Firewind - Allegiance (2006)

So today was one of those days where I was looking for something to listen to while I was driving. Nothing seemed to catch my attention, and then I saw this album, and decided to put it in. I've grown quite accustomed to it since burning it for myself, and its just something... i think its the guitar tones in this album, they just sound incredibly heavy, in a good way.

On my way to where I was going, I was just simply listening to the album just to have something to listen to. On my way back home though, I was tired, and I continued to listen to this album, but it wasn't until track 5 started playing, that i really started absorbing the music, and the keyboards just sound directly on point with the arrangements.

I've been following this band for a while, and they've definitely put out some really good albums, this one being one of my most listened to. The riffs are killer, with the heavy guitar tones underlining. I say this about a lot of bands, but when you pass this overall sound of brilliance, you really begin to notice it in other albums, and this is one of those that you can spin from beginning to end. I think i enjoy every song on this album, actually. Firewind... is just incredible.

You can download the album HERE.

Friendly reminder.

Just a reminder. All my downloads are either in 320kbps or V0/vbr, unless noted otherwise. Anything below and I will post the bitrate on the blog.

Death - Human (1991)

Really... its brilliant.

The technical aspect of Death will just wow you. Goes to show you that great bands have came out of Florida alongside Savatage and Kamelot. Chuck Schuldiner is the father of death metal, period. I mean really, Death.

The drumwork, the guitar work, the basslines, the vocals... it sounds vintage but with a new age sound of technicality that's just absolutely astounding. I will always say, people will never really understand the full body experience of music until they've learned an instrument, and appreciate the most experienced musicianship exhibition in bands like Death and more.

You can download the album HERE.

Kamelot - The Black Halo (2005)

Definitely one of my favorite albums. When I first heard Kamelot, I was aware that they were a power metal band, but it wasn't noted that their style is incredible. Roy Khan quickly became one of my favorite singers in metal, not to mention he studied opera in Norway.

The band's overall sound... I can't even describe it, its a mixture of several specific bands. At the top of my head, they sound like what Dream Theater would sound like if they were power metal. Excellent keyboards, drum work, bass lines and guitar work really propel this band's music.

If you haven't heard Kamelot, I would recommend this album to you. They are definitely incredible to hear, and proud to say they're in my Top 5 of power metal bands. Songs like When The Lights Are Down, The Haunting, and The Black Halo sound even more impressive live if you haven't seen their One Cold Winter's Night DVD. Actually, the song that turned me on to Kamelot was the self-titled, The Black Halo. I had always known about the band since high school, but never got into them until this year, and the first song I heard was that off of AOL Radio.

You don't have to be an avid metal fan to like this album, its eclectic in its own right, and true musicians can appreciate the beautiful arrangements this band contains in their music.

You can download the album HERE.

small hiatus, but I'm getting back into it.

I took a short hiatus from the album reviews to deal with personal life issues, and things are sorting itself out, so I will post album reviews more frequently from now on. You know me, I'm always listening to something. =D