Metal
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the metal music genre. Combine with other tags for subgenres, e.g. “alternative+metal,” “funk+metal,” “industrial+metal.”
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Killing Joke – “Democracy”
‘Democracy’ isn’t as good as the two Killing Joke albums it’s between. However, it’s high-quality and consistent enough to be worthwhile. (read more)
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Katatonia – “Discouraged Ones” (1998)
Katatonia are a band often accused of “selling out,” which is kind of unfair when you consider the band’s departure from their first two death metal albums was because vocalist Jonas Renske lost his ability to growl due to vocal strain. Katatonia had no choice but to change their style, showing once again that “selling… (read more)
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Katatonia – “Tonight’s Decision” (1999)
I wrote for my Discouraged Ones review that it was my favorite Katatonia album, so I can’t help but be let down by a weaker offering when I wanted more of that same short-lived heavy gothic style. All Katatonia albums have some goth influence, but it’s felt the strongest on Tonight’s Decision and Discouraged Ones. Jonas Renske… (read more)
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The Angelic Process – “…And Your Blood Is Full of Honey”
AlbumThe Angelic Process’s first album is a bit amateurish and sounds like a collection of demos of songs that were never fully realized. The oppressive sound is still there, more than a match for the extremely low fidelity recording job that came with the band being so underground and having to keep a tight budget.… (read more)
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Coroner – “Grin”
Coroner have no album as atmospheric and progressive as ‘Grin.’ However, it sounds somewhat like a transition to a masterpiece that was never made. (read more)
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Devin Townsend Project – “Epicloud” (2012)
Oh, boy. I have a new album to direct people to when showing them the worst the cliches of progressive metal. Epicloud features vocoder vocals, “epic” operatic backing vocals, constant switching between clean vocals and screams, loud as fuck, formulaic guitar playing pursuing volume and pleasant textures, occasional “soft” acoustic segments that are, for some… (read more)
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Baroness – “Red Album”
As the cover of Red Album suggests, Baroness are unusually elegant for a stoner metal band. The guitars often have a very clear sound to them. The riffs are catchy and powerful as they march and stomp along in unison. They don’t overdo it with the progressive elements and add just enough to make each… (read more)
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Neurosis – “Souls at Zero” (1992)
Souls at Zero is the album where Neurosis, a hardcore punk band on the fringes of post-hardcore, make a complete unexpected dive into the depths of sludge metal. While this is a true black and blue sludge metal album, vocalist Scott Kelly interestingly still sounds like a post-hardcore vocalist. It adds an extra layer of… (read more)
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Judas Priest – “Jugulator”
Sorry Judas Priest nerds, but as someone who is one and thinks Rob Halford is an incredibly gifted and versatile vocalist, Jugulator is a good album. It’s heavy as fuck and darker than anything the band has done until now. The riffs here pummel instead of tear, but they do a great job at it.… (read more)
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Deftones – “B-Sides & Rarities”
I actually quite like these covers, particularly “Wax and Wane,” “No Ordinary Love,” and “The Chauffeur.” Problem is, they are “only” covers… and I’m going to go out and a limb and assume this isn’t a complete B-sides collection because they never fucking are (see: my Music Pet Peeves list). Anyway, a bunch of great… (read more)