Ministry "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ" (1992)

ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ marks the peak of Industrial Metal legends Ministry's commercial success as well as the musical peak for this classic era their sound with future records steering from the mood and tone of this social-politically charged sound of disillusion and despair with the status quo. Marked by the opening track "New World Order", Ministry create the soundtrack for riot and civil unrest through their mechanically repetitive song constructs of robotic guitar riffs and dystopian guitar leads. It had been many years since I gave this record a listen and hearing a feedback of influence in Killing Joke's "Pandemonium" I had to give it a spin again.

The record starts with two of Ministry's finest songs and sets a contagious attitude of outrage and anger that fuels the experience. Tightly performed distortion riffs churn over and over in a sublime execution of minimalism and repetition that never seems to loose its drive, despite mainly consisting of the same thing over and over, it gets me every time. Paul Barker's machine like drumming goes heavy on the snare with simplistic, pounding grooves that gel with the guitars and amplify there aggression. "Just One Fix" ends with a lead guitar playing a Slayer-esq dark lead that is a favorite moment on the record. Unfortunately from this point forward the album fails to maintain the mood established and only "Scare Crow" comes close with a slow and daunting atmosphere of dread with distortion chords ringing out under haunting leads and Al Jourgensen's eerie screams.

Around these songs a wild inconsistency of ideas obvious in execution make up the rest of the track listing, the fast relentless blasting of "TV II", Thrash Metal riffage of "Hero" or depraved noise horror of "Grace", each songs idea drifts to far from the original tone. Although the recurring use of sampling and mood has some consistency, the guitars input greatly different ideas to that of the opening tracks and are not particularly remarkable in their own right. As a collection of songs they are impressive but out of place with one another and so as an album it really falls short of amounting to anything as the shifts in mood, tone and sometimes aesthetic dispel the magic and potential this one shows in the beginning.

Favorite Songs: N.W.O, Just One Fix, Scare Crow

Rating: 5/10

Enter Shikari "The Mindsweep Hospitalised" (2015)

Remix albums are rarely a favorable listening choice for me. Seeing one of my favorite records of 2015 remixed, "The Mindsweep", I didn't get particularly excited. Enter Shikari have always filled there discography with EPs, remix records and mini albums that rarely have more to offer than the full lengths. With strong electronic influences in their sound its no surprise they turn to a host of different electronic artists to dissect and rebuild their tunes. Drumstep, Dubstep, whatever you want to call it, a few distinctive elements of the Mindsweep songs are reassembled into new entities.

Most of the songs here consist of high fidelity, temperate drum kits hammering away between atypical dance grooves and more intricate arrangements. Decorative synths and un-intrusive melodies fill the void above the thick baselines and occasional dub drops. On there own the songs hold up well, but feel over-shadowed by the deliberate inclusion of samples, mainly vocal, from the main record. It feels like a forceful tie and the memorable lyrics and delivery style of Rou have the originals playing out in the mind. With each listen the better aspects of the record began to show but as a whole this felt like a collection of mediocre Drumstep stitched to the original record with little inspiration. I could of enjoyed this much more without the needless inclusion of sampling to tie it to a great record.

Rating: 4/10

Dio "The Last In Line" (1984)

Dio are an American Heavy Metal band fronted by Ronnie James Dio who passed away in 2010. Named after their singer, ther band are very much defined by his soaring vocal presence, a powerful and melodic voice that can hold notes with an unrivaled tenacity. Being a metalhead of the 90s and 00s eras there are many 80s bands that are beyond my scope, but how Dio evaded me all these years is a mystery. The band have sold over ten million records and have a sound about as definitive of Heavy Metal as it gets, fitting in alongside the greats of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne.

The record starts with the fist pumping, anthem-like sing along "We Rock" setting the tone for an energetic foray of arena rock Heavy Metal that never slows down. From start to end its just classic fist pumping, head banging Heavy Metal with rattling drums, big grooving baselines and heavy chord driven guitars. The records tempo slows at times with elements of Ballard rock. The occasional use of synths fit in well but for the most part its a pretty traditional approach executed with a spark to define it as Dio.

The guitar work is solid, a great balance of thrashier picking rhythms and drawn out power chords that are elevated thanks to an excellent set of baselines courtesy of Jimmy Bain. They hammer and groove with a warm and bold tone that's high in the mix without overpowering the over instruments. Its often the focus of the energy alongside Dio's powerful voice commanding every note he hits. On the front of theme and execution everything here is pretty typical of 80s Heavy Metal, however nothing is corny of cheap, this is pure quality from start to end and made for the live audience with each song feeling fit for a stage in front of thousands.

Favorite Tracks: We Rock, Mystery

Rating: 7/10

Silkk The Shocker "Made Man" (1999)

Diving further into the dirty south I picked out this record from No Limit rapper "Silkk The Shocker" that marked his commercial peak with a platinum record that debuted first on the American billboard charts. There's an agitated and aggressive side to Silk's flow and flicking through this record I found it unappealing but decided to give this one a go anyway. Its often the case that familiarity makes music easier to understand and by the end of my first listen I was really starting to dig Silkk's style that sways between a smoother traditional delivery and the agitated, violent rap style similar to the energetic hyped flow of Mystikal who appears on this record too with a whole array of guests from the No Limit family, including RnB singer Mya who illuminates the single track "Somebody Like Me".

Like many records of this era "Made Man" stretches the CD length with 74 minutes of beats and raps that hold it together without dragging on. There's a fair amount of variety in theme and mood that shifts around from track to track. From gangster, to RnB with some heart felt tracks in between the mood can switch quickly yet somehow it flows. For example the rowdy rhyme stomping track "No Limit" where Silkk, Fiend & Mystikal spell out words is followed by the remorse for the dead song "End Of The Road". This chop and change approach helps keep the record exciting and beside the more traditional Rap tracks there's a handful of more creative and experimental tracks that where a breath of fresh air for the sound of this era. The album's name and opening track lay's down a theme and concept for the record which drops off immediately. Romanticizing with gangster culture of the Italian-American mafia, Silkk creates a scene of him becoming a "made man" like in the Godfather movies. There's not much mention of this theme after that, one of two tracks bring it up but essentially that's as far as it goes.

Silkk and the group bring a decent set of raps but nothing exceptional, Master P seemed excessively hyped with many of his enthusiastic ugh shouts in the background, couldn't help but put a smile on my face. It was nice to hear Jay-Z pop up on "You know What We Bout" but his style sounded out of place. The records production is solid and testament to holding this one together for 74 minutes. Its a typical late 90s collection of clean MIDI instruments with less sampling and plenty of creativity. One or two tracks stand out, but in general its a solid but not spectacular record that was worth giving a fair few listens.

Favorite Songs: Somebody Like Me, I Ain't My Fault, No Limit, Southside Niggas, Get It Up

Rating: 6/10

The Underachievers "Evermore - The Art Of Duality" (2015)

Young Hip Hop duo "The Underachievers" from Brooklyn, New York are back with a follow up to last years debut "Cellar Door"! A dark and mysterious record with modern instrumentals, speedy raps and lyrical substance, somewhat of a rarity in this era of Hip Hop. The two showed a lot of artistic intelligence and there potential has been truly realized on "Evermore" where the two step up there game with bigger raps, tighter themes and another set of quality instrumentals. The record is split into two half's as the cover would suggest, the light and dark side, both fleshed out in concept and sound.

The two rally back and forth with engaging heart felt raps, telling there life stories and introspective thoughts with a touch of class in lyrical delivery that never takes the foot of the gas. Spitting fast coherent rhymes through their distinctive flows, I find myself reminded of the greats like Nas and Rakim who could engage from start to end as these two do for the most part of this record. Delivering positive messages of expanded consciousness and awareness the two struck a nerve with me and reflected a lot of my attitude towards the importance perspective and our roles in a collective experience with deep and meaningful ideas and lifestyle suggestions. The rhymes are on point as are the beats, the bright side complimenting their narratives with alien, exotic instrumentals full of spacey synths and harmonious oddities with a positive soul. There's a nice spread of variance, "The Dualist" getting generously jazzy and the record fails to repeat itself keeping each instrumental unique.

"Reincarnation" marks the dark side of the record with a deliberately evil and menacing trap instrumental. The two shift gears bringing the battle raps and boisterous rhyme spitting to prove there worth. The ghostly "ah ha" echoing confirmations return and a lot of the focus shifts away from the conscious raps and catchy hooks drop in as a focal point around the mean, showoff rap style. The instrumentals follow a similar spacey vibe but flow in a mysterious direction with trap beats pounding out fast fluttery hi hats and aggressive snare kick grooves.

The first half definitely takes the biscuit with much deep wisdom to be found in the lyrics and the instrumentals shine brighter than their counterparts, that's no pun. These were some of the best Hip Hop tracks I had heard this year. The second half is a mark behind but still fantastic and engaging. The duo really came through on this one, proving their potential and elevating themselves as artists with a focused and meaningful effort that turned into a memorable record I've been unable to put down.

Favorite Song: Star Signs

Rating: 9/10

Meshuggah "Nothing Remake" (2006)

Back in 2006 this release seemed like a bizarre choice for the pioneering Swedish metalers "Meshuggah". Coming of the back of there finest record to date, "Catch 33", the band took to the studio to re-record their 2002 effort "Nothing" which was at that time my least favorite record of theirs. As you can imagine I had little reason to listen to this one, but shuffling through some of their songs it made sense to pick them from the remake, since it sounds somewhat better technically. In doing so I found my way back to this record and realized how much the re-recording elevates the concept of the record with a reinvigorated aesthetic and slight adjustment of play styles and tempos.

In 2002 "Nothing" was a record that further pushed the extremities "Chaosphere" created with the harsh tonal construct and Djent guitars tones. In developing this sound Meshuggah flirted dangerously with the void and the lifeless element of their sound, to the point where some songs easily drifted into the snooze as barbaric rhythms hammered away without an inch of melody. This was a guitar tone assault of amplified intensities as elastic grooves bounced with the noisy poly rhythmic drum machine, vocalist Yens's monotone screams adding another layer of force. The records short coming where in its hazardous production of competing volumes, a rigid drum sound with repetitive symbol sounds and a lack of sound in the low-mid.

The re-recording irons out all the flaws of the original with a vastly better produced drum sound that feels more cohesive with the guitars with are a massive element of this records sound design. They sound gorgeous! Deep, dense and thick guitar distortion fills up much the audio space and further enforces the elastic nature of the grooves with the elasticity reigning through the clarity of distortion captured. With such a finely tuned sound these songs are given a better chance to reveal what they are about, a slight tempo change on "Nebulous" and the brilliant guitar tone fuel the elastic energy grooving through the eccentric guitar riffs.

But "Nothing Remake" is still the same record, a self realized experiment in groove and timings that hacks into the primal heart of rhythm and extrapolates an array of unique and special ideas unheard anywhere else before at the time. Although a touch more tolerable it still suffers the same void and sterile incarnation that makes its experience drab and to lifeless at times. You have to be in the right mood, because it wont deliver that mood to you. Its got banging grooves throughout and tons of incredible moments, but as a record there's a lot of monotone and bleak to wade through between the inspiring moments. It has some of their best and worst output all rolled into one relentless onslaught, and on a final note id like to mention "Straws Pulled At Random" is a stunning song that starts out in violent frenzy of blunt force elastic aggression, steadily evolving into a moment of beauty as minimal melodic inflections breath color into a song of black and white.

Favorite Songs: Rational Gaze, Straws Pulled At Random, Nebulous

Rating: 6/10

Killing Joke "Pylon" (2015)

Thirty five years since their debut, "Killing Joke" are still at it. Their first two records a real pleasure to uncover and hear an early influence on Industrial Metal such as "Ministry" and "Godflesh". Unable to get into their third record "Revelations" I left this band alone and nearly passed this record by when I saw it in my feed. I wasn't expecting anything much but was quite surprised to find their identity intact, mostly thanks to Jaz Coleman's distinctive voice. An apparent shift in aesthetic and execution gives a refreshing overhaul to the vibe and themes that stay very much intact from their roots.

"Pylon" is a warning machine on cruise control, each song swiftly flying through the wasteland of a post apocalyptic world, with social commentaries and observations on the state of our modern society, its direction and corruptions. Its a message of doom and gloom broadcasted from the loudspeakers of a steadily paced set of songs that cruise onward and drone with big, fuzzy chord driven distortion guitars and one dimensional synths that play subtle roles in amplifying the atmosphere. Coleman's anthemic cries of disillusion and unrest tie the music to the lyrical themes with alterations in delivery to match the musical shifts that are present in every song.

Its a simple approach to songwriting coupled with a great aesthetic. The guitars are warm and dense, the drums have a fantastic, punchy, loud yet soft tone. The bass guitar thick, powerful, pounding away under the hazy wall of sound guitars and Coleman's voice is colorful, smooth and darkly. Select keys and electronics play a potent role in adding that extra layer to amplify moments of the songs. The overall mood and tone is definitely on the gloomy side yet when tackled head on by the music feels empowering and uplifting, all without exerting any forceful aggression. An easy flowing listen with a big mood and messages to deliver. Solid record.

Favorite Songs: New Cold War, War On Freedom, Into The Unknown

Rating: 7/10

Bring Me The Horizon "That's The Spirit" (2015)

So here we have the fifth and latest full length from English band "Bring Me The Horizon" hailing from Sheffield. The five piece Rock / Metal outfit have been together for over ten years now with a couple of line up changes on the second guitar, the four friends have stuck together from their formation when they were still in school. The band are now completely unrecognizable from their Deathcore roots. Since there inception they have managed to keep themselves in the lime light while shifting their sound from Deathcore, to edgy Metalcore, to some form of Eletronic-core, and now Pop Rock. The transition has been a big one, yet somehow through the shifts in sound they've kept an old audience happy while attracting more and more fans.

This latest sound is a shinny, bright and over polished, squeaky clean affair, fusing dense tonal guitars with gleaming electronics in a wall of sensual oozy delight. Compressed drums kick, punch and pound through the rich and airy sounds of layered synths racing with the guitar leads that range from Nu Metal to Alternate Rock and arrive with a Post-Metal sense of space. Vocalist Oli Sykes is impressive, showing a range of melody in well delivered cleans alongside his screams which were once quite gnarly and rough in the Deathcore days. The aesthetic is quite the achievement, and the music behind it is a mixed bag of fruits. There's a strong slice of cheap pop that coarses through this record in the form of hooks, lyrics and leads and the balance is a matter of taste and tolerance.

The record starts of strong with a bouncy grooving throw back to Nu Metal riffs that take charge on tracks like "Happy", its lyrics a sarcastic pun towards pop music which in the later stages becomes the focus. On "True Friends" the lyrics start with the teenage angst "twists" and cringing play on words "True friends stab you in the front". A lot of the lyrics on this record felt a little lack luster and hollow, not a lot of food for thought, but simple sentiments wrapped up in catchy word play. Its a double edged sword that works when the music does. "Follow you" delivering a delightful vocal hook that the lyrics do justice, but at other times it didn't quite come off as well.

"That's The Spirit" is a record that's challenged me. On first listen I could barely stand it, but a lot of the "pop" elements and catchy hook writing does deserve a lot of merit because its fantastically composed for a gorgeous aesthetic. Not a lot of whats on offer feels special or original and the second half drags a fair bit for me as the guitars get lighter and lighter with a bigger focus on the softer side of their sound. It leaves me with mixed feelings but there's songs here to be enjoyed and where they have progressed they've certainly lost what made them unique but the direction there heading in is a positive and potentially exciting one.

Favorite Songs: Happy Song, Throne, Follow You

Rating: 7/10

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions "Bavarian Fruit Bread" (2001)

Following up on Mazzy Starr's "Among My Swan" and subsequent hiatus, this Hope Sandoval record is mistakable for her main band. With the help of "The Warm Intentions", Hope continues on a similar path with a collection of dreamy and mysterious folk numbers that induce a laid back trance as Hope's seductive voice soothes the soul with her soft and dreamy singing voice. Whats different between the two projects is subtle, the trademark bells and harmonicas feature as if the same, but the hazy distortion tones and darker leaning of the sound are gone.

"Bavarian Fruit Bread" is a lighter incarnation that has the same breezy, dreamy nature. It gives a lot more light to Hope's voice in a complimenting manor. The instrumentals can be a touch sparse at times with the drum kit being a rare feature in many of these songs and its very much a case of hit and miss. When in full swing like "On The Low" everything is just right, mellow and rural, charming and delicate. Indulging, at other times the lone guitar and Hope get's a little to baron to spark the magic, but its also a case of mood. Sometimes I could drift right in, but not often.

Its a terrific sounding record with sparkling acoustic guitars and dreamy echos. There is a couple of more striking songs than on the previous record but its coupled with plenty of tiresome songs that get a little lost with the wind. Hope's voice is beautiful throughout but it doesn't come together as a full length, great in the perfect mood but often a bit of a drab. As much as I wanted to like this album its flaws were all to apparent.

Favorite Songs: Suzane, On The Low

Rating: 4/10

The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" (1966)

Listed on Rolling Stone's "500 greatest albums of all time" at number 2 I felt compelled to check out this Beach Boys record. I mean, who doesn't like the beach boys? Fun loving Surf Rock with those timeless vocal harmonies. Well "Pet Sounds" shows of very different side of this band, or more so Brian Wilson who composed and produced the entire record, so much so you could call it a solo record if it wasn't for his band-mates laying down the backing vocals. Being the first Beach Boys record Ive given a proper listen I found most of what I knew about them to be missing. The catchy hooks, surf themes and chart topping, single oriented songs where no where to be found. The only familiarity were their voices which were always the main attraction.

Pet sounds is a strange kinda of melancholy. Through it all a bright, warm soul that's got heart beats away, uplifting and littered with colorful instruments it has a deep sorrow that's felt through Brian's lyrics of heartbreak and loneliness. Its insular and sweet hearted, the sadness seeps through a swell of beauty in the world of music he isolates himself in. A musically somber moment arrives on "Don't Talk" as an outreach of support and comfort in Brian's lyrics reveal such deep sorrow in the music has gesture has exposed. The experience as a whole creates such a unique image of a man torn between pain and beauty, and pouring it all into the music.

The music itself is a dense and intricate pallet as a whole host of instruments and sounds embark on a journey to play out memorable, moving melodies that come in layers, overlapping and intertwining to make up the themes. Subtle instruments and quiet calming sounds fill in all the gaps, even in the slower moments theirs a continual tapestry of fine noises to notice. In the percussive department claps, tambourines, and coconut hoofs expand the drum kit as well as bicycle bells and horns cropping up in places, its quite a delight to hear such care put into it all. With flutes, organs, strings, guitars, pianos and a seemingly endless list of instruments, they all join into delightfully simple, easy to follow and cohesive songs.

Quite often the classic vocal harmonization's drift from the main focus of these songs, grand and captivating in their moments, Brain's voice and his music holds it own alone and some of the vocal lines feel like another instrument, its actually really soothing how they fit in with the instruments and become apart of the song in that way. Much could be said for the lyrics and themes but they are relatively direct and the sorrowful moments come across with sometimes blunt "This is the worst trip Ive ever been on" and sometime poetic words. Ive grown so very fond of this record and quite simply can't put it down. One day this will be a favorite of mine, I look forward to all the times I can enjoy it again.

Favorite Songs: You Still Believe In Me, Don't Talk, Pet Sounds, Caroline No

Rating: 9/10

Run The Jewels "Meow The Jewels" (2015)

 Following up on two claimed and well received records in concurrent years, Hip Hop Duo "Run The Jewels" return in 2015 with a crowdfunded remix record themed around cats... and meow sounds. I was hoping for a record to hold me over until RTJ3 arrives in 2016 but have found myself sorely disappointed with a record that's novelty didn't phase me for even a moment. This will be the first time I write my thoughts after just one listen, but I quite honestly don't want to waste my time with this record again. To be fair its not awful, there's just nothing here that tickles my fancy.

The albums overall aesthetic is bizarre, spacey, zany and damn right quirky. Meow sounds litter all the songs as expected, but accompanying them is an array of weird bass noises and other sounds which attempt to emulate instrument sounds through manipulated cat samples. The problem is these heavily stretched and pitch shifted sounds don't amount to anything exciting or even that musical. They suck the life out of Killer Mike and EL-P's raps which is quite the achievement considering the level of lyrical quality on the originals these remixes butcher. Across the entire record not a single moment or beat stood out and I can appreciate the novelty but without anything of interest for me here this one will be shelved to gather dust.

Rating: 1/10