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I loved dr. pepper fan's album exchange club idea, but I thought it'd be cool to try another similar thread that focuses exclusively on heavy metal. Hopefully there are some fans of the genre in the community, I know it's one of the less popular genres out there, at least where I live. Anyways, we'll see how it goes! You know the rules:
1) Choose ONE album per round.
2) I will randomly choose an album from the list.
3) Everyone will listen to that album on youtube, grooveshark, etc.
4) Post a review.
5) ???
6) Profit!
7) Repeat until all albums are reviewed, then start new round.

I know metal fans are REALLY divided when it comes to sub-genres and such, so try not to pan stuff JUST because it's not your favorite. That being said, any and all kinds of metal are acceptable: black, death, doom, stoner, power, thrash, etc.
My first pick will be The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden.

O_O You posted the exact song I would have posted… Except I have the flight 666 version of it.

"Warriors Of The World" by Manowar from the album of the same name.

This Is Halloween" by Februus

I kind of meant for us to review ALBUMS, but I guess individual songs will work too lol

The Sword – Age of Winters

I don't want to do this, because I hate metal, but I'd like to make a suggestion. You guys need some Sabbath.

A rather different kind of metal. I listened to a lot of this epic, fantasy-type music in this past year.

Hey, symphonic power metal is still metal. It has the more 'metal' in it.

You could just do the albums from the songs we picked.

Let's get started shall we? Here are the albums for the 1st round:

1) The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden
2) Warriors of the World by Manowar
3) (I couldn't find what album that Februus song was from, awaiting reply from Kalmo)
4) Confession by il Nino
5) Age of Winters by The Sword
6) Leviathan by Mastodon
7) We're skipping vulcan's album because he doesn't want to participate
8) The Clouds of Northland Thunder by Amberian Dawn

Random number generator says… #1, The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden.

Give it a listen and post your reviews! How about we move on in 48 hours? Does that sound like enough time? Too much time? Let me know.

Review: The Number of the Beast

Invaders: What a great, relatively unknown maiden song. I absolutely love the bass, Steve Harris is such a boss!

Children of the Damned: The lyrics really get me with this song. They’re quite gruesome and totally, 100% metal. The solo is pretty sick too.

The Prisoner: Another all around awesome song. Does anyone know what that bit at the beginning is from? (“I’m not a number, I’m a free man!”)

22 Acacia Avenue: Not my favorite Iron Maiden song, just lacking that certain something…

The Number of the Beast: What a classic! The high points in my opinion are the intro and solo.

Run to the Hills: Another fan favorite, I particularly like the drum part.

Gangland: Fantastic drum intro!

Hallowed be Thy Name: One of maiden’s best songs for sure. A sweeping epic of a piece, and a very fitting closer. Amazing lyrics and solos. This song has it all!

TL;DR Picture Reaction Review:

Translation: TOO MUCH AWESOME

Invaders - I liked the music throughout the entire song.
Children of the Damned - I liked the vocals in this song, the music kicked ass as well.
The Prisoner - I kind of liked the lyrics. And that is not something I usually say about songs.
22 Acacia Avenue - I liked the guitar in this song.
The Number of the Beast - Interesting beginning, was that from the Bible? Anyways, good song.
Run to the Hills - I liked to vocals in this song, and the drums stuck out to me for some reason.
Gangland - I totally paid no attention to this song, which usually means that it was good and nothing more.
Hallowed Be Thy Name - This is probably the song I liked most on this album.

Everything on this album pretty much sounded the same. Not that that's bad, in fact, I enjoyed this album.
Final Score: 8/10

Epic fail by me, I forgot to give it an overall rating! My overall rating = 9/10
And yes Captain badass that verse is from the Bible, revelations I believe.

7/10
liked it

Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast album, Wheatley's review:

Invaders: Fun throughout. Surprised I haven't heard it on the radio. Guitar solo's looking pretty good. 8/10
Children of the Damned: Well placed after Invaders for its pace. Great lyrics; love the execution. The guitar solo was face-melting, though a little too short for my liking. 6/10
The Prisoner: I'll have to admit, I'm a sucker for songs that begin with recorded quotes, but the song does have a rhythm to it that draws me in. But then…it doesn't really change for the majority of the song. It makes up for it with a better-than-decent guitar solo at the end though, but i feel like I'm waiting for it for too long. I'd like to {be wined and dined by} get a taste of the guitar before it sodomizes me with awesomeness. 7/10
22 Acacia Avenue: I was REALLY feeling that guitar. I enjoy hearing that bass for a change too, seeing as I actually dabble in real life on that monster. This would be a song I'd look for later, which instantly gives it a high rating in my book. 9/10
The Number of the Beast: There's a reason this song is the title of the album. IT DESERVES IT. The energy is incredible, the lyrics are intense, and the instruments are giving it their all; each and every one of them. Though not my absolute favorite song on the album {I have it, so I'm just listening to it again for the sake of the review}, it's in close second. 10/10
Run to the Hills: My favorite song on the album. Mostly because the lyrics. I'm one of those people who mostly pay attention to the sound of songs, but the lyrics are powerful enough to be heard. Everything here is pretty much the same as the song before it, only I like this song just a touch more. 10/10
Gangland: Winds down at the beginning, then achieves an energy level just under 9000…but it's not bad. It just doesn't stand out for anything after hearing two GREAT songs. I'd have to say its position is what hurts it most. If it played before Number of the Beast and Run to the Hills, it might have gotten more appreciation. Guitar did save it from being a seven. 8/10
Hallowed be Thy Name: I like how this song creeps in at last, actually. It's in a great place on the album, a terrific song, and one of my favorites on the album, slipping into third place. I like how it sounds quite distinguishable from the others for the majority of it. 9/10

Overall: I'm giving it an 8/10. I'd probably listen to this when I'm in the mood for classic metal or just in the mood to tear some people in half, but it's not a CD I need to listen to about once every day {those would be 9s and 10s}. The songs are ordered pretty well, the songs themselves are energetic, though almost too consistently so. Personally, and this is just my own quirk, the main reason why it's not a 9 or 10 is because the singer's voice does grate on me by the end of the CD. I could handle it if I hit a time of day where metal is necessary, but not once every day on my commute to work.

Tl;dr:

Excellent reviews everyone, but it's time to move on. Random number generator says: The Clouds of Northland Thunder by Amberian Dawn!

I'm kind of excited to give this a listen. Late reviews will always be accepted btw.

He Sleeps In a Grove - Holy crap, the music is awesome! That kind of singing isn't really my thing though, but still this is a great song!
Incubus - More awesome music! I liked the vocals in this song a lot more too!
Kokko – Eagle of Fire - On second thought, I don't think the vocals are getting better, I'm just getting more used to it.
Willow of Tears - And now for something different. I don't like it as much as the previous tracks, but the vocals fit this song much more.
Shallow Waters - I thought of FF4 when I heard the first 5 seconds of this song. I love the transitions from the video game type openings this band has though.
Lost Soul - By this point the singing does not bother me all that much, it's just something to get used to.
Sons of Seven Stars - I love how the guitar solo ended the song. That's pretty much the best way to do it.
Saga - Awesome guitar solo again and an awesome ending to the song.
Snowmaiden - Why was this song so hard to find on YouTube? It's a great song though.
Lionheart - Music was awesome, but the vocals are distracting again.
Morning Star - I could swear that guitar was singing to me during the instrumental parts.
Birth of the Harp - The guitar…it speaks to me.

I noticed on the YT comments that everyone loves the singing…but I don't. I can deal with it, but I would probably love it if this band was mostly instrumental.
Final Score: 8.5/10

The Clouds of Northland Thunder Review

He Sleeps in a Grove: Beautiful singing, I love the symphonic/operatic style. Epic keyboard is epic! I also enjoy how it picks up a ton of steam at the guitar solo.

Incubus: Nice intro, starts it off well. Impressive drums. Both vocalists and the spoken word guy are all excellent. Haunting guitar and keyboard melodies.

Kokko – Eagle of Fire: Dat keyboard is awesome! This guitarist is 3 for 3 on impressive solos so far.

Willow of Tears: Wasn’t really in the mood to hear a ballad, but it was good.

Shallow Waters: This band seriously knows how to write an intro! And a chorus for that matter. And a solo for that matter. I can’t help but feel I’ve heard this song before somewhere…

Lost Soul: The lyrics to this sound like a poem, just the way they flow. This keyboard is mind-blowingly cool!

Sons of Seven Stars: I can’t understand what this song is about, but it’s cool anyways. Another impressive guitar solo, this guy never stops!

Saga: Perfect questing music! I like the triplet feel that pervades most of the song. This girl can hit some obscenely high notes.

Snowmaiden: Once again, I have no idea what the song’s about, but I prefer good instrumental parts over good lyrics.

Lionheart: Woah… so much energy, I immediately liked this one. Cool drum part at the end.

Morning Star: This definitely wasn’t my favorite song, but the guitar was nice.

Birth of the Harp: Haunting and slow, with beautiful guitar and keyboard. Not much else to say about this one.

Omen (Bonus): What an intro! Great riffs as well. A fitting end to the album.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.2/10

A very solid symphonic metal album, surprised I haven’t heard of this band before. I would not recommend this for people who don’t like operatic style vocals.

TL;DR Picture Review:

That last picture was too darn big lol
UGH I finally got the post to look right.

I wasn't sure if I ought to write one since it was the album I suggested, buuuut, in all honesty, I've never listened to the whole thing. I posted it in part to have the incentive to finish. I didn't stop because it was bad or anything, but I didn't have time when I went on my Amberian Dawn kick a month ago. Now I have time, aaahahaaand I don't regret a thing.

He Sleeps in a Grove: This is the song that got me into this band. I wasn't too familiar with this sort of metal before, but when I heard that woman's voice and that guitar shredding, I was sold. After hearing the whole album, it /was/ my favorite song…until Saga. 10/10
Incubus:Okay, before I sound like a broken record, every song on the album has amazing guitar bits. I liked the man's voice cutting through this song once in a while, a break from hearing the lead once in a while. 9/10
Kokko – Eagle of Fire: I have to agree with Captain on this, but the lyrics are…well, lets just say it's obvious they're Finnish. They weren't the most…well assembled lyrics I've ever heard. Luckily, when I listen to music I hardly pay attention to what is being 'said'. The instrumentals were still gorgeous. 7.5/10
Willow of Tears: The ballad was a good break but…I wasn't the most fond of its execution. Probably my least favorite song on the album, but it's not bad or anything. It just…eh. It would have been better if she was singing it as a duet throughout the whole deal. 6.5/10
Shallow Waters: This song is awesome. Great opening, great vocals, and great guitar as usual. I feel like I could go on an epic quest to this.
Lost Soul: I love the sound of this…it's beautiful, but ominous at the same time. It's like a tale is being told, but to the tune of a music box being converted into metal. I LOVE SYNTHS {outside of the 80s}. 9/10
Sons of Seven Stars: This sounds like another tale too, as most of the songs on the album do. I'm not entirely sure what she says, even if the lyrics are available I try NOT to read them just to get a feel for the song itself, and it's pretty. It's just too damn pretty. And the guitar made me think of Batman for a moment. {YOU KNOW THE PART. It was like at the beginning of yet another epic solo} 8/10
Saga: I can't. This song is just…oh wow. YES. I want to ride dragons to this song. Then the guitar solo happens and my brains are all over the ceiling. They don't even apologize for blowing my mind. If this song was a person I'd make love to it. 10/10
Snowmaiden: Okay, this song suffers from bad positioning. After Saga, something that starts the same pace-wise and ends differently should have followed. This song the the orange to Saga's apple. It's still good but…I feel bad for it. On its own though, it's still nice to listen to.
Lionheart: I find myself unable to say much about this song at first. Mostly because it wasn't all that different from most of the songs that preceeded it. 7/10
Morning Star: The first seven seconds or so sounded like the music you'd hear in a fantasy game cutscene. Like when you enter an ancient temple or something and stuff. Then the guitar happens like it tends to do, but it feels a bit short and out of place for some reason. It comes back and it sounds a little better but…I think they could have played with that sound some more. 7.8/10
Birth of the Harp: I love the vocals in this one, though her words I can hardly understand. It's touching. The guitar mirrors it well though! I like that it doesn't go absolutely bonkers when it's solo time like usual, though I can never get enough desu guitar. 8/10
Omen: A lovely ending to the album, but not the best closer…my expectations were set a little too high I suppose. 7/10

Overall: This is hard. This is really, really hard. Um. 8/10. Mostly circumstancial. For driving about and just listening to, I'd only give it a 7/7.5 because an album of epic is just too much for my tiny brain to handle, but if I'm gaming, I want this playing. I want it. It'd be a nine or ten if I'm hitting WoW. So I settled for 8.

tl;dr:

By the way, looking forward to Mastodon. I already had a fondness for them before it was suggested and I nearly suggested it myself.

All right folks, moving right along. Next album is:

Excellent suggestion drdope, but please wait to post suggestions until the next round. On to the review!

Leviathan by Mastodon Review:

Blood and Thunder: Pretty freaking awesome. I’ve heard this song before, but it never gets old.
I am Ahab: I loved the guitar and drums in this song. I also like mastodon’s unique sounding vocals.
Seabeast: This song has a pummeling sound to it that’s really spectacular. It’s seriously relentless.
Island: Brutality to the max, just the way I like my music! Love the drum part. Cool ending as well.
Iron Tusk: Epic guitar riffs and solo. This album has been consistently top notch so far.
Megalodon: Nice intro and main riff. I love the part at around a minute twenty when it just takes off.
Naked Burn: Really cool guitar. Love the vocals as well; they have a haunting quality to them.
Aqua Dementia: Wow, the drums really impressed me on this song. Nothing else really stood out but it was still great.
Hearts Alive: I love sweeping, unnecessarily long epics like this, although I’m sure some people tire of them quickly. It almost sounds psychedelic at times.
Joseph Merrick: Good instrumental, and a fitting end to the album.

Overall Score: 8.5/10 A consistently brutal and impressive album. I'll definitely listen to more Mastodon in the near future.

I could see cops listening to this, while pulling over grandmas.

Blood and Thunder - I'm just going to say I loved everything about this song.
I Am Ahab - A bit short but I still enjoyed it.
Seabeast - I love this guitar, it's just awesome.
Ísland - I especially liked the vocals in this song.
Iron Tusk - Awesome guitar riffs.
Megalodon - (I'm running out of things to say) Still awesome.
Naked Burn - The vocals stuck out to me in this song. I loved the guitar finish too.
Aqua Dementia - Screaming! Yay! People with voices like that are allowed to scream. All others are forbidden.
Hearts Alive - This is probably my favorite song on this album. Also this is probably the longest song which I've ever listened to the whole thing.
Joseph Merrick - Soft ending to the album. Meh.

This is probably the most straightforward and least detailed review I've given, but this is the best score I've given so far.
Final Score: 9/10

Sorry I haven't posted in forever. School started back up and I just don't have as much time. Anyways, I'm sure all 2 of us still participating will appreciate it if we move on. Here's the next album:

Age of Winters by The Sword

AWWWW YEAAAAH! I've been waiting for this album. I love The Sword, and this is the only album from them I don't have.

Celestial Crown - This is pretty much what I expected from The Sword, and instrumental opening.
Barael's Blade - I love the guitar and what I love about The Sword is how the vocals don't overpower the instruments.
Freya - I love the drums on this song.
Winter's Wolves - Grr, that guitar riff at the end reminds me of something, but I can't figure out what.
The Horned Goddesses - This is a great song, but not one of my favorites from this band. Next.
Iron Swan - I'm not sure what to think about songs with abrupt pauses in them. I'm kind of mad they tricked me into thinking the song was over, but at the same time I don't really want the song to end because I do like this song.
Lament of the Aurochs - An 8 minute song? Completely normal for this band, I'm surprised they don't have more on this album. I like their longer songs better though.
March of the Lor - I accidentally read this as 'March of the Lol.' But The Sword's instrumental songs are the BEST! I love them. A lot.
Ebethron - They did the abrupt ending again. But I still like this song.

I love this band, and this is probably my 2nd favorite album by them (1st is Gods of the Earth)
Final Score: 9.2/10

Combo-breaker:

Age of Winters by The Sword Review

Celestial Crown: Super doomy, and I mean that in the best way possible! It’s only a minute and a half intro song though. It just sets the mood.

Barael’s Blade: Few things make me want to sit back and chill as much as doom metal. Not sure if this is really doom metal but it’s close enough. Epic song, reminds me of early Sabbath.

Freya: This song never gets old, that opening riff is just awesome. The atmosphere this band’s songs create is so powerful, it blows me away.

Winter’s Wolves: Just when I thought the album couldn’t get any heavier, this song comes on. It’s almost impossible not to head bang to this song.

The Horned Goddess: I play drums, and even though it was nearly midnight, after hearing this I wanted SO BADLY to go play the song. Needless to say the drum part is fantastic. I have no idea what they’re saying, but that never bothers me.

Iron Swan: Another solid song. The guitars stood out a bit, but this song was just good, not great.

Lament for the Aurochs: What a cool intro, very original. The song’s a bit long, but I have a long attention span when it comes to metal so it doesn’t bother me.

March of the Lor: Nice beginning riff! I love how the whole thing just spirals into madness, what a classic example of metal at its best.

Ebethron: Heck yes, drum solo! Good ending song, nice way to close out the album.

Overall Score: 8.8/10 A classic for sure.

This metal thread….is really boring. All power metal and heavy metal? Here it is (for those who don't recognize the cover.)

Impetuous Ritual – Relentless Execution Of Ceremonial Excrescence

Alright, time for some feedback. A lot of people have submitted albums before the current round finishes, which is against the rules. Should we change the rules so that albums can be submitted any time and then we'll just do them in the order they were submitted? Or do you have a better idea? Let me know.

Yes.

And shouldn't this be in the Just For Fun section?

The other album exchange clubs were and are in general so this one should be as well.

Do that AFTER this round ends. Until then everyone can just suck it up.

Sounds good to me Captain! Here's the next album to review:

Warriors of the World by Man O War.

Review to come soon!

I'm actually a music reviewer and I don't do track by tracks, I hope that's ok. It'll be in essay form.

Manowar – Warriors Of The World

Rating: 4.5/10

Manowar are very well known for their brand of testosterone fuelled, blood quenching manly power metal. Many of their earlier releases are given high esteem in the eyes of power metal fans. Warriors of the World shows a lot of their old talent, but it also has a lot of pretty abhorrent songs on it.

Vocally the band is better better than ever. Strong, powerful and meaningful. This is highly notable in the album opener Call To Arms which possesses a powerful chorus and catchy choral odes. Call to arms is notably as good as the bands earlier works. However afterwords you begin to see the rockiness of the album. Fight for Freedom isn't horrible, but it has a noticeable off tonality and very cliché lyrics, which is to be expected in any power metal song, however they may have slightly overstepped their bounds on this one. Nessun Dorma is another one of the albums many downfalls, which is a cover of Pavorotti which acts as some of the massive amounts of filler Warriors contains. Vahalla also adds to the amount of wanking filler included on this album. Swords of the Wind is a catchy but generic power ballad. Nothing to complain about, but it's not very memorable either. "American Trilogy" is perhaps not only the lowest point in the album, but in the band's entire career. It is a horrible butchering of a classic Elvis Presley song, that almost had me in tears of rage. The March is an abominably long piece of filler with no redeeming factors. Easily skippable. Warriors Of The World United is the catchiest song on the album that relies on pure simplicity. Luckily it works to create a masterfully solid song. Hand of Doom marks another high point as the heaviest song on the album, which also conveys a lot of power and breath into Warriors. Not to mention the awesome solo about halfway through. House of Death is the second last song, which I found quite boring, a generic attempt at thrashin' hard. Fight Til We Die is the final song on the album. It's easily the best song on the album with catchy choruses and riffs, not to mention the amount of energy generated by this electricity filled tune.

Long story short, this album had some high point, but it's high points are somewhat muffled in the endless sea of wanking and filler. This is easily one of their worst albums. In my personal opinion I would plain skip this album in their discography, and if I were to care I would likely get the few good songs illegally. That said, Manowar had a long career of several classic albums, and it would be more beneficial to direct our attention to them instead.

Also sorry for posting an album after the round is over. Didn't understand the rules the first time through, but I get it now. For now we'll just void it and forget about it cause I have a new idea for next round.

Thanks for joining us Jules! Also thanks for being considerate, there's only two more albums left til we switch the rules a bit. Then we'll just review in the order they're submitted.

Warriors of the World by Manowar Review. I’m going to start doing song by song, just because.

Call to Arms: Pretty cool opening, exactly what you’d expect from Manowar, power metal wankery with some genuinely cool riffs, keyboards, etc. Cheesy lyrics, but that’s fine with me! 8.4/10

Fight for Freedom: Not bad, very generic, but I like that it sounds like a warrior giving an epic speech to his troops. 7.7/10

Nessun Dorma: Wow. I did not expect this song at all. It’s quite beautiful, but it feels absurdly out of place on a Manowar album. I liked it anyways though. 8/10

Valhalla: That was kind of lame. I was expecting an epic battle song, but all I got was an intro… bummer man. 3/10

Swords in the Wind: The intro was a bit slow, but it transitioned nicely into the main bit. And then it got slow again. This is one of those songs where people hold their lighters/cell phones in the air, but I was hoping it would pick up just a bit. Cool lyrics on this one though. Ugh, I hate fade-outs. 6/10

An American Trilogy: This is such a strange song to put on this album, it just feels way too out of place. I haven’t heard the original, but I certainly don’t like this version. 3/10

The March: Beautiful intro segues into an interesting instrumental (instrumental except for the choir that is). Good, but not great. 6.5/10

Warriors of the World United: Oh lord here we go. This song basically defines power metal wankery, although it sounds almost more like hair metal. Not bad, but far too repetitive. 6.8/10

Hand of Doom: Pretty sweet. The album’s finally gotten back on its feet. Great solos, much better lyrics than usual. 8.5/10

House of Death: Not bad, a bit repetitive, which can be grating. 6.5/10

Fight until we Die: Nice intro. This was perhaps the best on the album, the lyrics were less repetitive, the guitar parts were cool, and it just fit together well. 8.6/10

Final Score: 6.8/10 Despite some good songs and some great songs, there’s some truly disappointing filler, and I definitely wouldn’t call this album a classic. I doubt I will ever listen to the whole thing again.

Moving right along, the first to last album for round 1 is:

Februus Doesn't Love You Anymore by Februus

According to Kalmo that's what it's called. It should look like this:

Good luck finding it, it seems to be pretty obscure.

It's not on RYM, so we can assume it's impossible to get online.

Lets just skip it. What's next?

But, but what about my album?
(My review for Warriors of the World is coming soon)

@captain: Februus' album is the first to last album, yours is the last album.
@everyone: Seeing as this album is nearly impossible to find, we will skip it. That means the last album for round 1 is:

Confession by Il Nino.

After your review post your round 2 album choices!

I'm just gonna do a track for track this time cause the format made my review look like shit. Also I'd heard Warriors Of The World before-hand so I had an idea of what I was gonna write.

Ill Nino – Confession

Te Amo…I Hate You: This song is heavy. Unfortunately it uses some of the worst Nu-Metal clichés in the book. "Now you'll eat your words." is a cringe worthy line. The vocals are nasally and not well formed. Guitars sound like any Korn or Slipknot song I've had the tragedy of hearing. 5/10

How I Live: Slightly better than the first song. Generic riffs and structures but a bit of depth is added with the maracas and acoustic ambience. Catchy as well. 5.5/10

Two (Vaya Con Dias): Terrible lyrics and shamelessly ripping off Linkin Park. This song is pretty horrid. 3.5/10

Unframed: The phaser at the start is cool. This song holds a bit more depth than the other songs, and it contains some good melodies, but still falls victim to corny lyrics and boring riffs. 5.5/10

Cleansing: Fun bongos at the start, and the vocals are a lot better. Almost Deftones like. The chorus is pretty bad but the verses are stand able. 6/10

This Time's For Real: Opening riff is extremely dull and the vocals are back to their nasally original state. The chorus is surprisingly dull and these are the worst substance-less lyrics so far. 3.5/10

Lifeless…Life: This song proves that the percussion section is the only thing in the band worth anything. I have nothing further to say, because all the songs seem to suffer from the same disease. 4/10

Numb: I often hate slow songs on Nu-metal albums because they are usually very forced. This one isn't that bad though, best song so far…despite the lyrics. The arrangements are cool too. 6.5/10

Have You Ever Felt: I'm starting to think Linkin Park and Ill Nino might just be the same band…2/10

When It Cuts: More cool arrangements from the percussion and better vocals. Although I can't help noticing the fishy similarity to Parabola by Tool. 6/10

Letting Go: This one was awful, worst song so far. 1.5/10

All The Right Words: It seems Ill Nino has a way with good intros, but the rest of the songs never match. Bad vibe, cool drums. 4/10

Re-Birth: This song doesn't really sound like anything else on the album. Heavy, some breakbeats added in as well as some electonica influence. Best song on the album by far. 7/10

In the end I thought this album was really awful. I had trouble with the lack of good lyrics, the way they bluntly ripped off Linkin Park and just the overall messiness, lack of creativity and laziness. It seems the band wrote these song in a couple days, and than spent a ridiculous amount of time producing it to sound crystal clear. The production isn't bad, it's just lame, and very cliché. Sounds like whoever produces for Madonna decided Ill Nino need it's candy clean monotone guitars, but whatever. I don't mind nu-metal, but this album was really hard to listen to. 3/10

Again, I don't really know much about what kind of metal you guys are comfortable with (some of the stuff I like is pretty hard to get in to, even to some of the biggest, and most open metal fans.) So I'm gonna start out safe. That said, it's still not going to be an easy journey ;)

I have only heard one Manowar song before I was rather meh with it. Let's see how this goes.
Call To Arms - I liked this song overall. It had a strong guitar with awesome riffs.
Fight for Freedom - It seemed kind of cheesy, but oh well it wasn't too bad.
Nessun Dorma - uhh…what?
Valhalla - Where is this album going?
Swords in the Wind - This album suddenly turned really slow, I'm not liking it very much.
An American Triliogy - Is this even a metal album anymore?
The March - Okay, now I'm over the fact that this is not a metal album anymore and I can now enjoy this as classical music (which I am also a fan of).
Warriors of the World United - Well now we're back to metal. I'm not the biggest fan of this song though. It was okay.
Hand of Doom - I'm also rather meh towards this song.
House of Death - It's getting better, but not by much.
Fight Until We Die - This is better than the last few songs, but not as good as track 1.

I do not think I will ever listen to this album again, but I might listen to Call To Arms or The March, because I think they were the only songs I liked.
Final Score: 3.5/10

Long post time! @Jules, I wouldn't worry about choosing inaccessible music, I for one will listen to anything and everything with an open mind.

Ill Nino Review
Te Amo… I Hate You: Holy crap, it’s eerie how much this band sounds like Linkin Park! This song wasn’t bad, but it’s been a while since I’ve liked Nu Metal. This doesn’t exactly make me want to go back. 5/10
How Can I Live: Not a fan of the lyrics, “All the lies in me, all of it dies in me, how can I live without you?” Pretty shallow. Cool auxiliary percussion parts, but other than that pretty ho-hum. 5/10
Two (Vaya con Dios): Pretty cool intro, gains some points for that. They’ve finally stopped sounding like Linkin Park, but now sound like a cross between Slipknot and Asking Alexandria. Not a fan of the clean vocals, but the shouted/harsh vocals aren’t bad. The drum solo is a nice touch. 6.5/10
Unframed: Suddenly, Metalcore. If nothing else this band can emulate several different styles. Another typical break-up song, also still not loving the vocals. 5/10
Cleansing: Nice percussion, but you know the song is cringe-worthy when you find yourself dreading the chorus. 4/10
This Time’s for Real: Not a bad guitar intro, and the solo was actually very nice. The lyrics on this album are more similar then Alestorm, which is really saying something. They’ve rhymed lie with die about over 9000 times. These songs are all short but somehow they still feel too long. 4.5/10
Lifeless… Life: Now they sound like Korn. It’s interesting that every band I’ve cited so far except Asking Alexandria came about at least a year before these guys. (Yes I’m implying that they aren’t the slightest bit original) 3/10
Numb: The percussion parts are the only part of this album I’ve truly liked so far. The lyrics, once again, stink. “I can’t hold on, I’m feeling numb from everything you do.” The lyrics are way too emo for my taste. 4/10
Have You Ever Felt: This is easily the most boring song yet. It’s like they made Linkin Park worse. 2/10
When it Cuts: Mercifully short, although it’s the most repetitive song yet. 5/10
Letting Go: Another boring slow song. Ill Nino needs to learn that despite a few exceptions, slow Nu Metal is awful. 3/10
All the Right Words: Good guitars, but again the lyrics… You can only complain about old girlfriends so much before it gets childish and annoying. 4/10
Re-Birth: Suddenly, Maximum the Hormone. I spoke too soon, it suddenly got slow again and I hear: “My whole family lied to me, etc. etc.” But then it goes back to the good part. Talk about inconsistency. 5/10
Overall Score: 4/10 This album was not good by any definition. I will definitely not listen to these guys again, and it’s not just because they’re Nu Metal. There is some Nu Metal I like, but this was atrocious with the exception of the Latin percussion.

And that's the end of round 1. Thanks to everyone who participated! Round 2 as you know will be a bit different, as we will now be reviewing albums in the order they are submitted, so newcomers feel free to post a review and/or album anytime!

Here is my next choice: They Will Return by Kalmah

Excellent. The fact you mentioned black metal and death metal lead me to believe you were open. I was just checkin. Excellent album choice! Review for Deconstruction is coming up. If you can't find the album online just post, and I can get you a link. Took me a while to find a good download, and I don't know if it'll be on grooveshark due to copyright Nazi's.

Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction

Ok, I'm gonna start out this review with a ridiculously outlandish comment, and then reel it back in so that you can sense as hopeful glimpse of sanity. This is, in our history, the greatest, most powerful, metal album ever written. I know what you are thinking. "What the hell is wrong with this guy, if he thinks this is the greatest metal album ever written, he better get a time machine." Of course, I understand your concern. I myself love the classics of metal. It's where I started out. Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Death, Emperor and bands of that have forever dominated my metal interests. I've always delved in the minimalism and obscure as well, but nothing I have ever come across has given a message this strong and powerful. Deconstruction is an obnoxious, loud, cheesy, messy and ridiculous look at metal…but after closer inspection, all of those detrimental aspects seem to be what makes the album so amazing. The album starts out with Praise The Lowered, and for those who were looking for the heavy metal oriented work Devin promised would be sorely disappointed. The song has a dreamy synth like atmosphere similar to his other recent album Ghosts. The new age aspect is a put off at first, but the lyrics are unique and crafty. As always, Devin strikes beautiful melodies. As the song continues you begin to hear those demented screams and lustful guitars Devin promised, but just as it gets good, it ends, leaving you baffled that it had to stop. I remember on my first listen I was disappointed, and worried that it might be the extent of heaviness on the album…I was very wrong. Stand features the well respected vocalist from Opeth and Bloodbath Mikael Alerfeldt. This song too, starts ion a lull,but the synths progress and guitars ring out odd riffs. The whole song has a progressive structure much like Praise The Lowered in which everything leads up to a massive crescendo with Mikael and Devin viciously screaming and singing. The song balances ambience and metal with electronic influences, and good old hevy devy riffs. After Stand, mayhem insures. The rest of the album is an absolute mass of wankery, cheesy backgrounds, and just obnoxious walls of sound. Too many, people would immediatly think it's a cry for attention, but the album has a vivid message that contradicts that. Some of the lyrics are laughably bad, "For my wife and my kids." In Planet Of The Apes. Being so familiar with Devin, I found this odd, for this lyrics was lacking, but after much research I cracked the case. It seems the whole album is…a metaphor for his life. His own shifting tastes, and struggles with the meaning of life and his own philosophies. Lines like this show he perceived naivety, and how whenever one of life's answers was presented to him, it just wasn't gonna be that easy. Deconstruction plays on the stereotypes of metal. The title track is a perfect example, for lots of fart noises and burping are included. On first listen many see this as revolting. But perhaps that is why they were included. If you can completely condemn a song based on fart noises alone, then maybe you aren't looking deep enough into music. Devin said this himself in an interview, stating, "I added them to keep metal elitists away from this album, it wasn't made for them." The wanking is a message that, we shouldn't disown something purely because solo's and scales are included. Devin uses them in a way nobody ever has, and these solos no longer serve the purpose of showing off, but rather as a tool. Still there is a heavy emphasis on metal, for the lead singers of Opeth, Cynic, Emperor, Gojira, Gwar, The Dillinger Escape Plan, After Forever, Novembers Doom and Between The Buried and me are all featured in the tracks. The problem with being able to rate this album anything lower than 10/10, is there are no flaws. All of the melodies are justified, the structures seem as detailed and thought over as a Quentin Tarantino movie, and there is no where you think "He should have taken that out," or "He should have done this instead." I can't pick the best song because they fit too perfectly and all suit a different cause. Deconstruction is less a piece of art, than it is a machine. Each song is a vital working part. You can take something out of a piece of art, and odds are nobody will notice, but Deconstruction is so complex and detailed that taking a part out would damage the machine, and it would cease to be Deconstruction at all.

10/10…and the only 10/10 I will ever give, unless something better appears.