We are grateful to the Californian Desert for many things, especially Queens of the Stone Age. The band, led by stoner rock pioneer Josh Homme, featured over the years an ever changing line-up with Homme being the only constant member and main songwriter. QOTSA’s sound has since incorporated an extensive mixture of multiple genres and styles, ranging from stoner to psychedelic, as well as alternative to desert rock. Following the 2002 breakthrough release “Songs for the Deaf”, the band has achieved great success in the mainstream alternative crowd and it has been widely praised by fans and critics alike.

With “Lullabies to Paralyze”, Queens of the Stone Age continued to evolve their riff-orientated signature song structure while adding a darker and spookier touch to their sound. The lyrics are loosely based on the Brothers Grimm folk and fairy tales, a rather different theme than the ones present in the first three albums. Rather than being a ‘Songs for the Deaf 2’, this album is actually a symbiosis between the experimental art rock of the acclaimed “Rated R” and the shadowy heaviness of Kyuss, Homme’s first band, stoner rock legends.

The album starts off with the madrigal-like “This Lullaby” and then bursts into seven tight and intricately shaped songs that embrace fuzz-toned guitars mixed up with ghostly and eerie psychedelia. The succession of tracks converges to the apex of the entire album, the utterly scary and hypnotic seven-minute epic “Someone’s in the Wolf”, with its nauseous and seasick guitar licks and harrowing ambiance. Other notable songs: “Little Sister”, the album’s memorable main single, in which is included a totally efficient hazy-sounding guitar solo (as well as some great cowbell), “Burn The Witch”, which features ZZ Top’s front man, Billy Gibbons and his legendary signature bluesy riffing, “The Blood Is Love”, which begins with a circus-like pattern and then follows into a weighty and mesmerizing distorted feel and the addictive “Tangled Up In Plaid”.

The instruments bleed together as one, into an impermeable blend of sensual vocals, perpetual drumming, pounding bass and fascinating guitar chops. In this meticulously threaded album we find Josh Homme’s true genius once again, who never ceases to amaze and reshape the contemporary rock scene. Although the flawless classic “Songs for the Deaf” would also be perfectly fit for the task, I definitely advocate “Lullabies to Paralyze” to anyone new to QOTSA or to anyone who just desires to listen to remarkable fresh and modern rock.

by Kerry

“Year Zero” is Nine Inch Nails’ fifth studio album and the most complete one to date if you ask me. Even if you are not the most devoted NIN fan, this album truly is grand. Although most of the songs that Trent Reznor (the band’s frontman and mastermind) write are somewhat straightforward, this record is certainly the band’s weirdest, strongest and most complex release, the finest since “The Downward Spiral”. As Reznor stated, “Year Zero” is a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist; it’s actually a concept album criticizing the contemporary policies of the United States government by imagining a dystopian near-future where everything went wrong, something like the end of the world, while not being too farfetched.

Musically speaking, “Year Zero” is definitely a comeback for NIN after the weak “With Teeth”, this album proves that after all these years our old warhorse has not lost it all, yet, and that he still possesses a bag full of tricks. It marks a return to the more electronic sound associated with their older releases, after the alternative-rock-rooted “With Teeth”. “Year Zero” features a large amalgam of distorted, spindled, haunting, looped sounds characteristic to the eternally industrial basis of Nine Inch Nails, tinted with a grey ambience that will persist from the first track to the last. “Year Zero” is certainly not redundant; at times you will be assaulted with sonic onslaughts, or also moved by the poignant hollowness and coldness of the album’s heart (although not as much as their previous releases). The album is dense and lengthy, with fifteen songs shackled together, featuring notable stand-outs and hooks such as the spooky yet groovy ‘Survivalism’, the burning ‘God Given’, the frenzied ‘Meet Your Master’, the apocalyptical ‘The Great Destroyer’ and the quite touching ‘Zero-Sum’.

“Year Zero” is excellent for newcomers to NIN, and especially for the veterans since it is hands down one the band’s best album. Although you might not be wholly convinced after one listening, the album will without a doubt grow on you quickly. It’s unquestionably a landmark in the ever-mutating sound of Nine Inch Nails’ discography. Truly, “Year Zero” is a disturbing and brilliant album.

by Kerry

This astonishing follow-up to the 2004 breakthrough release “Panopticon” simply proves yet again that Isis is an ever-progressing band. Although one might not necessarily label Isis as a progressive band when relating to the genre-specific term, none can argue with the fact that labelling Isis so is utterly appropriate to the literal sense. The band manages with this splendid album to take metal to a whole new dimension, moving past the pre-established boundaries of the genre. Isis’ sound could be described as a blend of the softness and thoughtfulness found in post-rock (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky) and the weightiness and primitivism found in sludge (Neurosis, Melvins), thus resulting into what is dubbed as post-metal or metalgaze. Add to that Tool’s etherealness and then you obtain something that will sound like Isis.

“Wrists of Kings” is the album opener, beginning with thundering drums and a shimmering guitar and bass counterpoint. It sounds very similar to any track featured on “Panopticon”, I’m actually pretty sure that it was one of the songs that didn’t make the album’s cut in the end, but was recorded around the same time. It’s a perfect viaduct between both albums, since the change isn’t too radical, but you can still sense that the band’s sound has morphed into something more dark and sombre. “Not in Rivers, But in Drops”, “1000 Shards”, “Holy Tears” and “Garden of Light” are other excellent highlights featured in the album. The band’s vocalist, main songwriter, and guitarist Aaron Turner (founder of Hydra Head Records) doesn’t have an incredible voice and only makes a few interventions in the usually lengthy songs, but when he does so, either if it’s in clean voice or harsh vocals, it’s definitely never out of place and blends quite well with the instrumental background. In the Absence of Truth is definitely an improvement for the percussion section, which has become more mature than in the preceding recordings. The marvellous counterpoints created by the guitar and bass parts display the amount of musicianship found in Isis. The song structures are ever evolving, moving into multiple different time signatures and keys within a same song, while still remaining a flawlessly crafted whole.

This is one of 2006’s best alternative and/or metal releases in my opinion. I have to say this might be one of my personal favourites in this decade’s albums. I strongly recommend In the Absence of Truth if you want to listen to something new and modern. Many bands have tried to copy Isis’ sound even if it is quite new in the alternative and indie industry, but never have they succeeded in equalling it. This album truly is a work of contemporary art and it will plunge you into the dark, hushed, raw, and cold heart of the future.

by Kerry

The future of the thinking man’s metal, as some call it, is in Mastodon’s hands, or hooves, should I say. With its impeccable blend of pure heavy metal, sludge, progressive, technical, thrash, sludge (did I already mention it?) and even hardcore, the Atlanta-based quartet delivers an incredibly resourceful hybrid of genres. Without losing any of the aggressiveness found in the previous and first release, Remission, Mastodon manages to create a more melodic and available approach, widening their audience. For all of its raw bestiality and touch of ingenuity in terms of sound, Leviathan is a landmark in recent metal. The splendid cover provides a good hint in guessing the main theme of the album. Yep, you got it right; it’s the ocean, and ocean implies whales, giant sharks, waves, storms, beasts and other strange creatures lurking beneath the sea. The album revolves around the Herman Melville classic, Moby-Dick, some of the songs being segments of Ishmael’s journey aboard the Pequod. The other tracks that are not related to Moby-Dick are all linked to the water element, following Mastodon’s concept of each album representing its own element (Remission: fire, Blood Mountain: earth, etc.).

Blood and Thunder starts off the album with a solid and efficient guitar snarl that is a few seconds later boosted by oodles of superb drumming and loud bass. The song is short and somewhat very standard in terms of progression, but it remains an excellent opener. Seabeast is another of Leviathan’s highlights, commencing with a sluggish and dissonant guitar riff that is embellished right after by a dawdling lick. This song is truly representative of the album’s general feel, weighty and unhurried, except for the demented drums in the background. Two tracks later comes the forceful Iron Tusk, which is the very definition of sludge metal. With loud guitar chops, insane drumming and bass heaviness, Iron Tusk stands tall, and is one of the album’s musts. Then, there is the extremely progressive and fast-paced Megalodon (the gargantuan prehistoric shark). Right after the intro, there is an awesome-sounding country-like riff that contrasts the song really well. Megalodon just goes in so many directions and yet remains extremely consistent. Even so, the album’s climax is achieved with Hearts Alive, a fourteen-minute epic. It starts off with wave sounds, which were also used to end the preceding track (Aqua Dementia) and then with a lingering guitar riff fading in, that lasts for about 2 minutes. Then the beast blasts in with a tremendous riff and afterwards the main theme returns to be layered over it; great dual guitar lyricism that will later be developed in Mastodon’s subsequent recordings, where the band’s sound becomes more polished. Hearts Alive also has remarkable vocals; easily the best of the album, even if the intervention is rather short. The song itself is an amazingly grand voyage that will make you feel like a sailor, and is without doubt one of my personal favourites.

If you crave for quality metal like I do, the watery-and-creature-filled Leviathan will definitely leave you in awe. Multiple listens are required though to fully appreciate the album’s tale, as you will keep making discoveries in the depths of the album’s waters. Leviathan is undeniably one of the best heavy albums of the last decade. It’s no wonder why it has garnered so many positive reviews and been praised by critics, cryptozoologists and fans alike.

I strongly recommend this album and my good ol’ pal Nessie would certainly approve this message.

by Kerry