing with drugs and the way it degenerates people, this track has got haunting lyrics and guitar perfection perfectly melded. “WELCOME HOME (SANITARIUM)” is another power ballad that deals with a mental patient and gives an insight into his world, haunting lyrics!  “LEPER MESSIAH” and “THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE” are great tracks in their own right. But, “DAMAGE INC” ends the album with a typical mad metallica frenzy baying for blood and seeking destruction. Technically pure and excellently produced, “M.O.P” is a defining thrash album. Any album containing a “MASTER OF PUPPETS” has to be!! This amazing piece of puppetry lives on in the minds of the die-hard fans of Metallica! A stunning album! DANCE PUPPETS DANCE!!!

This album was far superior to “KILL ‘EM ALL ”, Metallica’s first ever studio album. Essentially, an album that deals with nuclear war and destruction and sheer hopelessness, “RTL” put Metallica on the path of metal glory and won them a huge underground legion of fans. One of the best albums in terms of content, “RTL” is a heavy duty, head banging, supercharged album that made “Thrash” credible and viable in mainstream music. Every track throbs with intensity and restlessness. “FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE ” was a grand opener dealing with apocalypse and destruction. The brooding “FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS ” is one of the most complex and outstanding Metallica tracks with great lyrics; it deals with getting accustomed to deal with death and here is where James Hetfield vocals begin to really let rip and develop. But, by far the risky power ballad “FADE TO BLACK” shook the listeners and the rest of the world to such an extent that it is considered as a pure “one off”. Dealing with the depression and hopelessness of suicide, the haunting lyrics will forever remain etched on the memory of Metallica fans. The first great Metallica album “RTL” paved the way for greater things to come. Now, Metallica were getting ready to unleash their best ever album as “RTL” set the bar for thrash perfection. Only 8 songs in length, “RTL” was the stepping stone for Metallica’s future success.

‘NLOTH’ the 12^th studio album of the legendary rock band U2 is good but does not compare to its predecessor ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’. With a total of 12 tracks the album is rock at its purest. Melodic and theme explorations that the band has made with its lyrical content; this album has been well received. The band quoted that with Bono (the lead vocalist) being in his best form, the album is sure to be a hit. Personally I would say two songs on the album are very well written. One is ‘Get on Your Boots’ and the other is the ‘No Line on the Horizon’. The former is a typical U2 track with breath-taking vocals. This album as stated by the lead man Bono has trance influences. The integral part of each of their albums is the great operatic voice of Bono and this album is no exception. This album also incorporates the lead guitarist Edge’s signature delay and rhythmic melodies. However one sad thing to note is that U2 are experimenting again, it definitely did not pay off as well as it used to. The continuity on the album is completely lost and the fact that it took the band nearly 1.5 years to compile this album is clearly evident. However you can take heart as there are few soothing riffs. Otherwise its more a havoc than an album.

‘SYOTOS’ the 7^th album of ‘Korn’ was the last album for the long time member/drummer David Silveria, and also the band’s long time guitarist Brian Welch did not feature in this album. The line-up consisted of Jonathan Davis on the vocals, James Shaffer on the guitar, Reginald Arvizu playing the bass and David on the percussion. A total of 14 tracks featured on the album. The album was a musical experiment according to the band members. It was more of industrial rock and was very dark and deep. The first single of the album ‘Twisted Transistor’ with its explicit lyrics took nu-metal to new heights. With this song the band set standards for other bands to compete. The song is great pertaining to the fact that it just has simple power chords capturing the right mood. The song ‘Politics’ clearly shows that the band is least bothered about political scenarios the world over, however all that interests Jonathan Davis is sex. This is very clear with the song ’10 or a 2-Way’. This album is more rap-metal, this is what a lot of fans claim. It is however left to your distinction whether to give this album the pass or a listen. However for people who think Korn makes ‘Hard Metal’, this album is definitely the take.

Children of Bodom, the power-metal band from Finland released ‘Blooddrunk’ as their 6^th studio album. This album is a mix of old ‘Bodom’ and new ‘Bodom’, in terms of the music they make. This album has a tinge of industrial metal feel to it while maintaining the trademark classic style. The music in this album is ‘simple metal’ which is a deviation from their complex song writing style. Alexi Laiho is the savior of the day. He still has those menacing growls inside him and with this album ‘COB’ pushes power metal to its limits. The first single from the album ‘Banned from Heaven’ is similar to ‘Angels don’t kill’ from the album Hate Crew Death roll. This track has a metallic ballad feel to it. Talking about guitar riffs, you will find this best in the song ‘Done with Everything, Die for Nothing’. The whole album features Janne Warman at his best. He has incorporated great and blazing keyboard solos into most of the songs. What carries tha album is the pace. The album sounds great for ears which are used to fast shredding solos. Laiho and Latvala must be given the due credit for what they have contributed to this album. If anyone wants to point a single blemish it would be the lyrics. The lyrics aren’t that great, in fact it is not even acceptable. All said and done, at the end of the day ‘COB’ has managed to give a classic in terms of power metal and screaming vocals.

‘Whatever people say I am,’ the debut album from Arctic Monkeys does not sound like any Debut album. It sounds as if these guys have been rocking their hearts out since they were born. Alex Turner the vocalist does a great job. He has the voice to sing rock ballads. With a total of 13 tracks, the album clocks in at nearly 42 minutes, most of the songs being really short, around 2:45 minutes. The first single from the album ‘I bet you look good on the Dance floor’ was a smash hit. The song had a date rape sort of theme to it with amazing percussion and guitar work. This track was the sole reason to propel the album to its greatest height. The album now holds the record for the fastest selling debut album in British history. The second single ‘When the sun goes down’ was also well received. There are two other really good songs on the album. One is ‘The View from the afternoon’ and the other is ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco’. It also won the mercury prize album of the year in 2006. On the whole, the album was a hit because it was so fresh and audacious. 

20^th October marked the release of one the most expected album of the gods of rock ‘AC/DC’. Named Black Ice we saw the ‘rock jugglers’ return to their roots with this album. This album is a typical AC/DC album, in the sense it was pure rock and there was no deviation from the music they have performed over the years. Sixteen studio albums old, it was as if Angus and Malcolm Young were screaming their lungs out ‘Rock never dies, nor does it change’. This album is more of the ‘old school rock’ kind. However we need to appreciate the brothers to keep our adrenalines flowing. With a total of 15 tracks , the albums throws great tracks like ‘Rock n Roll train’, ’She likes Rock n Roll’, ‘Rock n Roll Dream’ and few others. The band’s love for rock is still fresh; this is very well indicated by the 3 tracks on the album which has the words rock n roll in their title. We need to accept the fact that some of the tracks in the album are nothing more than fillers, just there to fill up the space. The vocalist Brian Johnson blazes through the album with his devilishly soothing voice. At the end of the day, the album is just another day at the office for the band. Don’t forget to listen to the track ‘Decibel’, the band has sure kept the decibels high.

Up in the top 5 metal albums of all time “Number of the beast” launched the band into fame and success. It was the first album in their “golden years” which lasted through out the 80’s and which consisted of 5 top class albums. With the release of this album, the band members were considered to be devil worshippers as the record contained a lot of dark, brutal and pensive themes. With Bruce Dickinson replacing Paul Di’anno, the songs sounded heavier and grandiose, and ended becoming a feast to all the metal heads. The album kicks off with “INVADERS”, a ferocious song and a great opener for such a fiery album. The song is then followed by the worth mentioning and the beautifully composed “CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED”, an exquisite power ballad defining the sound of the band. “NUMBER OF THE BEAST”, a brilliant title song, has given the fans more than what it takes to be a title song. “RUN TO THE HILLS”, though an over rated song, sounds amazing in live performances and is a fan favorite. The album finisher is probably the best ever metal song to be recorded and produced; “HALLOWED BE THY NAME” is one song which made IRON MAIDEN so very great. It’s the sole outcome of amazing riffs, mind blowing vocal performance, thundering bass line, hell hammering and fret melting solos. Amidst all the controversies surrounding the theme of the album and the new, extravagant approach to the world of metal music, this album is definitely a killer by its own!