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September 2007 Best Heavy Metal CDs

After a mediocre August, September was one of the best months of 2007 for metal. There were some outstanding new releases, and after zero 4.5 out of 5 ratings in August, there were four in September. Here are my choices for the best metal CDs released in September, 2007.

1. Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant (Century Media)

Century Media RecordsChris Amott has now rejoined Arch Enemy, and they haven't missed a step. Their latest is Rise Of The Tyrant, a fierce yet extremely catchy dose of melodic death metal. The band brought back Fredrik Nordstrom, who produced their first several albums.
The songs on this album are really melodic, with great guitar work from Chris and Mike Amott. Their chemistry is evident, and even though the songs have great grooves and riffs, there is still plenty of heaviness and brutality. It's a dark and dynamic CD with plenty of diversity in both music and vocals. Angela Gossow gets better with each release, and her angry vocals are powerful and emotional.

2. Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon (SPV)

SPV RecordsClocking in at nearly 70 minutes, Framing Armageddon is an epic, both in length and musical vision. The songs are dense and complex, and unfold with greater clarity and detail with every listen. There's a diverse mix of upbeat power metal anthems, progressive mid-tempo songs and soaring ballads.
Jon Schaffer has pulled out all the stops in his songwriting. He's always been able to craft songs that are powerful, melodic and memorable, but has added in some other influences here. From middle eastern vibes to interludes to a strong musical and lyrical arc, this is a very compelling album. Owens is one of the best singers in the business, and this time around the vocals are right in his wheelhouse, and he knocks it out of the park.

3. High On Fire - Death Is This Communion (Relapse)

Nuclear Blast RecordsHigh On Fire has delivered another outstanding album. The songs are thundering sludge/stoner metal with thick riffs and slicing guitar solos. Everything is heavy, but they speed up the tempo on several tracks and really get the groove going. They also are able to ease up on the throttle and crank up the intensity with crushing doom metal.
Death Is The Communion also showcases Middle Eastern sounds on a couple of songs and you'll hear acoustic guitar along with the traditional downtuned electrics. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike is the star of the show with his excellent guitar work and raspy vocals, which have really improved over the course of High On Fire's career.

4. Amorphis - Silent Waters (Nuclear Blast)

Nuclear Blast RecordsJust a year after releasing Eclipse, their first album with new vocalist Tomi Joutsen, Amorphis returns with a new release.
The Finnish band seemed re-energized with Joutsen, and that energy continues with Silent Waters. The songwriting is even better on this album, combining the intensity of death metal, the complexity of progressive metal and the darkness of gothic metal. The songs are really catchy and memorable with great melodies and musicianship. It's also an album with a lot of variety. There are songs that are very mainstream and accessible, and others that are more extreme and intense.

5. Between The Buried And Me - Colors (Victory)

Victory RecordsColors is their fifth album, and the most diverse and mature of Between The Buried And Me's career. It is complex and textured with both bludgeoning metal and intricate, subdued soundscapes. Several songs are really long, clocking in at over 10 minutes. They insert a lot of progressive elements into the songs, along with jazzy, acoustic, psychedelic and mainstream rock that adds a lot of depth and variety.
Tommy Rogers turns in his finest performance to date. His harsh vocals lend a cutting edge to the music, and his melodic vocals are surprisingly good. He sings with a higher pitched laid back style reminiscent of '90s British alternative singers.[/img]

Best Metal From October's 2007

Nightwish - Dark Passion Play (Roadrunner)

On Dark Passion Play, all eyes (and ears) are on new vocalist Anette Olzon, and she comes through. She has a more traditional singing voice, not the operatic style of Turunen. She doesn't have as much power, but sings with more emotion and expression. Bassist Marco Hietala also supplies male vocals on a few songs and does a good job.
It opens with the 14 minute epic "The Poet And The Pendulum," which sets the stage. Nightwish's music is bombastic, symphonic and cinematic, with keyboards and strings creating a gothic atmosphere. There are crunchy guitars that add heavy riffs. Dark Passion Play, whether loud and epic, or subdued and acoustic, is always very melodic with memorable choruses and a lot of hooks.

Skeletonwitch - Beyond The Permafrost (Prosthetic)

Beyond The Permafrost is blackened thrash metal with influences of both Bay Area and European thrash along with a little New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. The songs are fast and streamlined with great guitar work from Nate Garnette and Scott Hedrick. They have an excellent groove, and the negru metal influence adds a dark and somewhat ominous vibe.
Chance Garnett is Skeletonwitch's vocalist, and he uses both a high pitched evil black metal rasp and a low pitched death metal growl. The songs, although aggressive and extreme, are also very catchy with some memorable melodies. Beyond The Permafrost is an impressive album that should appeal to old school thrash fans, modern thrash fans, black metal fans, and metal fans in general.

Helloween - Gambling With The Devil (SPV)

Helloween's latest is Gambling With The Devil, one of their strongest efforts in quite a while. It's straight ahead power metal, and a little heavier and streamlined than their past couple albums. The songs are extremely well-written and everything flows very well. The atmosphere is upbeat, and in addition to the excellent guitar work, the songs are really catchy and memorable.
Making the album even better is the performance of Andi Deris. These are his strongest vocals in quite a while. They have power, range, texture and emotion. Even after over twenty years and a dozen albums, Gambling With The Devil shows Helloween still has some gas left in the tank.

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Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A

Limbonic Art - Legacy Of Evil

(look them up on the forum!!!)

November 2007 Best Metal

1. Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works (Relapse)

Relapse RecordsWith a Dillinger Escape Plan CD, you expect technical and complex mathcore/grindcore, and Ire Works delivers. It's DEP's angriest album yet, and this is a group with a lot to be angry about. Health problems, drummer Chris Pennie quitting the band to join Coheed and Cambria (he was replaced by Gil Sharone from Stolen Babies) and other issues left the future of the band in doubt.
The brutality begins with the opening track "Fix Your Face," which features an appearance from the band's former vocalist Dimitri Minakakis. But Dillinger Escape Plan shows they are about a lot more than technicality and anger. Songs like "Black Bubblegum" are as mainstream as the band has ever done, with melodic vocals and a catchy, radio-friendly chorus.

2. Primordial - To The Nameless Dead (Metal Blade)

Metal Blade RecordsThe Irish band Primordial has been releasing quality albums for over a decade, and although they have drawn a lot of critical praise, are still flying under the radar. That may change with their latest CD.
To The Nameless Dead is an epic combination of Celtic, pagan, folk and black metal. Primordial takes the listener through valleys of sparse and majestic melodies, up the mountain with steady and powerful riffs, and down the other side with dark, puternice black metal. The songwriting is outstanding, with layers of thick guitars and subtle atmosphere that ties together the lightness of Celtic/folk metal with the majesty of pagan metal and the bleakness of black metal.

3. Sebastian Bach - Angel Down (Caroline)

Caroline RecordsAngel Down is Bach's first solo CD since 1999. Bach and his band toured with Guns 'N Roses last year, and got along extremely well with Axl Rose, who he had also toured with back in the day. Rose lends guest vocals to three tracks on the album.
The songs on Angel Down are really diverse. They range from old school power ballads to mainstream modern rock to more intense thrash-influenced metal. Bach's voice sounds as good as ever, and he can belt out the high notes, croon the ballads and use an edgier style on the aggressive songs. His band is excellent, especially the guitarists. It's also great to hear Axl Rose singing again, who seems to have a great time with Bach, especially on the Aerosmith cover "Back In The Saddle."

4. Severe Torture - Sworn Vengeance (Earache)

Earache RecordsSworn Vengeance is pounding, brutal and extreme, but also has a surprising amount of groove. Very catchy riffs are on display, along with some brief but impressive solos. Severe Torture also does a nice job varying the tempos, going from a moderate, groovy pace to breakneck, blast beat packed insanity.
The vocals are the usual low-pitched death metal growls, and there are guest appearances from Jason Netherton (Misery Index, ex-Dying Fetus) and Che Snelping (ex-Born From Pain) on the track "Buried Hatchet." The regular edition is 10 tracks, but the limited edition also includes a couple of cover songs: Cro-Mags "It's The Limit" and Entombed's "Eyemaster." Sworn Vengeance is a first-rate death metal album.

5. Sear Bliss - The Arcane Odyssey (Candlelight)

Candlelight RecordsSear Bliss has been around since 1993, and The Arcane Odyssey is their sixth studio album. The songs are negru metal with doom and death influences. Keyboards add a symphonic quality to the music, and the arrangements are complex and progressive. Add the brass on top of that and you have an album with a lot of depth and variety. Some songs are groovy with memorable riffs. Others are darker, dissonant and atmospheric.
The guitar work on the album is diverse. You'll hear everything from basic downtuned riffs to complex noodling to old school solos. There are acoustic guitars on the album as well. This is an excellent album, and for black metal fans who haven't yet discovered Sear Bliss, they are well worth seeking out.

From Chad Bowar
http://heavymetal.about.com