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| The Cure Disintegration |
| The first time I heard this album it was on loan from a friend, and well I couldn't let go of it, so I promptly ordered a copy for myself. Disintegration, in my opinion, is a work of brilliance. It's subtle, yet complex, and draws you into it. Beautifully crafted lyrics and melodies make this album timeless. Pictures of You, perfectly lays all of these elements together in a mix that, whilst depressing, is strangly uplifting at the same time. "Love Song" points to the direction which The Cure took in subsequent albums, and kind of reminds me of Love Cats, dare it say it. To me this is truly one of the greatest albums of the latter twentieth century, and everyone should have a copy of it. |
| My rating 9.10 |
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| Korn Issues |
| Album number 4 from Korn is a bit of a surprise package. Many fans of the band see this as just another nail in the coffin of the old Korn, I don't know. The lyrics seem very personal and introspective. For an album that was produced from scratch in only a few months it sounds really good. Korn have experimented this time round with some new sounds. It moves away from the heavy rap influence of Follow the Leader, into a more guitar driven groove. Jon Davis' vocals vary from quiet to this old angry self. |
| The real dissappointment to me is that Korn really don't get out and use Jon's bagpipe playing more, because its just really cool. The single Falling Away from Me opens the album propper, and varies between frenzied guitars and fuzzed out samples. It also showcases the varied vocal styles evident throughout the album, from angry screams to screaching whispers. The lyrical material on this album is more varied, but retains its dark edge. Some of the stuff on this album covers new ground for the band, which will not doubt cause controversy amongst the "real" fans. It quite like it.
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| My rating 7.10 |
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| Nine Inch Nails The Fragile. |
| The new NiN album has been one of the most anticipated releases for the last twelve months, having been delayed by that length of time. But it really did not disappoint. With awesome production and an attention to detail that only Reznor can give. Both discs brilliantly equate the quiet and soft. Organic instruments are sampled to give a truly spectacular effect. With each listen this record just gets better and better. Even when it's on repeat play in my discman it flows so well from track to track that if your not concentrating it just slips by. To my mind the standout tracks on the record are... well most of the record, but the Day the World Went Away, Where in this Together, Starfuckers and Pilgramage are the tracks to listen out for... |
| My rating, unfortunately another 8/10. |
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| Rage Against the Machine Battle of Los Angles |
| From the openning cresendo of guitars, you can tell that this is most definately a Rage album. As heavy as the self titled debut, but with a bit more funk, this is Rage back in fine form. From the openner Testify to the first single Geurrilla Radio, the usual themes of political activism, and revolt play through the album. As always the vocals are powerful and the guitars impressive. Tom Morrello never ceases to amaze me with the number and variety of sounds he can pull out of an electric guitar with a bunch of pedals. The sounds on Mic Check are somewhat softer, with only the bass and drums to give that Rage edge for most of the song. This new Rage album shows a clear progression in the musical evolution of the band, but it retains a familiar edge. |
| Excellent 8/10 |
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| Rammstein Live Aus Berlin. |
| Having nothing to do this morning, I wandered into my favorite record store, Impact Records in Canberra for a browse. So I'm wandering along and I see starring at me a Rammstein album I've never seen before, it's title Live Aus Berlin. So I treat myself to a quick listen... I quite like what I'm hearing, and have just been paid.... So what the hell I'll buy it. No harm really. On further listenning it just keeps getting better and better. This is true live testament, much like the recently released Dylan tapes, live at Albert Hall. It starts off slowly, but as you listen you can just hear it getting better and better, the crowd get more enthusiastic, the band just go to another level. This album just plain fucking kicks ass. I'm now really pissed that they didn't play the Big Day Out this year. I only hope they make it this time around. |
| OK that's the overview overwith, but what about the tracks. I'll reiterate, this album does start off slowly, but by the second track Herzeleid and then Bestrafe Mich, with an extended keyboard solo, your just in this groove. You really just wish you were in the pit with the 40,000 other people in Berlin who witnessed this awesome live testament. The version of Du Hast just pisses all over the version on the Family Values album. An extended version of Engel, just makes me itchy for the mosh. Klavier and Rammstein, better the recored versions. You can see why this album was bootlegged to death.... The extended limited edion has a great final track, Seemann, which I can only guess translates to semen, which is slower, but finishes off this tremendous recording just so well. |
| I give this one an 8/10... One of the best live albums I've heard to date. |
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| Regurgitator ...Art |
| A new Regurgitator album is always something to look forward to, and agin the 'Gurge have placed their collective tongues firmly in their cheeks to produce another "grouse Aussie icon" as Merrick and Rosso would say. It combines the musical stylings from both Tu Plang and Unit, but retains the usual wit. "I love Tommy Mottola", a piss take on the Sony CEO and Mariah Carrey's former lover is a great example of this. This album also takes the bands sample stylings to another level. "Are you being Served?", takes the theme song from the Brittish TV series and reworks it in the usual Regurgitator way, and never ceases to make me laugh. "Let's go out tonight" is more directed towards the Tu Plang styling, but has a rythum enough to make you want to tap your toes. Another champion work by the boys. |
| My rating 7.10 |
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| Regurgitator Unit |
| Whilst being a much lauded Australian album. Regurgitator's Unit is a little underdone when compared the previous and latter efforts. This shows when the band play live. Their live set usually only consists of "Black Bugs", "..Old Stuff" and a smattering of other tracks. In a recent Rolling Stone interview Quan was quoted saying that Unit was a "shit album" and indentified a good portion of the album as filler. But it still has it's fine points, World of Sleaze and Polyester Girl, whilst being throwaway and "filler" (in the case of the latter), still don't fail to amuse. But as far as wit and humour goes, I think that both ...Art and Unit are more amusing. Should have been released as an EP, but I'll forgive Regurgitator just this once. |
| My rating 6.10 |
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| Type O Negative Bloody Kisses |
| This album was one I picked up by "accident". Not having heard much Type O Negative, only one track from a compilation, I was very impressed. The openner is an odd little prelude to the album, sounds of a woman screaming. The listener is then plunged into the grinding openning song, "Christian Woman", which is split into three seperate sections. The first is "Corpus Christi (Body of Crist)", a grinding, melodic, god fearing track part. It's then follwed by "To Love God" with it's strings and melodic piano, and the track is finished by "JC Looks Like Me" a melodic metal section, with a choir as backing vocals. The album continues along these dark melodic lines. With lines such as "Lilly Munster ain't got nothing on you" this is certainly a dark opus. One of the great surpises of this album is a cover of "Summer Dreams". A remix of this cover was used on the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" soundtrack. Overall I really enjoy this album, its dark and heavy, but to me it's stangely uplifting. |
| It's awesome 8.10 |
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