HEATHEN-Empire of the blind (my review)

This is the fourth attack by metal beast Heathen. It starts with a wonderful intro. It's the first touch of thrashing. Another songs will surely catch your attention. It's like a great metal empire with all these crushing, jumping and heavy riffs, melodic, I point out, very melodic solos.

This guitar duo, Lee and Kragen, is stunning, gorgeous and outstanding. A fantastic performance is audible here very well.

Heathen brought some new majestic atmosphere to all these tunes. It's a thrash metal in new age. Unstoppable, very energetic drums are an important powerhouse in this metal empire. The strength is great. In full tunes.

Amazing bass lines supports the power of all these songs. Vocals gives a special and unique atmosphere to other instruments. Lyrics, as always, tells about many characteristic things typical for this band and music genre.

Multiplicity is important also for this album. Album cover is insane but music excellent.

Heathen recorded a precious album for metal community. They have their own style, meaning and sense. That's good.

Heathen belong to the greatest thrash metal bands in the world. 

HEATHEN-The evolution of chaos (my review)

Get ready for a nuclear thrash metal blast. It's dangerous and radioactive. The evolution of this band is more than admirable. One album better than other one. A volcano of great music has exploded.

This insane ride starts with excellent intro and with "Dying season". Songs are long enough but adventurous and stunning. "No stone unturned" is 11:10 long. Insane but admirable. Insane and beautiful.

Guitars playing very, very, very stunning riffs, melodies and solos. Guitar duo Lee Altus and Kragen Lum is absolutely the best for this band. Gary Holt played solo on "Control by chaos". Lee and Kragen have written an excellent tunes.

Drums gives a perfect atmosphere together with storming bass.

Vocals and lyrics are cool in this adventurous musical book. Full album is miscellaneous and powerful. There's a lot of wonderful moments, emotions, moods, feelings, meanings. Atmosphere is insane, hard, heavy, melodic, harmonic, epic and beautiful too.

A supernatural power of thrash metal is audible here. It's their evolution! 

HEATHEN-Victims of deception (my review)

 It's more majestic metal ride than on previous album. There's a lot of songs over 5 minutes. A long thrash metal anthems with a lot of exciting riffs, melodies, solos, bangs and vocals.

These are "Hypnotized", "Opiate of masses", "Heathen's song", "Fear of the unknown", "Prisoners of fate", "Morbid curiosity", "Mercy is no virtue".

These songs are a wonderful metal stories.

"Kill the king" is a cool cover by Rainbow. "Guitarmony" is a beautiful, impressive instrumental song that will devour you. Guitars in these tunes plays a stunning riffs and solos. There's no bad part. It's a crushing, colossal wonderment. As I've written, songs are long enough but perfect and punchy.

Bass guitar plays an adventurous melodies in this long metal story. The longest is "Heathen's song". Drums are banging like a great, shooting cannon. Vocals and lyrics are of course, an important part of this music. They're stunning.

This album is perfectly invincible. Heathen recorded very miscellaneous masterpiece. A golden star in heavy metal constellation. 

HEATHEN-Breaking the silence (my review)

First thrashing attack by this admirable band is called "Breaking the silence". And it's a true breaking. They proved a same talent as Exodus or Testament. But also by their own style. In each song is a powerful energy, great metal spirit and wonderment.

Lyrics are interesting, philosophical, remarkable and impressive. Not only on this album.

They recorded really a high-class masterpiece. Their musical intelligence is significant and more than powerful.

Guitars plays very unique, attractive riffs, melodies and solos. It's a basic element of this album. Very good sound in tunes. A guitar work is golden here. Lee Altus and Doug Piercy are pretty cool songwriters.

Bass guitar is handsome and perfectly adapted to tunes. Wonderful ornament.

Shooting cannonade of drums is an essential energy kicking your ears on and on.

Clear vocals of Dave White are truly perfect. As good as for example Joey Belladonna. Heathen is something like a thrash metal Iron Maiden. Their music is a great metal story, metal book. In their music the power lives. It's a blast and beauty in this album.

"Breaking the silence" is a golden brick in thrash metal wall.

They are breaking the silence and making the best music in universe.

 

EXODUS-Goliath (my review)

Another thrash metal music book of Exodus came here. 

In my opinion it's good thrashing ride but not such good like on "Blood in, blood out" or "Persona non grata".

Honestly, I'm not a fan of Rob Dukes. It's a different atmosphere without Zetro. Although, it's not the best Exodus album, Lee Altus and Gary Holt proved they're a good songwriters. Mainly in "Promise you this", "Beyond the event horizon", "Violence works", "Summon of the gods unknown", "The dirtiest of the dozen".

These 5 songs are good. Great thrash metal ride. Other songs could be better. I like only half of this album.

Guitars plays fantastic riffs, solos and melodies mainly in these 5 good songs. Thunderous bass guitar guides all tunes very well. Drums of Tom Hunting are an explosive cannonade in fast songs. Rob Dukes sings by his own style. It's more different atmosphere when he's in this band as a singer.

Lyrics are good, some choruses interesting. Album cover is one of their best. Musically it ain't the best. New Exodus is such as it is. 

APOCALYPTICA-Apocalyptica (my review)

 Two songs are with guest vocals. "Life burns" and "Bittersweet".

Album is called Apocalyptica for its own essence. It's a real cello metal apocalyptic ride. Every song has a power, high voltage and unstoppable energy. It's much better than "Reflections" album. High-class cello metal will crush your brain. It's smashing, mad, insane, crazy and very, very beautiful.

Album starts with fantastic "Life burns". It continues with crushing, excellent, impressive "Quutamo" and "Distraction". "Bittersweet" is a slow, beautiful and emotional ballad. Very emotional and epic tune.

"Misconstruction" is a majestic, powerful thunder. Also emotional and attractive enough. "Fisheye" is an another masterpiece. Irresistible cellos and drums. Another perfect top. "Farewell" is an another beautiful, stunning song. That atmosphere will devour you all. Total wonderment. "Fatal error", a cello metal bomb. Pleasure to listen. "Betrayal/Forgiveness" is a nuclear blast. Strike, explosion, thunderous storm, tornado of cellos and drums. The greatest apocalypse. Dave Lombardo gave a power to this song too. "Ruska" is an epic tune with beautiful, impressive melody. "Deathzone" is a fabulous end of album.

Apocalyptica recorded one of their greatest albums.

It's a stunning high-class cello metal apocalyptic masterpiece. 

APOCALYPTICA-Reflections (my review)

It's a first album with drums, it was really something new for them. Their first connection with drums.

Atmosphere of this album is majestic with drums. Dave Lombardo plays on tracks 1, 2, 4, 8, 10. Sami Kuoppamäki on 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13.

Album is a big musical story full of emotional, amazing, attractive and impressive melodies. Slow cello solos are a wonderful ornament. Fast, heavy cello riffs are absolutely something supernatural. Here is a great connection of classical and heavy metal music.

Although it's not their best album in some songs are a great ideas.

"Somewhere around nothing" is the most popular and a fantastic ornament of this album. Another perfect song is "Drive". It shows what this band is about. Beautiful cello melodies with crushing cello riffs and drums. That's an instrumental wonder. Album contains more emotional songs. It's not like "Cult".

Most beautiful tune is "Faraway". Slow, tender and majestic. That's a beauty of Apocalyptica.

"Reflections" is not a progressive album. Only progress are drums added to songs. Album has yet another great heavy cello metal songs. "No education", "Pandemonium", "Prologue (Apprehension)", "Resurrection" and "Toreador II".