Disturbed - Evolution (2018)

So the new Disturbed album is called "Evolution", ehh? Hahahahahahahahhaahahahahhahaahahahaahhaahahahahaahahahahahaahahah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah hahahahahahahahahahaahahahaahahahahaahahahahaha... I think I am dying, hahahahahahahahaahahahaahahaha. Okay, that may have been a little mean, but you gotta be honest, Disturbed is one of the last bands that would evolve their music in any significant way, so that they release an album that is called "Evolution" is just silly. But wait, what is this? There is actually some differences in here from the average Disturbed album, like the fact that the always beloved The Guy is missing from the album cover for the first time since their second album "Believe". Maybe there is something to the title after all, or maybe it is just a mirage.

Well, not to spoil anything, but we got both a yes and a no to that. It still sounds like Disturbed with most of their classic tropes, and they are all early displayed as well in the two opening tracks "Are You Ready" and "No More". Both of them are groovy tracks in typical Disturbed fashion, containing some catchy rhythms, an edge that is not too edgy, and a David Draiman who makes his own special growls and sounds, this time without piercings. The band has made tracks that have some more punch to them, but "Are You Ready" and "No More" gives "Evolution" a positive, and familiar, opening that every fan should be pleased by.

After that opening duo, we get to hear what I think is the main reason to why this album is called "Evolution", an acoustic ballad. It does not surprise me one bit that Disturbed tries to make more calmer songs since they gained a bunch of new fans thanks to their decent, but highly overrated cover of Simon And Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence". As an attempt, "A Reason To Fight" is not that half bad, it has a good message, and as far as ballads go, it is not too annoying. A valid effort from a band that you would think would be unable to create such songs.

Here is the problem though, "A Reason To Fight" is one of four (!) acoustic songs in this 10 track album. This is utter madness, why in the hell would this band do this? Not that I doubt that the band cannot write ballads, but this is simple metal math good folks. One ballad is enough, two is pushing it, and four is just way too many for a simple minded metal head to handle. It is certainly good news for the newer fans, but it is a major disappointment for those who grew up with albums like "The Sickness", "Believe", and "Ten Thousand Fists", with few moments that takes you back to those times (one being a bonus track called "This Venom", why was this one left out of the main line-up?).

The ballads are one part, but the rest of the songs (outside the opening two) just seems to lack energy. It all feels a little too constricted in the song writing, displaying a band that maybe is aiming more for radio air time than showing originality. Everything in here definitely sounds like Disturbed, but with an added, weaker filter that is extremely far from the in your face attitude that we are used to see from this band. The ultimate price for this approach is an album that is incredibly boring to listen to. A sluggish record that is certainly different than its 6 brothers, and it is unfortunately not for the better. Disturbed may call this an evolution, but I call it a major regression

Songs worthy of recognition: No More, Are You Ready

Rating: 3/10 Saviours of Nothing

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Immortalized

Otep - Kult 45 (2018)

Otep Shamaya is one angry woman. A woman who will not be silenced, make her voice and opinion heard through her aggressive attitude, and now that 'murica has a ultra controversial business man in the White House, Otep has a ton of ammo at her disposal, ready to unleash unto the world. So let us see if Otep and her crew's 8th offering contains a bunch of sharp shooting missiles, or if it is just filled with a lot of blanks.

Sure enough, Otep comes out guns blazing in several songs on "Kult 45", blasting everyone who stands in her way. To no one's surprise, President Donald Trump and the rest of the United States government is in the line of fire most of the time, although Otep states that the raw and dirty lyrics are meant to empower the listener, to make themselves heard in the political climate. Well, it certainly work to some degree, but I bet you all that there are a ton of people that are gonna interpret these lyrics in a different way. Take "Shelter In Place" for example, where Otep is complaining about all these school shootings, asking the NRA how many kids they have killed today. The message is in theory good, but could have possibly delivered a little better (and it does not help that in the video she called the NRA a terrorist group, yikes).

Anyway, most of Otep's music is all about attitude, and we certainly got buckets full of those. Songs like "Molotov", "Undefeated", and "Cross Contamination" has Otep going at full force, rapping her way through the haters like a warm knife through butter. You can say what you want about her style of nu/alternative metal, but you have to admit that her confidence levels are high enough to carry even the more questionable parts of the record, like this one line in "Invisible People" that just makes me laugh every time (sorry, not sorry).

"I've got something to say, and it's gonna be savage/Fuck you in English, fuck you in Spanish" (followed by a bunch of fuck you's)

As always when it comes to Otep records, "Kult 45" is at its best when the messages are accompanied with a meaty and groovy riff. Guitarist Ari Mihapoulos can certainly deliver some great memorable riffs when he wants to, with some of the better ones are in the heavy and scary "Said The Snake", and also "To The Gallows". The instrumentation is otherwise an after thought in "Kult 45", which honestly does not surprise me, but I wished for some more meat to this bone. I do not care that they try to mimic Rage Against The Machine in "Wake Up", give me some inspiration. Well, maybe they do not get enough screen time, with half of the songs being under 3 minutes.

Amidst all this aggression we have some more laid back moments, with both "Undefeated" and "Boss" being more of a spoken word effort, with very little music and a lot of Otep rapping. Then at the end of the record we have a ballad. Yep, Otep made a ballad that is called "Be Brave", which feels so strange for several reasons. It does not really fit into the album, and to be quite frank, it does not match with Otep's personality as well. Then we have the fact that "Be Brave" sounds like something Evanescence would conceive during their hey days, so that is... certainly something. As said, it is strange to say the least.

One last thing I want to mention before I sum things up, a bonus track that certainly caught my attention. It is called "The Tribe Speaks", and it is not a song, it is a half an hour track with several of Otep's fans calling in, telling how much her music has meant to them and how much they love her. I am not sure why this track exist, probably to show how big Otep's "tribe" is and that it can be a force to be reckoned with, but it could also be seen as a ego boost for Otep, a reminder of what she has accomplished. One thing is for certain, Trump is not popular in the "Tribe", with most of these callers just saying "fuck Trump". My favourite has to be a guy who described Trump's administration with a flushing toilet, he got a chuckle out of me.

"Kult 45" is ultimately a very, VERY uneven record. It is like that one South Park episode when Cartman used a machine gun to hold off the Chinese mafia. Sure, he is dangerous as hell, but the bullets are flying everywhere, barely hitting anything. Otep has a ton of firepower at her disposal, but I do not feel like she had the means this time around to focus it all for it to be lethal, leading to an album that lacks a musical direction and some sure fire knock out punches. Her tribe will surely still stand by her since she is still speaking her mind and doing what she want to do, but for a more neutral listener, "Kult 45" is a more hard pill to swallow than some other album she has made.

Songs worthy of recognition: Said The Snake, Molotov, To The Gallows

Rating: 5/10 Shelters In Place

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Generation Doom

Machine Head - Catharsis (2018)

Apparently, the leader of Machine Head, Rob Flynn, told his fans countless times to lower their expectations when it comes to their 9th studio album "Catharsis", at least when it comes to the more thrash oriented bits of their sound. That was the first warning sign to what this album would be, and more of those signs were to come. Close to every song released prior to the album got fans wondering "What is this? Is this even Machine Head?", and the album art was not promising either. Now, the band has had a rough past when it comes to quality, but would they really dip after releasing a bunch of really good albums like "The Blackening", "Unto The Locust", and "Bloodstone & Diamonds"?

Yes, yes they would, and it is not like they took a step back, it seems like EVERYONE agrees on that they fell off a cliff. How is that, and why so? Well, let us start by looking at the biggest problem of "Catharsis", the length of the record. It contains 15 tracks all leading up to a run time of 74 minutes. Why is this album so long? It is not a concept record, this is certainly not a progressive metal album, and Machine Head has definitely not written 15 killer tracks. It overstays its welcome by a hell of a lot, making the torment unbearable.

Yes, I said torment, because "Catharsis" is incredibly hard to enjoy, and it is not only because of the run time. Flynn was not kidding with his warnings, the groovy thrash onslaught that Machine Head is known for in recent years is here, but it is literally buried by all this other shit. Close to every song in this record has some sort of golden nugget within them that is genuinely good or interesting, but they also have something annoying that overshadows the good, either a dumb clap intro, a lame chorus, or some shitty lyrics. This makes this whole experience incredibly frustrating, because the band cannot complete a single track.

Let me prove this by explaining two of my favourite tracks of this record. First we have "Volatile", the opening track. It is a fantastic track, it has power, drive, and it makes my head go banging all of its 4 and a half minutes. However, this is a Slipknot song, so it comes off a big old ripoff that I cannot convince myself that it is Machine Head I am listening to. Then we have "Kaleidoscope", that opens with the corniest intro ever, with clapping and Flynn shouting "Get your metal fingers in the air", face palming is imminent here. But if you can muster up the courage to get past it, you get rewarded with a pretty nice track actually, with some classic Machine Head groove tricks and a weird, but satisfying, chorus.

What just feels weird about the record is how outdated it sounds. I do not know if Mr. Flynn is going through some mid life crisis or something, but it seems like he is trying WAY too hard to connect with the younger listeners, with lyrics that are so blatantly silly and cliche that you cannot take it seriously for five cents. Even if most of the stories told here are about drugs, abuse, tragedy, and overall dark stuff, it is presented in such a dumb and obvious way, just take a step back man. And then there is the fact that they steal a lot of stuff from other bands, like Slipknot, Stone Sour, Mastodon, Opeth, Korn, and I think I even hear a little Weezer in "Bastards" as well. God, what a mess.

It certainly does not help either that Flynn himself is literally all over the place with his vocal performance. I have never seen him as one of the great ones, but I have always loved his vocals because they balance the line between clean and harsh so well. Not in this album though, he goes over the top way too often, sounding like some form of hormonal teenager sometimes. It is truly a shame, because the rest of the performances are of typical standard. The guitar play is great, the drums slams on, and the bass does its job too.

I really cannot believe how many missteps this album has, this is supposed to be a band that had found their niche and become a force to be reckoned with, delivering great record after great record. "Catharsis" simply does not make any sense at all, it is an overly long gumbo of outdated nu-metal shit, small nuggets of Machine Head brilliance, and themes that are so overly serious that they become overly goofy. This will most certainly be a big contender for "disappointment of the year", and even fans of the band should take precautionary actions before even attempting to listen to it. Your beard may smell of snatch Mr. Flynn, but your new album just flat out stinks.

Songs worthy of recognition: Volatile, Kaleidoscope, Behind A Mask

Rating: 2,5/10 Triple Beams

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Bloodstone & Diamonds

Prophets of Rage - S/T (2017)

To most metal heads, the 90's was a strange, and even awful era for the music. Bands that killed it in the 80's were either made obsolete or shifted to weird places that really did not do them anything good. On top of this, two genres were rising to stardom, grunge and nu-metal, two genres that are quite controversial still to this day for most lovers of metal. With that said though, there were still some great inventive metal coming out of this era, pushing the boundaries of our beloved music style. Now some of these 90's pioneers have gone together for sort of a mini comeback, taking bits and pieces from famous groups to make the ultimate early nu-metal super group.

Prophets of Rage is most certainly the 90's lover's wet dream, with members from Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Public Enemy, and even Cypress Hill. It is an interesting super group, mostly because the style is almost dead and gone, which ultimately leaves me with the question "why now?". It is not like the band has had nothing to do all of these years, but it still feels strange that they would be trying to get back that rap-metal groove that was so successful in the 90's.

Well, after some touring in 2016 and 2017, the band has now unleashed their self titled debut record, and yes, it sounds just as you would expect. We get tons of rapping from Chuck D and B-Real, some record scratches from DJ Lord and his turntables, lyrics about taking down the establishment and so. It is so 90's that the album should really come with some baggy pants and a cap that is put on backwards. It is almost like the guys have been frozen in time, and not been defrosted until now, and they still seem pretty pissed (which I should probably have guessed knowing the band name).

So you are obviously wondering, is this even considered metal? Well, the only thing that makes Prophets of Rage metal is in the instrumental section, where we have the former Rage Against The Machine buddies Tim Commerford on bass, Brad Wilk on drums, and Tom Morello on guitar. Just like the rest of the band, these guys does not really anything different from what we could expect from them. They do offer some of the more impressive parts of this record, especially Morello's signature playing style that is so recognizable, but as said, it is nothing that I did not expect.

This ultimately leaves us with the question if this music still have a place in 2017, and it sort of does. The themes of this record are social problems that we still have today, and it is always nice to see someone step up and bring it up to our attention. Musically however, it is kind of dated, not really holding up against the rest of the competition. Some enjoyment can be found when the band goes full Hulk mode in "Unfuck The World", and we get some nice epic moments in "Strength In Numbers", but most of "Prophets of Rage" is just aged noise that is trying to be bold and tough, without any rock solid ground to stand on. It is definitely safe to say that most of us would rather just put on an old RATM record instead of this.

Prophets of Rage does not really impress with their debut record, and the only group of people I can really recommend this record to is for those who wants to feel nostalgic over a decade that most of us do not want to remember. Not to say that this album is bad, it is just a very safe effort that does not have enough power to make an impact. Could be some neat background music when you play an old "Tony Hawk pro skater" game, but other than that, I do not see any real use for this record in this day and age. So in conclusion, it is a nostalgic trip to the past that just does not match what the guys did in their previous bands. At least the rage is still alive and well.

Songs worthy of recognition: Unfuck The World, Strength In Numbers, Who Owns Who

Rating: 6/10 Shots Fired

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Korn - The Serenity of Suffering (2016)

Ever since Brian "Head" Welch got back into nu-metal legends Korn, the band has been on a seemingly never ending path towards their glory days, regressing their music back to the 90's, while still holding a toe or two in the present. Their latest album, "The Paradigm Shift", was a cool little experience that dragged the band out of the mud, and into the shower. It certainly got my hopes up that the band would get into their second wind, releasing a bunch of great records.

The first signs definitely pointed towards the positive. When "The Serenity of Suffering" was announced, one could instantly recognize the nostalgia of the cover art, taking us back to the album "Issues", in which it borrows elements from. Like that was not enough, the first two tracks from the album, "Insane" and "Rotting In Vain", have tons of familiar Korn elements in them. We have to voodoo beat boxing, the crunchy and groovy riffs, and that mental feeling that the band nails so good when they are at their best. Both tracks are great, and opens up the album perfectly.

However, you could just as well just listen to those two tracks, because the rest of the album is more or less the same music being repeated over and over again. It is of high quality, but close to all songs have the same tone, sound, structure, and theme, so it is extremely easy to get lost, not knowing which song you are listening to. This makes "The Serenity of Suffering" a very dense album, one that feels much longer than its relatively short 40 minute play time. For a die hard Korn fan, that might actually be an advantage, but to me, it just feels like a chore.

There are though several small details that do make some songs more manageable, and more enjoyable. We got a small guest appearance from Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour) in "A Different World" where he contributes with his own creepy vibe and some emotional screaming. Then we have "Everything Falls Apart", a song that is not driven by the riffs or a groove, instead it is the whole picture that drives the song forward, creating a cool mood that bursts out into a very repetitive, but effective, chorus. A very interesting song that truly stands out. Or how about "Next In Line", that contains one of the more melodic choruses that I have heard from the band in some time, mixed with some classic Korn breakdown goodness of course. It is weird at first, but it tickles your nerves just about right, forcing a smile onto your face.

While it does not have the same versatility as "The Paradigm Shift", "The Serenity of Suffering" is still another proof that the return of Head and the old school sound is still going strong with this band. It is a very dense record to get through, but the quality is there, and that is honestly good enough for me. The band is doing their thing, and they are doing it well. Now, I do need to see some more diversity in the next album, but until then, I am gonna enjoy the best tracks, because they do bring me serenity.

Songs worthy of recognition: Everything Falls Apart, Insane, Next In Line

Rating: 7/10 Different Worlds

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The Paradigm Shift

Otep - Generation Doom (2016)

A minute into "Generation Doom", and Otep Shamaya is already screaming "I don't give a fuck" straight into my ears, which frankly does not surprise me one bit. You see, her self named band Otep is all about anarchy, anger, and a "don't give a fuck" attitude, and it is a style that is highly debated in the metal community, is she the voice of the revolution or just some crazy bitch screaming her lungs out? Personally, I think Otep is a interesting, and rather unique band that, when they hit the right notes, can make some great aggressive metal, just a shame it rarely lasts throughout an album.

The only thing that surprises me with this record is that it exists at all, because Otep straight up retired after the release of "Hydra" in 2013, claiming that she was frustrated and no longer felt inspired to make anymore music (mostly thanks to labels trying to interfere too much). Now she has made a Rolling Stones, and returned with a huge knuckle sandwich in "Generation Doom".

Usually, Otep albums are extremely uneven, containing several different songs and styles (including dark whispers that barely classifies as music), but "Generation Doom" is a lot more cohesive than what I expected it to be. The album holds well together with its aggressive half industrial, half nu-metal sound, and Otep delivers a passionate performance. You can really feel that her blood is on the boiling point. And the music is not too shabby either, being either heavy, groovy, or just madness personified, it often works out really well.

My personal favourite is probably "No Color", a mystical song with a really cool chorus that sticks to your mind and is easy to enjoy. It might have a worthless ending (like several other songs in this album), but I am impressed that the band could create a great song without screaming. Even "In Cold Blood" is a slower song that shows Otep's versatility, a soft song that feels just right for the band. Otherwise it is the faster and heavier songs that steals the show, like the cybernetic "Feeding Frenzy", the well armored "Lords of War", and the Lacuna Coil sounding "Down".

And in the middle of all this aggression and anger we have a song called "Royals", and you guessed it, it is a cover of the song with the same name by Randy Marsh Lorde. The screaming in the chorus might be a little forced, but the band really succeeded in making this song their own, and it sounds really good, making this luxurious song into a anarchistic rally.

Unfortunately, there are a couple songs that drags the album down a notch. "Lie" is boring as hell, "God Is A Gun" has a really weird flow to it, and then we have "Equal Rights, Equal Lefts", a more hip hop spoken word song that may be a big part of Otep's personality, but this song just breaks down the flow of the album in the wrong way. Also, there is a line in this song I cannot comprehend. "He called me a dyke/I called him an ambulance". What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are those really insults? "Oh, so I am a vehicle that helps sick people getting to the hospital? That's... something?". She can write some great lyrics from time to time, but this is just dumb.

I think the hate for Otep will still be there, but it is a hate that I think fuels Otep to come back with twice the strength, at least that is what she has done with "Generation Doom". This album is the most even one, and it might also be the strongest album she has presented us with. She is still far from perfect, and the music will continue to be controversial, but this is a strong comeback, and an even stronger statement that they are here to stay, and continue to be pissed off.

Songs worthy of recognition: No Color, Feeding Frenzy, Lords of War

Rating: 7,5/10 Lies

Disturbed - Immortalized (2015)

I did not think of it at the time it happened, but coming out of the shock and starting to think about it, I realized that it was a great decision for Disturbed to take a break from each other. Even if the band have done some amazing work and never released a bad album, they were kind of stuck in a vicious cycle of releasing about the same album over and over again every two or three years. Yes, there are things that does separate the albums apart, but those were only small details. So after a four year long hiatus where the band members have had the chance of relaxing and working on other projects (such as Device and Fight Or Flight), they are now back to bring back their patented bombastic metal style to us all.

But even with this hiatus in mind, it is like the band has not been away at all when you are listening to "Immortalized". The sound is still the same and the band itself is not doing anything hugely different from before. It sounds good and crisp at first, but you eventually remember that it is the same old story going on again. I am not saying that Disturbed are a complete "copy and paste" band, but you cannot get away from the fact that they have not evolved their sound an awful much since they released their debut, "The Sickness" from 2000. five albums and 15 years later, and the band keeps on going in their own, secured and well tested path.

I will give them this though, they are truly acting like full blood professional in their works. The production is big and bold, which fits the music perfectly to get as much power as possible from every beat. Their lyrics are still very interesting and well written, dealing with several different subjects from the evil power of media to the benefits of smoking weed (singer David Draiman have said earlier that about 95% of the songs he has written was done so while being high). Speaking of David, he and his signature vocal style does its thing as well, using it to create melody waves, both hard and soft. And let us not forget the occasional WRAH-AH AH, although those were rare in "Immortalized".

And just like any other Disturbed record, the band is cramming the better songs in the beginning of the album. Not to say that the second half only contains fillers ("Who" and "Never Wrong" does certainly not deserve such a shameful description), but the album is definitely front heavy. The title track leads the assault with its heavy, Corroded like approach, only to burst out into a epic, rebellious chorus that brings those ten thousand fists back up in the air. "The Vengeful One" sure catches your attention without really shining, while "The Light" feels more like it came from the 90's American skate-punk movement, but those two songs does speak to the more commercialized part of the fan base. The other part of that base should appreciate "Open Your Eyes" and "What Are You Waiting For" more, with their power and clear Disturbed vibes. So yeah, listening to the first half of the album is enough to get the full on Disturbed experience, but it is not an excuse for skipping out on the rest entirely, just one or two songs from there is enough to go on.

Lastly, I have to talk about the cover of the album, the Simon and Garfunkel classic "The Sound of Silence". Disturbed has done some impressive covers back in the day (for instance, "Land of Confusion"), and I do think it is an interesting interpretation of the song, but does it fit the band? I am not completely sure on that. The voice of David Draiman is a little too dark to give the song an extra dimension, which is so important since the singing is a big part in the song and the emotions it brings out. However, the band did manage to give the track a great, epic orchestral coating that seems fitting, and this cover certainly helps in giving the album some variety. It also helps in making the following song, "Never Wrong", seem tougher and heavier than what it actually is. So I do think it ultimately was a good fit in "Immortalized".

The hiatus have not changed Disturbed one bit, and that is both a good and a bad thing. The good news is that they hold the same quality as they did before the temporary break up. The bad news however, is that the band is still as predictable as always. Disturbed has certainly became the Nu-metal movement's answer to AC/DC and Motörhead. They practically makes the same album over and over again, only with slight changes here and there. It still sounds terrific, and "Immortalized" is certainly a more lively album than its predecessor, "Asylum", but the band does not take any risks at all. The hiatus has served them well, and I am glad that they are back at full swing, but this album could be the start for the band to end up in their old ways, which will probably lead to another hiatus in another 10-15 years, or even worse, a permanent break up.

Songs worthy of recognition: Immortalized, The Vengeful One, Never Wrong

Rating: 6,5/10 Lights

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Evolution

Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter (2014)

It is almost ridiculous when you look back at the last 6 years of Slipknot's career and see everything that has happened to the band. Since the release of the 2008 album "All Hope Is Gone", Slipknot has lost their bassist Paul Gray who died of an overdose of morphine and fentanyl, they have gone through an infected break up with their drummer Joey Jordison, and there has been some struggles within between Corey Taylor and Jim Root when the later left Stone Sour. And to top it all off, the new drummer and bassist's identities have not been revealed and are not considered as full time members yet. The only good thing that Slipknot can take out of all this is that this kind of turbulence would have obliterated any other band in the business, but Slipknot are twisted enough to make it through all this and release another album.

I did not have much expectations for ".5: The Gray Chapter" before listening to it, but I was hoping that the band would take out their chaotic side as much as possible since it is that side I mostly associate them with. And sure enough, we get a good deal of chaos in this album, but we don't get the crazy attack we got in the band's early career, instead it is controlled chaos that is close to being wimpy, but chaotic enough to please the most of the fans on both side of the border (the fans that enjoy their more melodic style and those who like it heavy). There are only few parts of the album where the band really let it all go buck wild, like "Custer" and the opening to "AOV", which actually surprised me. Even though most things has pointed towards that the band has calmed down and tried to make more controlled music, I thought the band would really get together and really make a album that reminded them of their origin, as a tribute to Paul Gray.

One thing is for certain though, The band has definitely cut all of the ropes that tied them together with Stone Sour (except that Corey Taylor is still a member of both bands). You will find no "Snuff" in this album, which is a huge relief. However, ".5: The Gray Chapter" does still have their clean moments that mostly drags the album down. The awful "Killpop" is the only song in this albums that I could see in a Stone Sour record with its boring lyrics about jealousy and semi slow tempo (only thing keeping it from a Stone Sour record is the harsh vocals and the excesive amount of swear words), while "Goodbye" does nothing to catch my interest. Then we have those cleaner moments that just works out just because they are either catchy or because they still maintain the heavy attitude, like the infectious "Nomadic" or the groovy and catchy single "The Devil In I".

The main problem with ".5: The Gray Chapter" (besides from that hideous album cover) is a problem that Slipknot never really seemed to care about, which is that they put quantity over quality. The record has 16 songs and a playtime close to 1 hour and 15 minutes (bonus songs included), but I find only about half of the material in here enjoyable. They have had 6 long years since their last album and this is what they come up with? The tops of the album are definitely high and they match up well compared to the rest of the discography, but the bottoms are just dumb. I really wished that the band would some time in the future release an even album instead of a bumpy roller coaster. But then again, how easy is that when your band has a total of 10 members.

Speaking of members, how are the two newcomers holding up? Not surprisngly, they are doing a good job on this album. The drummer, who is rumored to be Jay Weinberg, may not have as unique of a style as Joey Jordison had, but his beats fits well with the songs and he really knows how to do a slamming blast beat, which is best heard in "The Devil In I". As for the bassist, who is Alesandro Venturella (who else could have the same tattoo as the guy in the "The Devil In I" video?), he does not really stand out that much in the album for me to give a proper opinion about him, but he does not make a fool out of him self, which should be considered as a fine compliment. The only thing those two are missing are some original masks, which they should be able to design them self if they become full time members of the Slipknot clan.

I am pretty sure that Paul Gray has observated the making of the album from heaven/hell/purgatory and is honored for this tribute that the band has made, because when it all comes down, ".5: The Gray Chapter" is ultimately a good album from the Iowa band. A good deal of chaos and some new ideas makes this album a worthwile listen, even if it is a tad bit too long. But the same problems that has haunted Slipknot before is showing again in this album. Too many fillers and no straight direction are aspects that keeps this record from becoming a grand piece in the Slipknot discography, but thanks to their unique, twisted style, Slipknot remains one of the bigger acts in the nu metal movement, which actually doesn't say much since most of those acts has been dismantled or lost the fan's attention.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Devil In I, AOV, Nomadic

Rating: 6,5/10 Skeptics

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We Are Not Your Kind

Korn - The Paradigm Shift (2013)

The American Nu-metal band Korn has gone through some drastic changes these last couple of years. Their latest album, "The Path of Totality", was a weird experiment that can only be described as the birth of dub-metal. And after that, the band was re-united with the original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. So the questions about Korn's 11th studio release, "The Paradigm Shift" were many. Could "Head" bring the band back to its glory days? Was the dub-metal experiment a one time thing? Would I see the South Park version of the band before my eyes when the songs starts playing?

First off, Let me ease your minds with the fact that there is no sign of dub-step in this album (well, maybe a little on "Never Never"). With the entrance of "Head" has come a more classic Korn sound that may not have the same mystical touch like back in the days, but it still feels fresh and interesting. Several details are very interesting, like the catchy riffs, the passionate drumming and Jonathan Davis's fine vocal work.

Cause it is the small things that makes "The Paradigm Shift" a good album, not the whole experience. There are 11 songs in this album, but none of them are really surprising nor really impressive. I like the more aggressive songs like "Prey For Me", "Punishment Time" and "Love & Meth", and some of the melodic melodies ("Spike In My Veins" and "Mass Hysteria") are nice, but they are not strong enough to make "The Paradigm Shift" a complete winner. It is obvious that the band have found a new strength during the last years and the performance is more or less flawless, but when a album is mixing between good songs that both the band and fans can be proud of with boring and pointless fillers like "Never Never" and "It's All Wrong", it is impossible to fully appreciate all the hard work that the band has spent to make this record happen.

I can however still confidently say that this is the best album by Korn in some time. It is obvious that Brian's return has helped the band in the right direction and if this form is continuing like this, then I would not be surprised if the next album will not only be better, it also could potentially be a future classic. "The Paradigm Shift" will probably not be remembered as the highlight of Korn's career, but it is still a album that has some really neat quality in it.

Songs worthy of recognition: Prey For Me, Love & Meth, Punishment Time

Rating: 7,5/10 Spikes In My Veins