Red Flag - Naïve Art (1989)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop, New Wave
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© 1989 Enigma Records
AllMusic Review by William Cooper
The Liverpool duo Red Flag (brothers Chris and Mark Reynolds) released their debut album, Naïve Art, in 1989. Red Flag, like other late-'80s/early-'90s bands such as Camouflage and Cause & Effect, offer a similar mix of gloomy, synthesizer-driven dance-pop made popular by synth rock kings Depeche Mode. Derivative yet melodic, Naïve Art is a decent debut, though it eventually runs out of steam. Red Flag's obvious debt to Depeche Mode is immediately apparent in the minor club hits "If I Ever" and "Russian Radio." Though the production is a bit rough around the edges, the combination of cold synth beats and the emotionless vocal approach (similar to Depeche's Martin Gore) makes perfect dancefloor fodder for the disaffected goth pop club crowd. Like Depeche Mode's best work, what makes Naïve Art bearable is Red Flag's obvious gift of songcraft. Both "If I Ever" and "Russian Radio" are comparable to some of Depeche's best work, and although much of Naïve Art sounds the same after a while, the album flows along quite nicely. Those who criticize Depeche Mode for being pretentious and "wimpy" certainly won't find any redeeming qualities in Red Flag, but Naïve Art should satisfy fans of the genre. Recommended.

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Faith No More - We Care a Lot (1985)

*European first pressing on CD. 
Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Experimental Rock, Funk Rock

Label Number: 828 805-2

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© 1985-1996 London Records
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
After listening to Faith No More's debut, We Care a Lot, it's hard to believe that this is the same band that we know today. They sound more like early Public Image Limited than the FNM that would eventually assault your senses with Angel Dust and Album of the Year. Obviously, one of the major reasons is because current singer Mike Patton is not on the album. Original frontman Chuck Mosley handles the vocal duties, and his singing style is the complete opposite of Patton's. While Patton is extremely talented and versatile (he can sing just about every style of music imaginable), Mosley's voice is often off-key, fairly monotonous, and colorless (but with lots of attitude). Musically, the group shows glimpses of the killer genre-bending band they would become in the near future. The original version of the title track is an anthem in typical, twisted FNM style: it contains irresistible melodies and riffs, but challenges you lyrically (the words deal with the hypocritical situation surrounding the millionaire musicians who participated in 1985's Live Aid concert). The song is still featured at their concerts, as is the keyboard-laced "As the Worm Turns." Other highlights include the furious instrumental "Pills for Breakfast" and the near-dance track "Arabian Disco." Although most of FNM's important components are present -- airy keyboards, tribal drumming, heavy metal guitar, and sturdy bass -- the big picture is not as focused as it would eventually be. And it becomes more and more evident that the missing piece of the puzzle is Mike Patton.

tags: faith no more, we care a lot, 1985, 1996, flac,

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Faith No More - Angel Dust (1994 Reissue) ☠

*European reissue.

Contains 14 tracks total.

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: 828 401-2

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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1992-1994 Slash/Reprise Records
AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett
In 1992, Warner Bros. figured that lightning could strike twice at a time when oodles of (mostly horribly bad) funk-metal acts were following in Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' footsteps. They sent the former into the studio, where they went in, recorded, and released a bizarro masterpiece. Mike Patton's work in Mr. Bungle proved just how strange and inspired he could get given the opportunity, and with that try-anything-once spirit now brought to his similarly minded colleagues in his more famous act, nothing was ignored. "Land of Sunshine" starts things off in a similar enough vein to The Real Thing, but Patton's vocal role-playing comes out as smarter and more accomplished, with the lyrics trashing a totally smug bastard with pure inspired mockery. From there, Angel Dust steps up the meta-metal of earlier days with the expected puree of other influences, further touched by an almost cinematic sense of storming atmosphere. The fact that the album ends with a cover of John Barry's "Midnight Cowboy" suits the mood perfectly, but the stretched-out, tense moments on "Caffeine" and the soaring charge of "Everything's Ruined" makes for other good examples. A Kronos Quartet sample even crops up on the frazzled sprawl of "Malpractice." Other sampling and studio treatments come to the fore throughout, not in a specifically hip-hop/techno-oriented way, but more as strange cutups and additional quirks, such as the distorted voices on "Smaller and Smaller." The band's sense of humor crops up more than once -- there's the hilarious portrayal of prepubescent angst on "Kindergarten," made all the more entertaining by the music's straightforward approach, or the beyond-stereotypical white trash cornpone narration of "RV," all while the music breezily swings along. Patton's voice is stronger and downright smooth at many points throughout, the musicians collectively still know their stuff, and the result is twisted entertainment at its finest.

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Better Than Ezra - Deluxe (1993)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: 31113-2
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© 1993 Swell Records
AllMusic Review by Mike DeGagne
The vanquished vocals and semi-quirky guitar chords of "Good" gave Better Than Ezra their quick plunge into stardom, but it wasn't long before the band was towel dried and then forgotten. 1995's Deluxe failed to administer any musical congruity, helped along only by the gear-switching tempo of "In the Blood," the second best track on the album, as well as the tempting pull of "Southern Girl." Unfortunately, beyond these songs the album falls flat, suffering from a cliched garage band/alternative band dullness. Any hints of originality are drawn into the relentless vortex of banal guitar routines and run-of-the-mill college radio grit. The lyrics are passable, but cease to secrete any interest or the same amount of sharpness as the first two singles. Better Than Ezra are just another example of a band that suffered from the redundancy of a stereotypical rock formula.

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Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby (1996) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: 61944-2
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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1996 Elektra/Swell Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
On their second album, Friction, Baby, Better Than Ezra becomes a bit more ambitious than they were with their debut album, Deluxe. Lead singer Kevin Griffin's lyrics are more detailed and brooding, moving the band closer to its doom-laden post-grunge contemporaries. The problem is, Griffin doesn't have anything particularly original to say, nor does he have an original way to say it. Better Than Ezra were never particularly good with melody -- their breakthrough hit, "Good," was catchy because of a vocal tic, not a melodic phrase -- but Friction, Baby is almost completely devoid of hooks and melodies, which makes Griffin's gloomy lyrics even harder to stomach. In its favor, Better Than Ezra are developing a stronger, tighter group sound, but it's hard to ignore how thoroughly mediocre most of the music on this record actually is.

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Better Than Ezra - How Does Your Garden Grow? (1998)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: 7559-62247-2
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© 1998 Elektra Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rightly suspecting that the days of grunge and alt-rock were finished in the late '90s, Better Than Ezra wisely decided to revamp their trademark post-grunge sound for their third album, How Does Your Garden Grow? That they chose to revamp in the most predictable way -- mainly electronica and trip-hop, but with a touch of space rock and Brit-pop on the side -- may mean they're not innovators, but it does suggest that they are canny cultural watchers, and they turn out to be as adept in fusing all these elements together as they were in blending jangle pop and grunge. That may mean that Garden doesn't have the thrill of discovery anywhere in its grooves, but it's nevertheless well crafted and smartly performed. It also happens to boast the best set of songs that Kevin Griffin and company have yet written, even if there are a couple of tracks that sink under the weight of their own ambitions. Still, the new ambition in the music (even if it isn't adventurous) and the catchier, more emotional songwriting is enough to elevate How Does Your Garden Grow? to the status of Better Than Ezra's best album.

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Better Than Ezra - Closer (2001)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: BEY 78137
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© 2001 Beyond
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Better Than Ezra was always a staunchly classicist band, raised on the college rock of the '80s and turning out a series of earnest records that paid homage to that sound but were released in the post-grunge era. They had more success than most post-grungers since they were classicists dressed up in heavy sincerity, but they had hooks, best illustrated on the breakthrough "Good" and the yearning "Desperately Wanting." But as the '90s drew to a close, most guitar bands of the mid-'90s were hit hard by shifting tastes and changing fashions, leaving the group out in the cold along with many of their peers. BTE regrouped on a new label, Beyond, turning out Closer in 2001. In one sense, time treated the group well, since they simply became better at their craft. Kevin Griffin's songwriting is easier, rarely suffering from the strained sincerity that dragged down many of their albums. This time around, his melodic sense is sharper -- not just on rockers, but on ballads -- and his songs are given excellent treatment by a muscular band, presented in a supple production by Brad Wood. If there is a problem with the record, it's because Closer is occasionally constrained by its time, particularly on the neo-hip-hop of two tracks featuring DJ Swamp (though "Rolling," featuring Toddy, is a highlight). These aren't necessarily bad -- and the single "Extra Ordinary" is catchy, despite Griffin's rap -- but they do give the album an appearance of trying too hard, when this really is the most natural and best record they've ever made.

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Better Than Ezra - Before The Robots (2005)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: AIM-CD-51617
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© 2005 Artemis Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With the rather cryptically titled Before the Robots, Better Than Ezra settles down into a comfortable adult pop groove, no longer dabbling in the hip-hop and electronica that has surfaced on every album since 1997's How Does Your Garden Grow? In its place is a surprisingly soulful undercurrent that surfaces on such laid-back highlights as "Daylight" and "It's Only Natural." Instead of pointing Better Than Ezra in a new direction, these soulful pop tunes are used as accents on a collection of straight-ahead, anthemic, songwriter-driven rock. While there are still some snarls of electric guitars, Before the Robots is largely a meditative work, built on acoustic guitars; even when it hits hard and gets loud, it's with layers of vocal harmonies, keyboards, and guitars creating a rush of sound, emphasizing the emotional thrust of songwriter Kevin Griffin's songs. There are some light moments here -- including the supremely silly but infectious "Juicy," where Griffin struts a rarely heard falsetto over a funky vamp -- but the overall tone of the record drives from the melancholy, vaguely nostalgic vibe of such songs as "A Lifetime," "American Dream," and "Our Finest Year." These reflective sentiments add weight to Better Than Ezra's earnest rock, and help make Before the Robots one of the group's sturdiest, most satisfying albums.

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Macy Gray - On How Life Is (1999) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B

Label Number: EK 69490

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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1999 Epic Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Macy Gray is such an assured, original vocalist that it's hard to believe On How Life Is is her debut album. She recalls a number of other vocalists, particularly jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, but she is unquestionably from the post-hip-hop generation, which is evident not just from the sound of the record, but the style of her songwriting, which is adventurous and unpredictable. Thankfully, she's worked with a producer (Andrew Slater, who pulled a similar trick with Fiona Apple's debut, Tidal) that lets her run wild and helps her find sounds that match her ideas. That's not to say that On How Life Is is a perfect album -- at times, Gray attempts more than she can achieve -- but it's always captivating, even during its stumbles. And when it works, it soars higher than most contemporary R&B.

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Macy Gray - The Trouble With Being Myself (2003) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B

Label Number: 510810 2

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☠: Selected by Lass

© 2003 Epic Records
AllMusic Review by John Bush
From her debut, Macy Gray has been too eccentric to qualify as a straight pop singer, but far too inconsistent to be truly called a great artist -- except, of course, when considering her glorious whiskey-soaked voice. Her third album, The Trouble With Being Myself, is more of the same, a set of sub-standard songs with drowsy chord progressions, humdrum lyrics, and loose-limbed but musically comatose backing from her studio group (heavy on the Hammond organ). Gray still wields her hoarse yet tuneful voice like a genius, hitting every note she wants despite the cracks and never letting it sound overly contrived. Unfortunately, she also continues to be the victim of chart-focused, overly market-tested arrangements that never break out of the mold of soulful, organic R&B and pop. The single "When I See You" is pleasant but clearly a song that required no heavy lifting, and the most intriguing setup on the record -- "It Ain't the Money" featuring Pharoahe Monch and Beck -- is surprisingly desultory as well. (Monch's raps are uncharacteristically awkward, and Beck clumsily plays a stoner Timbaland with his background vocals.) After the unrepentant ego on display with her second album, The Id, the title here (as well as the cover shot, of Gray crouching in the corner of an abandoned house with a mistrustful look on her face) apparently speaks to the fact that Gray's been persecuted for being "different." But the commercial and critical indifference that greeted The Id wasn't due to a lack of acceptance, but to a set of songs that was utterly average. That same lack of distinction plagues The Trouble With Being Myself. Blessed with a voice that immediately announces itself, Gray still hasn't found a musical personality to complement it.

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Faith No More - Introduce Yourself (1987)

Country: U.S.A
Genre: Experimental Rock, Funk Rock

Label Number: 9 25559-2

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© 1987 Slash Records
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
On Faith No More's major-label debut, Introduce Yourself, the band that fans grew to know and love much later in its career finally rears its ugly head (much more so than on their 1985 independent release We Care a Lot). All the ingredients are there, but like its predecessor there's one crucial item missing, super-vocalist Mike Patton. This would be original singer Chuck Mosley's last outing with the band, before he was ejected due to erratic and unpredictable behavior. Still, the album is consistent and interesting, with Mosley's out-of-tune vocals being an acquired taste to most. "The Crab Song" is one of their most underrated tracks, which packs quite a wallop when guitarist Jim Martin's heavily saturated guitar kicks in. The title track is an enjoyable and brief rant, and the loopy bass and irresistible melodicism of "Anne's Song" should have been a hit. There's also a slightly updated version of "We Care a Lot" included, and the resulting video gave the band their first taste of MTV success (but nothing compared to what they'd experience with their heavily rotated breakthrough "Epic"). A step in the right direction toward the deliciously twisted sound they'd achieve on later releases.

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Marilyn Manson - Born Villain (2012)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Industrial Rock

Label Number: COOKCD554

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© 2012 Cooking Vinyl/HELL, ETC.
AllMusic Review by Fred Thomas
With their eighth studio album, Born Villain, Marilyn Manson return from the depths of their mid-2000s limbo with almost an hour of the type of evil industrial and glam-infused metal they made their name on in their earliest days. While the band's blazingly controversial public profile died down tremendously since their late-'90s heyday, legions of devoted fans followed them through the next decade's bevy of changes. The departure of founding member Twiggy Ramirez coincided with a few of the band's weakest albums, and even his return to the fold on 2009's The High End of Low couldn't redeem a substandard record from what seemed like a flailing band past its prime. Born Villain sheds some of the more introspective leanings of prior offerings and accentuates all the throbbing rhythms, metallic guitars, and bilious disgust that defined the band's best work. Lead single "No Reflection" screams "comeback," with Manson channeling a Sisters of Mercy vocal over the sinister pulse of the verses before huge choruses explode in darkly catchy bursts. "Children of Cain" draws again on the later-period Bowie influence that defined much of the band's glammy Mechanical Animals album, and an unlisted cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" turns the FM staple into a gruesomely churning romp. Moments like these are the aural equivalent of a knowing smirk from the band, acknowledging that even the princes of darkness might have a lighter side. "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" finds the band working in a curiously grunge-tinged mode, with sludgy riffs meeting huge distortedly melodic choruses that would fit in nicely with Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden. All of these songs find Manson himself in typically depraved form, with lyrical content as sexually, morally, and socially devious as it's been since 2000's devilish Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). "Pistol Whipped" tells a tale in great detail of a sadomasochistic relationship and song titles like "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" speak for themselves. Even while Born Villain is a return to form for the band, the album becomes tedious at right about the halfway mark. The songs are overly long and all rely on similar dynamics to propel their crunchy angst. Though sounding inspired and sonically rejuvenated in its best moments, as the album wears on one gets the sense of a band trying a little too hard to revisit its former glory. Without remaking "The Beautiful People," there's still a feeling that they're reaching to remember how to make a Marilyn Manson record and put the purgatory of their past few efforts behind them. All told, Born Villain is as valiant and exciting an effort as the group has come up with in years. While not reaching the dizzying heights of Marilyn Manson's early material, it suggests a band getting its legs back after a long period out to sea, and could lead the way to even brighter future wickedness.

tags: marilyn manson, born villain, 2012, flac,

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Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor (2015)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Industrial Rock

Label Number: LVR-36380-02

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© 2015 Loma Vista
AllMusic Review by Fred Thomas
In 2012, icons of evil Marilyn Manson issued their eighth album, Born Villain, a surprisingly strong record that redeemed some of the weaker work that they'd been churning out since they reached their zenith of popularity and artistry in the late '90s. The album got closer to the intensity and showmanship of their most over the top days without simply sounding like a band trying to relive faded glories. With follow-up The Pale Emperor, Manson and his band continue to ride that comeback hot streak, this time working in a decidedly more blues-influenced vein, combining a trademark penchant for lyrical darkness with the most unholy type of biker rock for ten songs that swagger and simmer in unexpected ways. The album kicks off with "Killing Strangers," a slow-burning trudge of stomping percussion and sleazy guitar licks, coming off like a far more sedated if somewhat grizzled counterpart to the band's 1996 hit "The Beautiful People." There's still some of the industrial metal backbone that the band developed throughout its career, but even heavier rockers like "Deep Six" and "Warship My Wreck" roll around in dusty tumbleweeds of blues licks, intense percussion, and depraved synthesizers. Many songs for the album were captured in a single take, giving even more cinematic blues ramblers like "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" and "Cupid Carries a Gun" a heightened sense of abandon and danger. Production is loose and humid throughout, and above all Manson and company sound like they're stepping away completely from the caricature of themselves that started looming on the band's weakest mid-2000s material. Taking their sound in a new, unforeseen bluesy direction accomplishes the near impossible by making Marilyn Manson sound even more sinister than before

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Marilyn Manson - Heaven Upside Down (2017)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Industrial Rock

Label Number: LVR00229

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© 2017 Loma Vista
AllMusic Review by Neil Z. Yeung
After a late-career rejuvenation with 2015's The Pale Emperor, Marilyn Manson extended his creative hot streak with musical partner Tyler Bates on the band's tenth offering, Heaven Upside Down. Originally saddled with the punny title Say10, the album bares sharper teeth and bloodier knuckles than its predecessor, combining Pale Emperor's bluesy, vampire-roadhouse sleaze with the jagged industrial edges that first propelled Manson to notoriety in the '90s. Cocaine and heartbreak continue to fuel the reclusive ghoul, recalling the best of 2007's forlorn Eat Me, Drink Me, a record that gave listeners the first peek at Manson the man. That change in the perception of the artist -- who went from America's Most Wanted to a fallible Hollywood Hills fixture in just a decade -- is part of what makes these late-era efforts so accessible and enjoyable. He can still menace and push the boundaries of taste, but with so many real-world monsters to worry about, Manson's brand of offensive troublemaking and reckless hedonism remains unique and oddly comforting. The album kicks off with the hulking "Revelation #12" -- stabbing like "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" twisted through Portrait's organ grinder -- which forces listeners to choose a side at the end of the world. The explosive "We Know Where You Fucking Live" is the most overtly political statement on an album that could have actually benefited from more of the firebrand's outspoken wit, but it pulverizes nonetheless. The pulsing "Kill4Me" flaunts its Bowie flair, while "Say10" takes its time with destruction, a slow burner that builds to a crushing chorus that would have fit perfectly on Holy Wood. Album centerpiece "Saturnalia" is an eight-minute epic that rides an elastic bass throb -- courtesy of patient and forgiving sidekick Twiggy Ramirez -- through a swamp of Manson-isms like "just smile like a rifle" and the appropriate-in-1999 warning of "I was invited to eat the young." "Je$u$ Cri$i$" continues to ride Twiggy's bass groove as Manson fully embraces his persona with the tasteless but catchy "I write songs to fight and to fuck to/If you wanna fight, then I'll fight you/If you wanna fuck, I will fuck you." The album closes on a trio of introspection, the spiritual siblings to peak-era favorite "Coma White." Of these, "Blood Honey" is a grand moment that finds Manson taking a vulnerable look at his life, lamenting "I'm not being mean, I'm just being me," offering an intense peek at his emotional turmoil and damaging addictions. "Heaven Upside Down" is the de facto close to the album, with "Threats of Romance" the so-called final credits music where Manson reveals "I like you damaged/But I need something left...for me to wreck." For all his pain and suffering, he needs it to feel real in the end. Heaven Upside Down is Manson at his most human. If Pale Emperor was a welcome return to form that signaled a new day for the band, its successor is just as satisfying, if not better.

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Children of Bodom - Something Wild (1997)

*U.S. first pressing. Contains 8 tracks total.

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: nb 27361 63082
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© 1997-1998 Nuclear Blast Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Anderson
Children of Bodom came out of the heavy metal starting blocks in fine form. The group's debut, Something Wild, attracted much attention, as many listeners and critics marveled at the bandmembers' technical abilities, while others described Children of Bodom's music as fluffy and trite. Ultimately, the Finnish group's success within the commercially limited confines of progressive black metal quelled many naysayers, but not before the band received a few harsh reviews. With the huge amount of metal being released in Europe and America -- and practically no radio outlets -- good critical response was essential for late-'90s artists like Children of Bodom. And although some weren't impressed by the shifting arrangements and sparse keyboards of Something Wild, others refused to deny the musical accomplishment of the debut. Later studio efforts benefited from superior production, but Something Wild contains plenty of essential material and performances. Jaska Raatikainen's drumming propels much of the album, especially during the strong middle section of "Red Light in My Eyes, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" and "Lake Bodom." One negative factor is the short playing time of Something Wild. At around 32 minutes, this record (and all of the group's studio efforts) plays more like an EP than a full-length. But considering the lack of filler material, Something Wild still contains more than its share of impressive metal.

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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder (1999)

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: 273616387-2
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© 1999 Spinefarm Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Anderson

Hatebreeder, the second release from Finland's Children of Bodom, is a louder, faster, and positively heavier release than the group's debut. Under normal circumstances, this type of evolution is a guaranteed upgrade for a metal band, but not all of Hatebreeder's elements are improvements on the blueprint established during Something Wild. Most noticeably, Alexi Laiho's black metal scream is more menacing and consistent, but this is a disputed topic among Scandinavian metal enthusiasts. Many listeners enjoy the music, but could do without the bloodcurdling vocal excess, while others consider it a critical element of any real metal statement. The value of so much throat splitting is subjective, but Laiho's refinement of the approach isn't. Along with the shouting, the entire sound of Hatebreeder is improved. The guitars and keyboards are massive and more frantic, and Jaska Raatikainen's drums are unreal. In the history of metal, it is difficult to recall many displays of pure speed that top Children of Bodom. The rest of the band definitely keeps up with Raatikainen's machine-gun delivery. Guitarists Laiho and Alexander Kuoppala also deserve credit for the thick-sounding rhythms and quick lead playing. As long as these activities aren't technically enhanced, the band deserves credit for the physical accomplishment.

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Children of Bodom - Follow The Reaper (2000)

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: SPI99CD
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© 2000 Spinefarm Release
AllMusic Review by Brian O'Neill
Black metal with the happiest keyboards the genre has ever seen, yet still uncompromisingly brutal. "Children of Decadence" could be Emerson, Lake & Palmer, for the love of Beelzebub; such is the level of complexity and prominence of synthesizers. The frightening Finnish fivesome does a nice job of mixing up tempos on this, the band's third studio disc, and manages to keep up the intensity in spite of (or maybe because of) the aural auditory mood swings. You won't even recognize the bonus track cover "Hellion," and it doesn't even matter.

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Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll (2003) ☠

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: 0668772 SPI 165 CD
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☠: Selected by Buccaneer

© 2003 Century Media
AllMusic Review by John Serba

Four albums in and still whacked on speed, Finnish five-piece Children of Bodom continue with its highly entertaining, giddy, pogo-stick metal on Hate Crew Deathroll. Attitude-wise, CoB has become the Manowar of melodic death metal, willfully leaping off the cliff of over-the-top metaldom (not unlike Swedish supergroup Witchery) -- which is refreshing, considering the poker-faced seriousness of most acts in the genre, and here, main Bodom-ite Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho keeps his tongue firmly in cheek while tearing through squirrelly cuts such as "Triple Corpse Hammerblow" and "Lil' Bloodred Ridin' Hood." Like its predecessor, Follow the Reaper, Hate Crew finds Laiho firing off frantic speed metal riffs and technical, shred-heavy solos alongside humorously irritating prog/horror movie keyboards; this time, however, he has tightened up the arrangements (most songs clock in under four minutes) and significantly improved the enunciation of his vocal screech, making for a lean, mean, and infectious listen. The album races to the finish of its 36-minute running time, only slowing down for deathly ballad "Angels Don't Kill" and highlight "Sixpounder," which trades busy fretwork for hackle-raising mid-tempo riff chuggery and a monstrous, sweeping, anthemic chorus. Adding to the album's effectiveness is its crisp, crystal-clear, sharp, and mechanical production (Megadeth's stellar Countdown to Extinction is a reference point), which perfectly suits CoB's slice'n'dice songwriting ethic. Hate Crew Deathroll is easily the band's most accomplished, well-rounded, and enjoyable album, thanks to Laiho's playful, frisky approach to metal's clichés; placing Children of Bodom next to comparable European metal acts gives the overtly serious sensibilities of the genre a well-deserved deflating.

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Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet? (2005)

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: SPI 230 CD 986970-7
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© 2005 Spinefarm Records
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato

With the presence of brutal riffs and keyboards, Finland's Children of Bodom sounds at times like Fear Factory fronted by a hardcore screamer, especially on their 2005 release, Are You Dead Yet? The group's fifth studio album (which was co-produced by Children of Bodom and Mikko Karmila, the chap who produced their previous outing, 2003's Hate Crew Deathroll) shows the quintet plowing full steam ahead, as the venom continues to bubble to the surface throughout. But the group also has an unmistakable prog metal edge to boot, as the tricky interplay between guitarist Alexi Wildchild Laiho (who also doubles as vocalist) and keyboardist Janne Warmen on "Punch Me I Bleed" certainly brings to mind Dream Theater. And since it's nearly impossible to hear any new European metal band from the mid-'90s onward and not hear an unmistakable Iron Maiden influence, the guitar work between Laiho and Roope Latvala in "Bastards of Bodom" certainly brings to mind Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Although they may often be lumped in with the majority of other European "extreme metal" bands, there is definitely a progressive air that surrounds Children of Bodom.

tags: children of bodom, are you dead yet, 2005, flac,

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Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk (2008)

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: FONTINT310
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© 2008 Fontana
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
Boy, whoever thought that technical metal was dead as a doornail during the mid- to late '90s has been proven dead wrong. Just a few years after this aforementioned era of "metal no man's land," technical metal has spread like a virus, via bands that share both an appreciation of the extreme aggression of Slayer and the technical proficiency of Iron Maiden. A fitting example of both of these metallic styles colliding as one is Finland's Children of Bodom, and especially their 2008 offering, Blooddrunk. All the ingredients from past Bodom releases are present once more -- Goth keyboards, guitar acrobatics, and vocals that sound straight out of the torture chamber. These lads sure can play their instruments, as evidenced by such intense metal blasts as the title track, "Smile Pretty for the Devil," and "Tie My Rope." But one thing that differentiates Children of Bodom from the host of other similarly styled bands is that they know the importance of succinct songwriting -- only one track here stretches past the five-minute mark. As a result, Blooddrunk showcases one of the few modern-day metal bands that manage to balance straight-to-the-point songwriting with their collective instrumental prowess.

tags: children of bodom, blooddrunk, blood drunk, 2008, flac,

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Children of Bodom - Relentless Reckless Forever (2011)

Country: Finland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Label Number: SPI386CD 2760462
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© 2011 Spinefarm Records
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
Ask heavy metal detractors what rubs them the wrong way the most about the genre, and one possible reason could be that, more often than not, metallists take themselves way too seriously. But that can't be said about Children of Bodom, who have showed their lighter side when it comes to their knack for selecting cover tunes over the years (Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers, etc.). And on their 2011 release, Relentless, Reckless Forever, those who purchase the digital version will be "treated" to a reading of Eddie Murphy's '80s cheese classic "Party All the Time." Elsewhere throughout Relentless, Reckless Forever, you'll endure a blitzkrieg of vicious yet tricky guitar riffs and solos, while "singer" Alexi Laiho knows only two ways to deliver a vocal line -- growl and/or shout. But it's not all pedal to the metal from beginning to end, at least from a musical standpoint -- for every ferocious rocker (the album-opening "Not My Funeral") there is a breather ("Roundtrip to Hell and Back"). And there are tunes that lie somewhere between these two aforementioned approaches, most obviously being the album's leadoff single/video, "Was It Worth It?" And as evidenced by the album's title track, the band has a slight goth edge to its attack, thanks to the keyboard work of Janne Wirman. As with many modern-day metallists, these Finnish lads come up with some rather fitting song titles for the accompanying musical ferocity -- "Shovel Knockout" being the best of the bunch. Front to back, Relentless, Reckless Forever is probably the most consistent Children of Bodom release yet.

tags: children of bodom, relentless reckless forever, 2011, flac,

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