Album : Ghost Reveries
Artist : Opeth
Year : 2005
Genre : Progressive
Performers : Mikael Akerfeldt (vocals, guitar), Peter Lindgren (guitar), Per Wiberg (keyboard), Martin Mendez (bass), Martin Lopez (drums).

The next cab off the rank is Opeth’s 8th album, Ghost Reveries. Now, I just want to make it plain and clear right now that I’m a huge Opeth fan, so expect a lofty score. For those who don’t know, Opeth are a critically acclaimed Swedish Progressive Death Metal band who make the most epic songs seem simple in comparison. As you would expect, my technical heart loves the sounds of progressive Metal and Opeth do it just about as good as anyone.

1. Ghost Of Perdition (10:29)
Score: 10
And what a great way to start the album, the first ever 10 I’ve given out. Ghost Of Perdition is one of my favourite, if not my favourite Opeth song. It’s a sweet mixture of headbanging heaviness and soft, crooning calm. I know, I’m a sucker for the juxtaposition, but it just clicks with me somehow. I should point out, I’m not usually a fan of death metal growls, but I have grown accustomed to Akerfedlt’s. It’s powerful and throaty, yet he manages it with such ease. And then there’s his singing voice, which I also just love. Now, being progressive Metal, there’s a lot of tempo shifts, with seemingly hundreds of different sections. There are too many to really single out, since they are all brilliant, which is why I implore you to listen to this song. In just this one song, you’ll find bonecrushing growls, machine-gun riffs, angelic singing, crafted acoustic pieces, a melodic bassline, heavyset drums and everything in between.  It’s such a masterpiece.

2. The Baying Of The Hounds (10:41)
Score: 9
There’s a definite European feel to this song. I don’t exactly know what that means, but it feels sophisticated. The great thing about Opeth is there ability to keep you on your toes. You’ll be listening to a section, enjoying it, of course, and the next thing you know, another section has started, completely different in feel, yet somehow related to the rest of the song, and you find yourself stuck between missing the part just gone and the section your currently listening to. Opeth songs definitely require mutliple listenings. The Baying Of The Hounds is just another example of this. Every section of this song is a finely tuned piece of prog metal, filled with ferocious heaviness and soothing breakdowns. I have nothing but praise for this song. Another must-listen.

3. Beneath The Mire (7:57)
Score: 9
The organs in the introduction really set the tune for this song. They have a creepy sort of elegance, which is kinda entrancing. The pace of this song is also slower than most, it could even be described as slightly jerky in the verse. However, the rest of the song is another example of magnificence. Like nearly every song in this album, there is far too many standout sections to single out. You gotta wonder how these guys come up with so many great sounding riffs and solos, and all within one song. It’s just utter awesomeness.

4. Atonement (6:28)
Score: 8
If you wanna talk entrancing, then this is your song. It’s a very mildly paced song, with a fancy riff that runs throughout. Behind this riff is a background of acoustics, percussions & piano playing which help embolden the pace and atmosphere. It only lacks the constant change of pace that the other songs before have demonstrated, and maybe that’s a good thing. It’s no good doing the same thing over and over again, no matter how good it is. Even if this is a weaker track on this album, it’s a dam-sight better than a lot of other tracks on other albums.

5. Reverie/Harlequin  Forest (11:41)
Score: 8
The biggest of the epics from this album, and really, it’s not far off in quality from it’s brothers (or sisters, I’m unsure if personified songs have a gender cliché). And really, it’s a true epic. Like seemingly every song on this album, they’ve squeezed every little bit of brilliance from the songwriting. The only thing could be brought in to criticise, and it’s a pretty piss poor criticism, is that it’s a touch slow. I know, not much to bark about, plus, I like slow at times, but maybe this one focuses on slow a little too much. Anyway, the song is great otherwise, Akerfeldt sings throughout most of the song and the musicianship is just excellent. One of those songs you listen to when you want to just relax.

6. Hours of Wealth (5:20)
Score: 8
The beginning of this track is truly beautiful sounding. I know it’s a strange thing to say on a Metal website, but beauty can come in many forms. After the very nice intro, it builds slowly into a rather good sounding acoustic song. Akerfeldt dips into the atmosphere of the song magnificently, carrying the same resonance and heart the rest of the song embodies. Maybe it’s a bit soft, but what’s the hardness without the soft to contrast it against. A track that feels more like a piece of artwork than a song.

7. The Grand Conjuration (10:21)
Score: 9
Another huge song, and another awesome piece of Metal music. Layers is the key to this song. Listening to it, you get an idea of the layers of sound that go into it. Especially during the chorus, where we have vocals, the bludgeoning riff, a softer more melodic riff behind it and then, to top it off, a bit of organ.  The depth is astounding. As with all of Opeth’s songs, the musicianship is top-notch and Akerfedlt gives it his all once again, keeping a good balance between his growl and his clean voice. Another great song added to this ever-growing tally.

8. Isolation Years (3:51)
Score: 10
The shortest song on the album, clocking in at under 4 minutes, however, the lack of time doesn’t tell on its quality. It’s also a slow song. A ballad, if you will. Actually, it may seem a bit too soft, but I think it’s fantastic. Akerfeldt performs masterfully and the music behind him is just as graceful. I suppose you could say it’s a guilt pleasure.

Final Thoughts:
As you might’ve been able to tell, I absolutely adored this album. Every single little shred of this record is brilliant. Not one song is less than great. The whole band produces a finely tuned piece of Metal for 45+ minutes without any hiccups whatsoever. Akerfedlt’s vocals are first class, his powerful growl working brilliantly with his awesome singing voice. As if it wasn’t amazing enough, he also contributes to the super riffs and solos throughout the album, along with his axe partner Lindgren. The forgotten guys like Wiberg, Mendez & Lopez also play a crucial role. Their playing is also of superhuman type quality, and you do notice, because without them, the songs would be soulless shells of what they are. Easily one of my top 10 favourite albums ever.

On the whole, it’s a modern metalmasterpiece filled with all the greatness that Opeth embodies. If you haven’t listened to it, you’re missing out on possibly the best Metal album of the decade.

High Points:

• Pretty much everything. From nearly top to bottom, this is pure brilliance.
  

Low Points:

• Ummmm….there’s only 8 songs?

FINAL SCORE: 98

Welcome back! Today’s review is the 2nd album from groove metalheads, DevilDriver. This was the follow-up to their self-titled debut which was received poorly by critics (although my thoughts are slightly different). Let’s not delay.

1. End Of The Line (5:03)
Score: 8
I love the intro to this song, it’s probably a personal favourite of mine. The way it evokes a sort of calm before the storm feeling is brilliant. I just love it. Then the storm comes, and it’s quite a storm. I can’t get my feelings right about this song sometimes. The musicianship is quite strong, nothing spectacular, but very solid nonetheless. Fafara has an interesting growl, which I tend to like, although sometimes I wince at it. The thing that always brings me back to this song though is that intro, and that’s why this is an 8 instead of a 7.

2. Driving Down The Darkness (3:53)
Score: 8
A strong song. The most noticeable thing is how well the music works as a unit. Boecklin’s drumwork really sets a foundation for the guitarists to build on. And while there’s nothing particularly mindblowing about the guitarwork, it’s really quite strong across the board.

3. Grinfucked (3:32)
Score: 6
Slightly disappointing. There’s nothing really to grab onto in this song. Everything is fairly uninspiring with no brilliant intro or especially good sounding breakdown, which can often save a song like this. Unfortunately for this track though, nothing really pops up, there’s a semi-interesting breakdown which is nice to listen to, but that ain’t cutting the mustard, so to speak.

4. Hold Back The Day (4:14)
Score: 8
Another nice little intro starts this song, and while it’s not quite as good as what we opened with back in End Of The Line, it’s still not a bad effort on their part. The couple of high notes played during the pre-chorus are a bit of fun which gives the song a kick. The track also brings a nice energy and Fafara does a pretty good job up front.

5. Sin And Sacrifice (5:04)
Score: 8
I’m starting to think I gravitated toward these songs because of their intro’s because this track has another doozy. Surprisingly enough though, this song has a slowness to it which isn’t really apparent at first. The verses are fairly standard pace-wise, but the chorus really puts on the brakes. It’s not a bad thing, it’s actually quite good, just slightly unexpected. I’d probably put this up for my strongest track of the album. Great song.

6. Ripped Apart (4:11)
Score: 6
This is the beginning of a fairly lean period for this album. And this song is definitely nothing to write home about. The musicianship is solid, there’s no problem there, and Fafara does a decent job, it’s just missing an X-factor, which is a very important thing for a song. Without that X-factor, you don’t feel the need to come back and listen to a song, and what’s the use if you don’t wanna keep on listening. It does have a decent outro though, who woulda thunk’d it.

7. Pale Horse Apocalypse (4:13)
Score: 6
What a strange name for a song. I’ve always thought apocalyptic horse’s were black, with blood dripping from every orafice…or maybe that’s just me. Um,…what to say about this song….it’s has a nice clip, the pace it sets is fairly constant and provides a good energy. It also has one of he better solo sections on the album, with a bit of twin guitarwork going on. So, things are pretty solid all the way around, but solid doesn’t get it done. It just lacks a special something. No X-Factor=no high score.

8. Just Run (4:15)
Score: 6
An interesting song. The main guitar riff is what gives this song some spark, with it providing a bit of electricity to an otherwise normal piece of Metal. I do enjoy how it slithers along the chorus, just under Fafara’s vocals. However, I can’t bring myself to raise the score. Maybe I’m being a little hard on it, because it is very close to being a good song. Oh, well.

9. Impending Disaster (4:09)
Score: 6
Hmmm….I don’t really think much of this song. It’s all too bland for my tastes, especially after some of the stuff these guys have offered up on other tunes. Sad.

10. Bear Witness Onto (4:05)
Score: 6
A similar story appears here. There a few things I like about this song and a few things I don’t like. That just seems to be the way of this album. It has a good chorus and the music isn’t bad. In the end though, this song just doesn’t do enough to grab my attention.

11. Before The Hangman’s Noose (3:52)
Score: 7
The chorus makes this song, it’s bouncy riffage is quite compelling and you really can’t help but bang your head. The rest of the song is pretty standard otherwise, nothing particularly strong about the music or the vocals. Fairly standard stuff, but that chorus is a bit of fun.

12. The Fury Of Our Maker’s Hand (4:51)
Score: 8
The closer for the album does what much of the rest of the record has done, and that’s start off well. The intro is quite strong, a theme for this album, the calming guitars of the opener even make  a small return. Actually, this song is slightly calmer than the others, holding on to a steady, medium pace. The album then slowly, and calmly fades away in much the same way as it opened.  A really good finisher for this album.

Final Thoughts:
In some ways, I think I was a touch hard on some of the songs on this album. In saying that though, I don’t feel as if this album is any better than score I gave it. Many of the tracks are solid, especially in their musicianship, but the vocals from Fafara, while decent, don’t make me especially excited. Maybe it’s my penchant for clean vocals but I just can’t get focused on Fafara voice. Luckily, the band does a good job holding my attention with their musical talent. Like I’ve said a bunch of times in this review, I especially like the introductions. There’s just something about them that instantly gets me into their songs. A definite positive. However, there is little else that stands out. Does this album improve on their debut? Well, you’ll have to wait and see, but honestly, I don’t think there’s a huge difference in quality.

On the whole, this album is a solid, if unspectacular piece of groove metal. The introduction’s are awesome and the musicianship is solid. Worth owning if you like a bit of groove in ya Metal.

High Points:

• The introduction to songs. All, save but a few, are pretty awesome. A great way of getting into each song.
• Solid musicianship across the board.

Low Points:

• Fafara’s vocals lack a bit of punch.
• No real brilliant songs.

FINAL SCORE: 71

Album : Confession
Artist : Ill Nino
Year : 2003
Genre : Nu
Performers : Cristian Machado (Vocals), Dave Chavarri (Drums), Laz Pina (Bass), Jardel Piasante (Guitar), Marc Rizzo (Guitar- split with Ahrue), Ahrue Luster (Guitar- split with Marc), Danny Cuoto (Percussion).

A momentous occasion, my first review for HEMR, and it’s the 2nd album from Ill Nino, a Latin-American band who’ve gone through something of a metamorphisis. This album marks the beginning of their shift toward more Alternative metal elements.  It is also their biggest selling album to date. Let’s get started.

1. Te Amo…I Hate You (3:33)
Score: 6
The album opener is fairly standard fair. It does however show their shift toward Alternative leanings, especially in the chorus where Machado shows off his rather good singing voice. His growl also gets a good going over in this song, and it’s quite a nice one, if a little strangled at times. If there’s one thing that keeps this song from getting a higher score it’s how the track slowly drains away. It has a fairly strong starting but as it goes it sorta drops away into a slow bounce of an end. It disappointing because the chorus does bring a nice energy with it.

2. How Can I Live (3:17)
Score: 8
Ill Nino do a great job of doing two certain things: 1. bringing a good energy through their main riffs and 2. mixing their latin influence into their songs. This song is a prime example. A strong chug of a riff for a pre-chorus before a latin-inspired funky chorus in which Machado shows off that singing voice again. We see the juxtaposition once again in the breakdown which starts with a fairly heavy growl before turning into an angelic latin end. A definite precursor to where they would be heading in the next two albums.

3. Two (Vaya Con Dios) (3:23)
Score: 6
A strong chorus is the mainstay of this song. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really make it memorable, which prevents it from getting above the 6. Percussionist Cuoto makes something of a mark in the breakdown but that is largely a non-factor on the whole. Machado once again brings his A-game, which is good to hear. A decent track.

4. Unframed (3:23)
Score: 8
Machado steals the show in this song. In what is probably his strongest performance on the album, he does a brilliant job of projecting the image of the song. The song’s definitely not their heaviest, but it does provide a nice ballad type section of their album. If only the music in the background could stick out a bit more.

5. Cleansing (3:45)
Score: 6
There’s something about this song, and I can’t put my finger on it, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem as good as it should. Maybe it’s the drudgy chorus, or the whispery breakdown, but I just don’t like this song as much as the others. Once again, the only musician who makes a mark is Cuoto, and to a lesser extent, Chavarri. I wish I could hear more from the guitarists.

6. This Time’s For Real (3:27)
Score: 6
Well, at least the guitarist made themselves known. The play a nice little acoustic breakdown in the song, but the rest of the track is pretty standard. Machado is still singing pretty well, but the track doesn’t feel as powerful as Unframed or How Can I Live. Not the worst song, but not the best…middle of the pack.

7. Lifeless…Life… (2:47)
Score: 6
This song does have a slightly different feel to the rest of the album…a bit more Latin-y. It’s not a bad track but like so many of the songs I’ll talk about in these reviews, it doesn’t really stand out, or bring anything memorable to the table. That’s gonna be the way with most of the songs on most albums. There’s nothing wrong with the song, it has some nice percussion and bass moments, but nothing to make you really bang your head.

8. Numb (4:06)
Score: 8
If you found this song on a general Latin album, you probably wouldn’t be too surprised. And that’s not a criticism. This song, while not heavy, is very Latin and quite catchy. Machado and Cuoto lead the charge before letting the guitarists go crazy toward the end. Apparently, if you place an acoustic in their hands, they become brilliant axemasters, since they don’t seem the same while plugged into an amp. The small acoustic breakdown is what elevates this song into the upper reaches of the score chart.

9. Have You Ever Felt? (3:18)
Score: 6
Another of the more mellow songs on the album, Machado once again does a good job of making his presence known, leaving the music behind his vocalwork somewhat. There is a monotony though to this track that does keep it from scoring above the 6.

10. When It Cuts (2:48)
Score: 8
This song, like many Ill Nino songs, is made by it’s chorus. The contrast between Machado’s growls and his singing is really very strong and instantly memorable. Once again, the music sorta settles in the background, allowing Machado to do his thing but the riffage during the chorus is nice and bouncy with a lot of energy. A strong track.

11. Letting Go (3:18)
Score: 6
Much like many of the songs on the album, this song isn’t far from being a good one. Machado’s does a good job of leading the charge and some part’s of this song are pretty strong. But it’s another case of close but no cigar. It’s a decent song, but just not strong enough to stand out.

12. All The Right Words (4:08)
Score: 9
The strongest track on this album, though not by much. It very much is in the same vein as Unframed & When It Cuts, but I tend to like this one just a touch better. Maybe it’s got something to do with the underlying acoustic guitar that appears during the verse. Once again, that very cool Latin energy is prevalent. Great song.

13. Re-Birth (2:54)
Score:  6
What I think is the weakest song on the album. The chorus is interesting, but the rest of the song is fairly uninspiring. It has something of a hip-hop feel to it, especially during the verses, and I’m unsure about how that works. Still, it’s not a bad song.

Final Thoughts:
Much of this album is a story of good, but not great. Most, if not all the songs, are listenable and some are quite clearly great, such as All The Right Words & When It Cuts. Machado is the unquestionable leader of the band, and his performance is a true standout. His singing ability is definitely more prevalent than any their debut album, Revolution Revolucion, which I do tend to approve of, since I do enjoy his singing. There is also an obvious trend toward the Alternative, which I also approve of, since I’m a fan of Alternative Metal and think Ill Nino are a stronger band for it, which we’ll see in their next two records.

On the whole, I’d say this a good album, filled with enough quality tracks to make this album worth owning. A true foretelling of what Ill Nino will become in the future.

High Points:

• Machado’s powerful singing performance. He makes nearly every track listenable with his vocals only.
• The powerful choruses. It seems to be a strong suit of theirs.
• The Latin feel, the acoustic’s and the percussion are very strong.
  

Low Points:

• The lack of true standout songs for the guitarists, maybe it’s just my complicated tastes, but sometimes, you barely notice them.
• Few truly standout tracks.

FINAL SCORE: 71