Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (2005)

While the first two Gojira records created buzz, it was not until the third record "From Mars To Sirius" in which the band hit their stride and became real famous within the metal community, taking their craft to a whole new planetary level. It is with this album where Gojira finds that perfect balance of groove, atmosphere, and brutality, fusing together to make a true juggernaut of metal music. Let us do like Pinocchio and get inside the whale to find out what makes this album the pinnacle of Gojira.

So this is a concept record, depicting a race who tries to resurrect a dead ocean planet so it can be habitable again. This obviously has a lot of connections to what we are doing to our world today, an environmental message of what our future might be like if we do not change our way of living. It is kind of a tough subject, because while it is important, it is really easy to be too on the nose, being obnoxiously preachy about it. Fortunately, the French group does weave in their message really neatly into their story, while still being crystal clear over what they are trying to tell us.

To go together with this environmental theme, Gojira serves us with their patented style of complex progressive death metal, but this time it acts like an onion, where you find layer after layer after layer of awesome music. Every instrument helps in the building process of each song, adding some incredible depth that we did not hear in the first two record. It also helps that the production is the best one yet, highlighting each member just as much as they need to really make each track stand out. It is true, clean music poetry.

The biggest improvement from the last record is that "From Mars To Sirius" is just so god damn diverse in its delivery, not only nailing those dark, ultra heavy moments, but also manages to shine in the more ethereal moments like in "Where Dragons Dwell", "Unicorn", and "Flying Whales". It is still the heavier moments that do steal the show. "Backbone" crushes your eardrums before the following track "From The Sky" does a blood chilling scream of the title. Then we have the appropriately named "The Heaviest Matter of The Universe" that technically might not be the heaviest track of the record, but everything here comes together so insanely good that it leaves the heaviest impact on you. Let us also not forget the closer "Global Warming", where Christian Andreu and Joe Duplantier flex all of their finger muscles with this technical guitar lick that is played through most of the songs, which is just under 8 minutes long. Closes off the record in a horrific, yet cool, way.

Really, there is very little to complain about here. Some moments might be dragging on a little too much, and the 1+ hour run time is a bit on the long side, but there is no question that "From Mars To Sirius" is still a masterful record of progressive excellence, taking the listener through a journey of a life time. Gojira finally find their winning formula that they still use to this day. Yes, this album is amazing, and it does not even matter if it does sound like Korn at times even (looking at you "World To Come").

Songs worthy of recognition: From The Sky, Ocean Planet, The Heaviest Mater of The Universe, Flying Whales

Rating: 9/10 Backbones

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Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy (2005)

Going through this discography so far, it is fair to say that Helloween is more than just what the "Keeper..." series has eluded to. The band has created a lot of great music over the years, which has certainly helped them stay relevant during the course, but it is those two legendary albums that fans keeps coming back to, that completely over shadows every other achievement the band has done, which is a crying shame. So from that perspective, it is easy to see why the band took another shot at the series, to see if they could strike lightning in a bottle again with an expansive concept set in this world they have created themselves, to see if they could add anything to its legacy. Gotta admire the confidence of the guys, because it is basically a suicide mission from the start.

The first question that comes up is how you can recreate a legendary (or in this case, two) album with a completely different line-up. The answer, you can't. Let us be clear here, "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" certainly has moments that is reminiscent of its predecessors where the band is soaring on those eagle wings again, but as a whole it has more in common with more recent efforts like "The Dark Ride" and "Rabbit Don't Come Easy", having a heavier and darker edge to the music. It is a nice blend of styles, and it is necessary since it is hard to recreate that classic sound. For instance, Andi Deris cannot carry those high soaring vocal parts as Michael Kiske can, thereby the music does not get as much of an impact, making some of the more nostalgic bits in here not as good.

Then it is fair to wonder how many asked for a continuation of this series, 17 years after the last album. Well, whether the fans wanted it or not, they got a mouthful to say the least, 1 hour and 17 minutes of music split into two discs to be exact. It is an incredibly meaty record that takes its time to get through, and it shows. Out of the 13 songs in here, I would say that there are about 5 fillers in here, and each of the opening tracks are over 10 minutes long (which is the opposite tactic from the first two albums that both ended with a 10+ minute song). This is definitely way too excessive, and also an obvious sign that the band was feeling themselves, going for broke as much as they could.

Despite their length though, both of the mastodons "The King For A 1000 Years" and "Occasion Avenue" are two fine highlights of this record, showing once again that the group are excellent at writing long tunes. "The King..." opens up nicely to tie together the past and present Helloween in a dark opener that sets the mood spot on. "Occasion Avenue" is more of the modern era though, having this apocalyptic choir that haunts the listener, bone heavy riffs to make a bigger impact, and a great, epic chorus to seal the deal. They say "Occasion Avenue" a couple times too many though, making sure that the listener does not forget what the song was called again.

As far as comparing the two discs, I would say the first disc is the better one, with a consistency that is impressive, from the nostalgic "The Invisible Man", the adrenaline fueled "Silent Rain", and the incredibly fun and catchy "Mrs. God". Only real downer on that disc is "Pleasure Drone", otherwise the first disc is a great album by itself. The second disc absolutely has its moments, like "Shade In The Shadow", "My Life For One More Day", and the previously mentioned "Occasion Avenue", but it is in here we find most of the boring fillers, which makes the entire endgame a much longer journey than it had to be. Songs like "Come Alive" and "Do You Know What You're Fighting For" should have been left out, because they do not add anything besides some story context.

It ultimately stands clear though that "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" might not reach the same heights as its older brothers, but then again, who the hell expected that? This is a record that is way too long for comfort, but there is still enough good quality in here to go around for everyone. With an eye looking in the past, and another looking towards the future, Helloween has created a record that fits the legacy of the band nicely, displaying some mighty fine songwriting from a group that is as confident as ever. Only time will tell if this is truly the last we will hear from the keeper and his seven keys, but I think I speak for most of us that we do not need another sequel, just let the legacy be.

Songs worthy of recognition: Shade In The Shadow, The Invisible Man, Mrs. God, Occasion Avenue

Rating: 7,5/10 Pleasure Drones

www.helloween.org/
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Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005)

In the Opeth discography, "Blackwater Park" is generally seen as the band's highlight, their grand masterpiece that they can never recreate, no matter how many times they try. Well, I am not one of those who think that, because to me, that effervescent masterpiece is "Ghost Reveries". The 2005 release has always had a special place in my metal heart, combining everything that makes Opeth so good into an atmospheric experience that few bands can match. When it comes to brilliant Opeth music, no other album can reach this level of quality.

It all starts with the opening track "Ghost of Perdition", probably my favourite Opeth song of all time, and I am not saying that only because it was extremely fun to play on Rock Band (that drum chart is simply marvelous). This 10 and a half minute track has an impeccable flow to it, sweeping through the heavy and the atmospheric, while also giving every instrument and band member enough room to shine, displaying every strength that this fantastic band possesses. And that ending, THAT ENDING, just damn.

So obviously, the album goes downhill from there, but not as much as you would think. Sure, there is no song after that has the same, gut wrenching punch to it, but the rest of the tracks on "Ghost Reveries" helps a lot in establishing the spooky character of the record. The album was first meant to be a concept record about the occult and evil in general, but that idea was scrapped when Mikael wrote some songs that did not really fit in lyrically, but he simply could not leave out of the record. This album still have a lot of these dark themes in it that does make the album cohesive, they just do not have a red line that goes through them all.

The biggest strength of the album is without a doubt the smooth flow that courses through your ears with the easiest ease that has ever eased. While the length of the record might seem kind of daunting (1 hour and 6 minutes), it certainly does not feel like it is that long. It is very easy to just lose yourself into the record, drowning in its never ending ocean of sweeping melodies, mixed vocal work, and sudden hits of crushing riffs. You almost reach some sort of metal nirvana, just enjoying the hell out of every second that has been put into this disc.

Song wise, Opeth certainly has had a stronger line up, but because they all fit together so god damn well, it really does not matter all that much how they are individually. Of course we have the juggernaut "Ghost of Perdition" as the front runner, but a good second can be found in "The Grand Conjuration", a song that is just playing with you, throwing some odd, simplistic riffs here and there, mixing in some strange and evil whispers to make you uncomfortable, but interested. The other two giants of the record ("The Baying of The Hounds" and "Reverie/Harlequin Forest") are also really cool songs, really showing that Opeth has truly mastered the art of making 10+ minute songs close to perfection, and while those tracks that are under 10 minutes are not bad in any way shape or form, they do take more of a side role in the album, still contributing good things though.

Yep, there is no question here as far as I see it, "Ghost Reveries" is Opeth's magnum opus (magnum Opeth?), an album that just feels complete in every sense of the word, while actually not being it. Sure, it would have been fun if they would have fulfilled the concept, and the individual quality is not the best, but the complete picture of this album is simply awe inspiring. It is 1+ hour of Opeth candy that will leave your ears with new holes, but it is totally worth it. So while I do understand why most people see "Blackwater Park" as the best by the band, I say to them that they have not listened to "Ghost Reveries" enough, the true Opeth masterpiece.

Songs worthy of recognition: Ghost of Perdition, The Baying of The Hounds, Reverie/Harlequin Forest, The Grand Conjuration

Rating: 10/10 Hours of Wealth

www.opeth.com/
twitter.com/officialopeth

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Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution (2005)

After eleven turbulent years of just complete... weirdness, the fans of Judas Priest rejoiced over the news that Rob Halford had reunited with the band, a reunion that of course gave everyone the hope that "Painkiller" would finally get the worthy follow up that it never got. Just like I said in the last review of this discography, "Demolition", I feel bad for Tim Owens, who did his job well, and left the band as the guy that fans will remember as "the bad knock off of the Metal God", but this does not mean that I was not ecstatic of this reunion, because I was. The "Painkiller" line-up once again together to kick some metal butt.

Showing that they were back and meaning business, the band opens up with "Judas Rising", and what an opening it is! This epic 4 minute track not only screams Judas Priest, but also brings all the fans to the yard. It is grand, heavy, and just pure awesomeness. If there were any doubt if the band was done or not, those doubts were literally blown away from the face of the Earth with this song.

The good form continues with "Deal With The Devil", a classic Priest song that has speed, a catchy chorus, and killer guitar work. It also tells the story of how the band came to be, and it also references several songs from the band's career, like "Blood Red Skies" from "Ram It Down", Beyond The Realms of Death" from "Stained Class", and "Take On The World" from "Killing Machine". This is sort of a recurring theme on "Angel of Retribution", where several other songs on this record mentions previous Priest material, which of course makes the nostalgic part of my soul very pleased.

While the album features more great tunes, like the touching ballad "Angel", the epic "Hellrider", and the demonic "Demonizer", it does steer off in other tracks that just seems odd. "Worth Fighting For" feels more like something Queensrÿche would come up with, "Eulogy" is a weird change of pace that makes it feel like filler material, and while "Revolution" has some cool guitar work in it, it just ultimately feels like some heavy knock off of the Jane's Addiction song "Mountain Song", in other words, hardly a revolution.

But the song that bugs me the most is the ender of the album, entitled "Lochness", and yes, it is a song about the legendary Scottish sea creature with the same name. So what is it that makes me hate this song? First off, the length. Judas Priest is most certainly not known for long songs, so when I saw that this song was 13 and a half minutes, my jaw dropped. Next up, the lyrics, which is not the worst I have ever heard, but it just feels so weird. Then we have the fact that the band tries to make this song as epic as possible, and they do a good job, but the song is so slow that I almost fall asleep, and again, it holds this slow tempo for the entire 13 and a half minutes, which makes this the slowest and most useless ending of a Judas Priest album ever. In theory, this song is a cool idea, but instead, it became a long and exhausting endurance test, that unfortunately was a sneak peak of what would come in the future.

While "Angel of Retribution" might not be a true comeback record, it was a return to form for a band that had been lost for over a decade. I do not know if it was the presence of The Metal God that got the band back to its glory days, but Rob certainly helped out a lot on making this record as good as possible. It has a heavy attitude that is impressive and even if the song material is sort of uneven, it is most certainly diverse, showing off every tool that the band possesses. Judas is indeed rising.

Songs worthy of recognition: Judas Rising, Deal With The Devil, Angel, Hellrider

Rating: 8/10 Demonizers

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twitter.com/judaspriest

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Strapping Young Lad - Alien (2005)

When I saw that the fourth album by Strapping Young Lad was entitled "Alien", I hoped for music that was out of this world (or at least that it would have more personality than its self-titled predecessor), especially after the amount of pain I had to suffer for listening at "Devlab". But I already knew what this album was going to present before me, a heavy death/thrash/industrial assault that would blow my brain out.

And not surprisingly, "Alien" delivered just what I was expecting. It delivered typical Strapping Young Lad metal that had enough power to run over me with a steamroller. You would think that the pure energy in the song (with the fitting name) "Shitstorm" would be enough to power up the album, but the band did not think so. Instead, they packed almost every song in this album with a lot of determination, hard hitting force, and, of course, comedy. There is so much of it that there is plenty to spare for the next album.

And the chaos continues in several other tracks, like "Skeksis", "We Ride" and "Possessions". Actually, the only song on the album that seem to have a stable and clear musical structure is "Love?". With an infectious riff, a epic chorus and surprisingly interesting lyrics, "Love?" impresses me a lot. It is the most well controlled song in this album that is filled with chaotic craziness. A clear leader that will lead its equals towards victory.

But then came the shocker at the end of the album. The band ended "Alien" with three calm songs. Okay, I know that "Zen" and "Thalamus" are not technically calm, but compared to some of the other songs in "Alien", they sound like something out of a Lionel Richie album. But the third song, "Two Weeks", is a slower song that probably would have been more fitting in one of Devin's solo projects, but I will allow it this time since it give "Alien" some much needed variation. Besides, it is a nice song that is easily likable, and I guess that even the biggest of Strapping Young Lad fans needs a break from the angry assaults sometimes.

I have heard that "Alien" is considered as a very different Strapping Young Lad album, but I do not see much difference between this record and any other SYL album. It has all the elements that defines SYL, and together with some important variation, I would consider this to be one of the better albums by the band. But even if "Two Weeks" is a good song, I would like Devin to keep these kinds of songs in his solo project and not in SYL. That is the only baggage that this album is carrying with.

Songs worthy of recognition: Love?, Shitstorm, We Ride

Rating: 8,5/10 Possessions

Dream Theater - Octavarium (2005)

Man, Dream Theater did really take the album order  seriously into their last albums. Their sixth album was "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" (contained six songs and has six in the title) and "Train of Thought" was the seventh album (seven tracks). That leads us to "Octavarium", Dream Theaters eigth album. And were do we find the number eigth on this album? Well, were should I start? The number of tracks is eight, octa means eight, there are a total of eight marbles on the albums front and back side and more connections to the number eigth is shown in most of the songs (do not worry, I will tell when we come to the songs I am speaking of). One thing that separates "Octavarium" from its two predecessors is that the band now tried to make "a classic Dream Theater" record. So gone is the heaviness from "Train of Thought" and the complexity from "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence". It would be an album that would remind us of their earlier years.

"The Root of All Evil" kicks off this album and you can instantly hear that classic Dream Theater sound. It is melodic and well composed but it also contain a dark vein in both the music and lyrics that is really interesting to follow. A good way to start of a new album. Next song is "The Answer Lies Within", a ballad that is not innovative nor impressive. The lyrics are good but it only takes you so far. The only interesting with this song is the bell at the beginning that tolls eight times. Luckily my interest is regained on "These Walls", the highlight of "Octavarium" It is an epic song that is glistening with its musicality and delicate fragility. It may not be the hardest the band has ever put out on the market but it is one of their more thought-out tracks. Then we also have "I Walk Beside You", or what I would like to call, "Dream Theater's attempt to copy U2, Coldplay or similar band". Not a bad try but it just feels wierd. Way too commercial for my tasting.

Out of all the tracks on "Octavarium" there is only one song that I knew from first to last beat and that was "Panic Attack", and that is only because it is on Rock Band 2 (a great game for gaming and rock geeks). It is  technically a great song and I like the scary mood that the band is setting up but easily the best part is the instrumental part were every band member (except James LaBrie) + instruments get a chance to go close to ape shit. One of the best instrumental parts of the bands entire career. Still wished though that the keyboard would have gotten a little more room on that part or at the ending where the band is repeating the same final note a total of eight times at the end. After that horror show we are led into "Never Enough", a song I have split opinions on. I like the chorus, the build up á la Muse and LaBrie's vocal work but the overall performance feel a little sloppy, like the band is saving up for the big finale.

So far has "Octavarium" been free from mastodon songs but then, with out a mastodon there would simply not be a true Dream Theater album. That thirst is put out on the last two tracks "Sacrificed Sons" (clocked at 10:44) and the title track (clocked at a whooping 23:59). Both are definitely listenable but not something you would press replay for over and over again. They both have a really slow start before shifting to about third gear and starting what Dream Theater is best at. Progressive and technical music with a clear idea all the way through. Not the best songs in this league but certainly not the worst either.

A lot of eight's on this release so it would be fitting if I put an eight as rating right? Sadly, "Octavarium" does not deserve that high of a rating. It is a good album, no doubt about that, but I feel that the distance between top and bottom is way to big for a band like Dream Theater. And even though the lyrics are great I find the concept on this album highly confusing and hazy. None the less this is a album that could have gotten some extra improvements but it is still a good and listenable album. It is just not an album that stands out in the bands catalogue.

Songs worthy of recognition: These Walls, Panic Attack, The Root of All Evil

Rating: 7/10 Sacrificed Sons

dreamtheater.net/
twitter.com/dreamtheaternet

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