Category: Metal
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Soul Blind ‘Feel It All Around’ (2022)
The shoegaze offshoot run continues this week, with Soul Blind’s debut album Feel It All Around our next stop on the dreamscape journey. Soul Blind is definitely on the heavier side, more oriented on modern metal, but incorporates just the right blend of shoegaze haziness and a surprising little dash of mid-aughts post-hardcore emo energy…
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Norma Jean ‘Bless The Martyr And Kiss…’ (2002)
There was a point in my life during high school where unrelenting heavy guitars and throaty intense vocals were all the rage. Couldn’t get enough of it. It usually played out with more pop-oriented post hardcore bands like Underoath or more metal-tinged acts like Killswitch Engage, but there was definitely some space left for bands…
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Queensrÿche ‘Empire’ (1990)
By the time Empire came out in 1990 Queensrÿche had already earned serious respect in the prog metal world for their precision, ambition, and sharp musicianship. What made this album stand out was how smoothly they blended those progressive roots with a more radio-friendly, melodic sound. Songs like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” showed…
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Steel Panther ‘Feel the Steel’ (2009)
Feel the Steel is the kind of record that feels like it was made by a bunch of drunk frat guys who raided a time capsule from 1987, bought a U-Haul worth of spandex, and decided to turn every glam-metal cliché up to 11 just for the hell of it. The jokes come at you…
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Rage Against The Machine ‘Rage Against The Machine’ (1992)
Rage Against the Machine is synonymous with my experience of becoming politically aware during my early teen years. I’ll never forget borrowing their album Evil Empire from my friend Ryan Polk in seventh grade, sneaking it into my house to avoid the peering eyes of my mom (who definitely wouldn’t be happy with the rabble…
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Hardcore Superstar ‘Split Your Lip’ (2010)
This is another one of those “Jason has been absolutely loving Peacemaker Season 2 on HBO over the last few weeks and binging songs off the soundtrack ever since” inspired albums. It follows the familiar formula. Big production? Check. Big gang vocals? Check. Big ass guitar solos? Check. And with a classic sleaze rock inspired…
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Mötley Crüe ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)
Mötley Crüe had yet to reach the height of their powers during their debut album (1989’s Dr. Feelgood being their high water mark imo) but you could hear the beginnings of their glam metal greatness beginning to form. The whole band is a little rough around the edges technically on this album, especially the rhythm…
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The Quireboys ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ (1990)
Originally known as the “Queerboys” (a name the band abandoned when it led to challenges getting booked for shows), The Quireboys had a pretty fun take on 80’s inspired hair metal. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been binging the HBO show Peacemaker a lot lately and listening to the corresponding soundtrack as a result. The…
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Hollywood Undead ‘Swan Songs’ (2008)
I’m not here to dog on bands but Hollywood Undead is just not my cup of tea– it’s synth rap rock nu metal for hardcore hipsters who also like boy bands. Plenty of people like them but I can’t seem to understand why. I’m sorry Hollywood Undead fans. If you’re reading this I swear I…
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Alien Ant Farm ‘Anthology’ (2001)
If you’re anywhere near my age you’ll fondly remember Alient Ant Farm’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” which became the band’s biggest hit of their career. The song is awesome in a couple of ways– it is equal parts rock and roll shreddability and comedic relief, because nowhere in music history should a nu-metal…
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Vains of Jenna ‘The Art of Telling Lies’ (2009)
I’ve been getting into sleazy 80’s inspired glam rock a bunch lately (inspired in no small part by the return of the HBO show Peacemaker, of which Season 1 is low-key one of my favorite shows released in the past five years) and Vains of Janna is a perfect band to fit that vibe. They’re…
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Stormtroopers of Death ‘Speak English or Die’ (1985)
Despite being a side project of Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Stormtroopers of Death have had a pretty significant legacy in the American hardcore and metal scene. They were one of the first bands to fuse hardcore punk and thrash metal together, garnered pretty significant controversy for their deliberately offensive lyrics, and were credited with popularizing the…
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Bad Omens ‘The Death of Peace of Mind’ (2022)
There’s been a real influx of heavy metal bands who are blending the pop sensibilities of Justin Bieber, the metalcore of Underoath, and the prog-metal heaviness of bands like Animals As Leaders. Bad Omens’ The Death of Peace of Mind is one of those albums, whose propensity for dense synths and guitars dropped about 8…
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Skid Row ‘Skid Row’ (1989)
If you name your band Skid Row in 1989 you better be fully ready to bring the glam metal heat front to back, especially if you’re an East Coast based band. It’s a bold stake to smash into the ground considering the history of how Skid Row in Los Angeles basically defined that era of…
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Extreme ‘Pornograffitti’ (1990)
As I wrote about yesterday I’ve been binge-watching the hell out of sets from “Back To The Beginning” which was Ozzy Osbourne’s final live performance of his career. It’s been a helluva ride and an incredible celebration of heavy metal music. One guitarist that really stuck out to me through the day was Nuno Bettencourt,…
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Ozzy Osbourne ‘No More Tears’ (1991)
If you’re like me this weekend you’ve been binging clips from “Back To The Beginning”, the all-day heavy metal festival in Birmingham England that served as the final show of Ozzy Osbourne and his original band Black Sabbath’s career. The fact that all members of that band have made it into their mid-70’s is nothing…
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Pantera ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992)
I’ll be seeing Metallica live at Levi’s Stadium tonight with 55,000 other people (stoked) and one of the openers will be heavy metal legends Pantera. The band’s current incarnation is unfortunately without the services of Dimebag Darrell after he was shot and killed onstage in 2004 by a mentally ill fan during a live show…
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Architects ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’ (2021)
For Those That Wish to Exist is basically a metal pop album. Arena-friendly and radio-ready filled with a collection of bangers that dip their toes into the heavy-heavy and melodic side of metal. Drummer Dan Searle remains the band’s anchor and secret weapon. He’s a total bad ass with his polyrhythmic fills and crushing double-kick…
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HIM ‘Razorblade Romance’ (2000)
If you religiously watched CKY back in the day like I did it was inevitable you were going to listen to a pair of bands courtesy of Bam Margera. The first of course was his brother’s band of the same name, a story that we covered a few months ago. The second was the band…
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L.A. Guns ‘Cocked and Loaded’ (1989)
L.A. guns came up in the grimey glam metal scene of 1980’s Los Angeles and has an interesting family tree connection with Axl Rose and hard rock heavyweight Guns N’ Roses. Cocked and Loaded is their magnum opus.
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Whitehchapel ‘Hymns in Dissonance’ (2025)
Ed. Note: This is the first guest post in the history of this site (a new milestone!). Today’s album review will feature the writing of my brother Mitchell Plank, whose affinity for thoughtful prose is only supplanted by his love for heavy metal and photography. You can check out his photography Instagram by clicking here.…
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CKY ‘Camp Kill Yourself V1’ (1999)
If you were a millennial male hitting your teenage years in the early aughts you were familiar with the band CKY almost by default. The band’s drummer Jess Margera was the brother of Bam Margera. Before connecting with Johnny Knoxville and crew to create the smash-hit Jackass, Bam created the precursor to that media empire…
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Arch Enemy ‘War Eternal’ (2014)
The Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy was already a powerhouse in the genre by the time 2014 rolled around, but War Eternal marked a new era for the band with Alissa White-Gluz as the lead vocalist. Former singer Angela Gossow, who had fronted the band for over a decade, stepped down to focus…
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Anthrax ‘Among The Living’ (1987)
Anthrax is one of the titans of American thrash metal. Alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, they helped define the genre in the 1980s. Fast, aggressive, and unrelenting, their music stood out with a mix of humor, pop culture references, and a punk-inspired attitude. Among The Living is the album that cemented their place in the…
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Avenged Sevenfold ‘Waking The Fallen’ (2003)
Waking the Fallen sits alongside Killswitch Engage’s The End of Heartache as a massively influential album in my love for contemporary metal music. As I’ve detailed endlessly over the past few years I was a huge punk rocker during my formative years. Avenged Sevenfold was one of those bands that, despite being a heavy metal…
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Black Sabbath ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
With its ominous, tritone-laden riffs, thunderous rhythms, and dark, foreboding lyrics, Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album laid the foundation for what would become heavy metal. Tracks like the titular opener, with its haunting bell tolls and Tony Iommi’s crushing guitar work, and the relentless groove of “N.I.B.” (that bass line was legitimately everything to me…
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Quiet Riot ‘Metal Health’ (1983)
Quiet Riot’s Metal Health was a milestone for heavy metal music, becoming the first metal album to top the Billboard 200 and selling over 10 million copies worldwide. The album’s explosive success was propelled by their raucous cover of Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize,” which turned into an anthem for headbangers everywhere. But beneath…
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Tool ‘Lateralus’ (2001)
Maynard James Keenan is one of alternative rock’s most enigmatic and influential figures. The dude the genre over the past three decades with his distinct voice, intellectual lyricism, and multifaceted artistry. As the frontman of three pretty killer rock bands (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer) he has a chameleon-like ability to shift between various forms–…
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Twisted Sister ‘A Twisted Christmas’ (2006)
A Twisted Christmas is the ultimate holiday mashup of glam metal excess and yuletide cheer, proving that even the wildest rockers can embrace the Christmas spirit—on their own terms. Released in 2006, the album reimagines holiday classics like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Deck the Halls” with the band’s signature blend of roaring guitars,…
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August Burns Red ‘Sleddin’ Hill’ (2012)
Sleddin’ Hill has fast become one of my favorite Christmas albums for a variety of reasons– for starters, the whole thing is instrumental which makes it pretty accessible for everyone in your family around the holidays. And even though it’s on the heavier side of the coin, blending the uplifting nature of Christmas music with…
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Poison ‘Open Up And Say…Ahh!’ (1988)
Open Up and Say…Ahh! is the glittering embodiment of 1980s glam rock excess, a loud, brash, and unapologetically fun album that catapulted the band to superstardom. Released in 1988, it’s a neon-lit time capsule of hair-metal anthems that continue to define that era when people think of glam rock today. The album drips with over-the-top…
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Andrew W.K. ‘I Get Wet’ (2001)
At the end of the day rock and roll is meant to be fun, and a guy like Andrew W.K. gets that. I Get Wet is a riotous, adrenaline-fueled ode to reckless abandon, capturing the sheer joy of living in the moment and completely disregarding whatever responsibilities await tomorrow morning. The album is a wall-to-wall…
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Hellripper ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ (2023)
It’s pretty incredible when you stumble upon a one-piece black metal band, especially one who is recording exclusively in their home studio. The brainchild of Scottish-based guitarist James McBain, Hellripper was recommended to me by a new friend who loves speed metal– I immediately loved it for some obvious reasons (Hellripper sounds like the combination…
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Maylene & The Sons of Disaster ‘Self-Titled’ (2005)
I first learned about Maylene & The Sons of Disaster after falling in love with Underoath’s album They’re Only Chasing Safety in 2004. That album is a magnum opus in the post-hardcore genre, I was completely obsessed, and I soaked up everything associated with the band. Upon doing a little bit of research and listening…
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Metallica ‘S&M’ (1999)
The marriage between Metallica and orchestral music is almost too good to be true. It’s no secret that the heavyweight heavy metal band’s arrangements have always had a flair for the dramatic, and the classical music influences in their songs were a big component of former bassist Cliff Burton’s songwriting approach that dominated their mid-80’s…
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Sleep ‘The Sciences’ (2018)
Sleep’s stoner rock bonafides were cemented during the 90’s but in 2018’s The Sciences the band cemented their place as stoner doom metal legends. The album was a triumphant return after a two-decade layoff, and features all of the things that made Sleep such a cult favorite in a bygone era– copious references to marijuana,…
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