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History:

Hope everyone had a joyous and blessed holiday, and now let's continue with the year-end music review, without further delay I give you the Top 20 Metal CDs of 2003, plus honorable mentions and my Best of 2003 Awards, I put a good amount of work into them throughout the year but it was a labor of love, so enjoy ......





Honorable Mention

Vital Remains - Dechristianize
An all-out death metal assault on Christianity, featuring Deicide's Glen Benton on (unintelligible) vocals. Extremely aggressive, but there's barely any variety, and 7-plus minute death metal songs are almost never a good idea. It's saved, however, by excellent melodic leads and solos by guitarist David Suzuki. For serious death metal freaks only.
Jay's Picks: "Devoured Elysium", "Savior to None, Failure to All", "Rush of Deliverance"




Vader - Blood (EP)
An outstanding EP from this Polish death metal band, really well done, more entertaining than most bands in the genre (Vital Remains, for example) because of pretty good songwriting, nice guitarwork and drums, and original-sounding vocal style. Would have made the top 20 but it's only 7 songs, still worth checking out and highly recommended. Especially get the version that features a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Angel of Death" (no not the Slayer song), which shows a whole different (and awesome) side to the band.
Jay's Picks: "Angel of Death", "Son of Fire", "We Wait"




Darkest Hour - Hidden Hands of a Sadist NationThis is a Washington, D.C. hardcore/metal crossover band (a.k.a. metalcore) much like God Forbid or Zao, but they're definitely trying to distance themselves from the hardcore image here, producing this album at Sweden's legendary Fredman Studios and featuring members of The Crown, At the Gates, Soilwork and the Haunted throughout. At times it's almost musically overwhelming in terms of its non-stop brutal aggression, and the production is of course top-notch. The sends do tend to blend into one another, however, and John Henry's vocals sound like he's regurgitating into the microphone (I'm usually into the screaming/growling thing when it's well done but this is just too much). There's supposedly a strong message in there condemning American hypocrisy or something along those lines, but unfortunately it's impossible to discern. They could be on the verge of creating something outstanding, though, and with a little more creativity and probably a new vocalist they could achieve it soon if they stick in this direction.
Jay's Picks: "Misinformation Age", "The Sadist Nation", "Oklahoma"




The Haunted - One Kill Wonder
I was expecting bigger things from this band after 2000's The Haunted Made Me Do It, but it just didn't live up. Not to say it's a bad album, it's very well-done modern thrash, except it's just more than a little ripped off from Slayer. Not a bad band to rip off, but they just can't match Tom Araya's unique vocals, Jeff Hanneman's songwriting or Kerry King's whack guitar solos as they alternate between slower-paced, latter day Slayer to classic Reign In Blood-era Slayer (nearly replicating entire parts from various classics and piecing them together in new songs). It wouldn't hurt to be a little more original next time around.
Jay's Picks: "Shadow World", "D.O.A."




Dew Scented - Impact
Another nondescript modern thrash album, similar to last year's Inwards. Much like The Haunted or Carnal Forge, it's really just straightforward Slayer-worshipping thrash, no gimmicks. If you're a fan of the genre it's worth checking out, especially if you're the kind of person who is always claiming bands sell out, because guys like Dew Scented really stick to their guns and don't bring much new to the table. They do, however, keep a certain integrity and in that respect don't disappoint. Don't get me wrong, it sounds awesome, but if you take it on the basis of a whole album, the songs tend to blend and blur into one another as you go on. Much like One Kill Wonder, I'd like to hear some more original elements (without selling out, god forbid). It's like metal candy, in that it'll satisfy your urge but won't really leave you filled in the end (how'd you like that metaphor?) Still worth a listen by metalheads, perhaps best if you just put a few tracks on at a time and rock out. Oh, and points subtracted for worst metal band name in recent memory.
Jay's Picks: "Agony Designed", "18 Hours", "Slaughtervein"




Soilwork - Figure Number Five
Somewhat of a disappointment following an outstanding effort with last year's Natural Born Chaos, which I really enjoyed. It seemed like with the last album (produced by Strapping Young Lad's Devin Townsend) had the right balance of their earlier At The Gates-sounding melodic death with a more accessible, catchier sound. With this album, I think they take it too far, with occasional girlish-sounding choruses ("Light the Torch"), pop-ish keyboards ("Overload") and the truly cringeworthy "Departure Plan". There is some worthwhile material, but I hope it's not a sign of things to come for what was up until now an excellent band.
Jay's Picks: "Rejection Role", "Figure Number Five", "Brickwalker"




Metallica - St. Anger
First of all, see my full review from earlier in the year. But to sum up: Most of the songs are way too long, there are no guitar solos (!), it doesn't hold a candle to Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets, but it's better than Load/Reload, the production is pretty whack, but original, and if you listen to it with an open mind it's a decent album overall.
Jay's Picks: "Frantic", "Shoot Me Again", "Some Kind of Monster" and especially song of the year runner up "The Unnamed Feeling"




Nevermore - Enemies of Reality
For whatever reason, this one just did not live up to its predecessor, 2000's Dead Heart in a Dead World. I think it's a problem with the songwriting, many of the tracks don't seem to go anywhere really, instead coming off as disjointed, with various pieces thrown together. Vocalist Warrell Dane is just a little too over the top with his wailing and whining ("Ambivalent", "Create the Infininte"), and the tripped-out "Noumenon" is a little curious. But Jeff Loomis' incredible guitar work is worth checking out on most tracks, as is the old-skool anthem/ballad "Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday." Still, check out DHIADW for a better idea of what they're capable of.
Jay's Picks: "Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday", "I, Voyager", "Seed Awakening"




Top 20




20. Black Dahlia Murder - Unhallowed
A nice mix of black and death metal, but here's a surprise: They're from Detroit, of all places, and not some far-off Scandanavian land. You really couldn't tell by listening though, since the lyrics are for the most part unintelligible. The lyrics are pretty inventive, but again, without the liner notes you wouldn't know, which is a shame. Singer Brian Eschbach does a good job, however, of alternating between high-pitched screaming and low-pitched growls, even sounding like two different vocalists at some points. They've definitely done their homework as far as metal history is concerned: "Closed Casket Requiem" is clearly At the Gates-inspired, while "Thy Horror Cosmic" could be a lost Morbid Angel tune. There's not a whole lot of variety on the album, it's just all-out aggression, which is to be expected of bands in this genre, but I'll cut them slack since it's their first effort. A nice job, but I'd like to hear some more diversity as they carve out their own unique sound in the future.
Jay's Picks: "Funeral Thirst," "Contagion" "Thy Horror Cosmic"




19. Strapping Young Lad - SYL
This is a pretty interesting disc, the brainchild of Devin Townsend, who handles guitar, keyboards and vocals as well as the production and engineering. I'd say in general it has a thrash feel to it, but it's pretty unique and original. It's got a thick, dense sound, almost machine-like at times, and sometimes it's almost as if there are five guitars playing at once. Different elements are brought to the front at different times, and Townsend has wisely left the drumming up to Gene Hoglan (Death, Old Man's Child, Testament), who is excellent and really stands out in the mix. There are some computerized special effects that really add to its uniqueness, while it still maintains its intensity. Townsend's vocals aren't always that great, as he alternates from an 80s-style wail to a more aggressive shriek, but they get the job done. By not sticking to the traditional formulas in terms of songwriting as well as production, SYL is definitely worth a listen for its originality.
Jay's Picks: 'Consequence', 'Aftermath', 'Devour"




18. Grimfist - Ghouls of Grandeur
This is a very cool new band that combines death metal, black metal, and thrash (the unholy trinity of metal) in a very old-skool sounding album that never lets up. Grimfist features the vocalist and guitarist from Deride and the drummer from the now-defunct Immortal. The vocals are pretty extreme, somewhat grating at times, and the intensity of the album never lets up. There are some nice touches, though, like the 80s-style sing-along verse that seems to come out of nowhere in "A World of Wrath" (maybe the best track) and the chainsaw guitars on the title track. Imagine a mix of Cannibal Corpse, Annihilator, and Immortal and you're halfway there. And by the way, "Mosh Pit Underground" has to be one of the coolest ideas for a death metal song and chorus. Check this out if you dare.
Jay's Picks: "Outlined in Black," "A World of Wrath," "No Compromise," "Obsession," "Ghouls of Grandeur," "Mosh Pit Underground"




17. The Crown - Possessed 13
This definitely isn't a landmark release in any sense for The Crown. If you've heard their previous stuff, then this album will definitely sound familiar. That's not necessarily a bad thing - if you're into what they do (which is play the best example of modern-day speed/thrash/death) then you won't be disappointed. With every album, they basically take their formula of playing as fast and aggressive as possible, and keep polishing and perfecting it. Eventually, they'll hit the inevitable creative wall, but for right now I'd say they're doing just fine. They've reunited with original singer Johan Lindstrand after recording their previous disc with legendary At the Gates frontman Thomas Lindberg, who was damn fine in his own right, but this just sounds more natural. There's actually a cool idea behind Possessed 13 - it's the band's 13th anniversary, so they've taken riffs and song ideas from their very early demos and redone them into 13 new tracks. But other than that, there are no new musical revelations, just full-out Metallica- and Morbid Angel-influenced speed metal (song titles include "Kill Em All" and "Are You Morbid?") It's kind of refreshing to see a band stick with the sound that put them on the map and continue to perfect it; however, there are already rumors that they're going to pursue some new musical direction after this. Maybe they're taking the Metallica influence a little too far.
Jay's picks: "Morningstar Rising," "Kill Em All," "Natashead Overdrive," "Face of Destruction/Deep Hit of Death"




16. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness
This is a pretty original sounding band, kind of dark/gloomy, metal-inspired pop/rock music. They're Swedish, which gets a little annoying since unlike most Swedish metal bands they actually use clean vocals, so they have some odd pronunciations. But if you're not into the screaming/growling thing, this could be for you. Somewhat mysterious lyrics too, as you might expect. Musically, there are some very interesting things going on, as they alternate from full-on hard rock to more mellow parts. It's definitely on the lighter side of the metal spectrum, and in all honesty they'd be considered hard rock or grunge if they didn't start out as a death/doom metal band with the current lead singer of Opeth as their original frontman. Anyway, give it a listen if you're feeling adventurous.
Jay's Picks: "Ghost of the Sun," "Will I Arrive," "Wealth," "Walking By a Wire" "Evidence"




15. Kalmah - Swampsong
Similar to Children of Bodom, Kalmah is a melodic death-style band from Finland that features neoclassical style guitars, some keyboards, and snarling, almost black metal-style vocals. It doesn't have that extra, indefinable element of catchiness and creativity in the songwriting that C.O.B.'s Hatecrew Deathroll has that really makes that album outstanding; however, it offers a pretty good variation throughout, at different times sounding like Sentenced, Iron Maiden, In Flames and of course C.O.B. There's a nice level of intensity and consistency throughout, while alternating from lightning-fast tempos ("Tordah") to chanting vocals and organ-like keyboards ("The Third the Magical"). "Hades" offers some terrific blast beats and swirling melodic leads, while "Man With Mystery" is reminiscent of old-skool thrash. This is an impressive album from a band that strives to stand out from the pack.
Jay's Picks: "Hades", "Tordah", "Burbot's Revenge", "Man With Mystery"




14. Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn
I was surprised I like this as much as I did, after not seeing what all the hype was about on their debut album. But I think it benefited from a boost in production courtesy of (once again) Devin Townsend, who gives it somewhat more of a "metal" sound as opposed to the hardcore style on their previous effort, New American Gospel. Randy Blythe's vocals have become more intelligible, which also helps, but the real strength of the disc is Chris Adler's nonstop drumming, which is outstanding. There's a little more variation in sound also, as the band switches from a thrash attack on opener "Ruin" to the death metal vibe of "For Your Malice." The Meshuggah-influenced "Boot Licker" doesn't really work for me, and the album seems to break down and lose some steam toward the end, but overall I think it's a step in the right direction.
Jay's Picks: "Ruin", "Purified", "11th Hour", "For Your Malice"




13. Nightrage - Sweet Vengeance
Another outstanding debut from a new band - well not really, it's more of an underground melodic death supergroup formed by the guitarist of some band called Exhumation, as well as members of The Haunted and Dream Evil, not to mention free-agent vocalist extraordinaire Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates/ Lock-Up/ The Crown/ Great Deceiver etc etc). Lindberg is always excellent, although he can't seem to stick with one band for very long (he's already formed another one since this disc came out in the summer). There's another interesting twist though, because there's another member of the band, Thomas Englund of Evergrey (see No. 10), who doesn't pop in until the third track and handles the "clean" singing parts on a few tracks. It kind of gives the band a nice dynamic and makes them stand out, because Lindberg certainly can't do any of that type of singing, and I always thought that was a shortcoming of his (and the many others who copied him). You'd have these awesome melodic/instrumental parts by extremely talented bands (i.e. At the Gates) and of course the singer couldn't even go near them. Not here. Lindberg is great, but Englund pushes it up a notch the few times he makes an appearance. Nothing truly mindblowing, but certainly a worthwhile listen.
Jay's Picks: "The Glow of the Setting Sun", "Elusive Emotion", "Macabre Apparition" "The Ends of the Earth"




12. Iron Maiden - Dance of Death
The legendary Maiden is back, and they sound great as always, proving they've still got it after all these years. There was a lot of controversy over the corny computer graphics album cover this time, since they're known for some memorable artwork featuring band mascot Eddie (see the Year-End awards below). And let's just pretend the computer-animated video for "Wildest Dreams" that features the band driving around in race cars doesn't exist, OK? Anyway, "Dreams" is a pretty good upbeat anthem type of song, with lyrics bordering on the cheesy side, but still not bad. It's kind of a loose concept album in that most of the lyrics deal with issues about life and death and whatnot. The third track, "No More Lies," is the first of several epics, clocking in at seven minutes. "Dance of Death" is another good one, it tells a story in the style of their classic "Number of the Beast." Once again, they're using three guitarists for some reason, I can't really tell too much of a difference on studio recordings, but it doesn't get too muddled or anything. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson sounds great as always, too - you can't accuse this band of selling out or going too much downhill. I'm not sure yet if I like the songs on here as much as some of those on their previous effort, Brave New World, but fans shouldn't be disappointed. Again, there is somewhat of a cheese factor as always, and this wouldn't be a good starting place if you're not real familiar with Maiden, but otherwise it's solid.
Jay's Picks: "Rainmaker," "Dance of Death", "Paschendale", "Age of Innocence"




11. Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion
Let's get this out of the way first: Arch Enemy's lead singer is a woman named Angela Gossow. When she made her debut on their previous album, Wages of Sin, most people probably wouldn't even have noticed it was a female. I guess it's a little easier to tell this time around, although fortunately I don't know any women that sound like this. In other words, this ain't Evanesence. But anyway, she sounds pretty good here, and I think it makes the vocals stand out a little more than your average growling dude. The album overall is more memorable than their previous, which is certainly a good thing. Guitarists Christopher and Michael Amott (formerly of death metal legend Carcass) have come up once again with some superb riffs, and the production is of course top-notch. Overall, they're not reinventing the wheel here, some of the lyrics are kind of pointless and there's nothing musically groundbreaking (the way some Carcass and even early Arch Enemy albums were) but that's fine. It's a very well-done effort, and it's worth certainly listening to if you're a fan of the genre. If not, a better starting place would be Carcass' Heartwork, Dark Tranquility's Damage Done or especially At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, although I could see the female vocal thing perhaps making it an easier transition into the whole melodic death scene.
Jay's Picks: "We Will Rise," "Dead Eyes See No Future," "Despicable Heroes," "End of the Line"




10. Evergrey - Recreation Day
I've been a little behind on these guys, heard some good things but didn't check them out until recently. This is some pretty progressive stuff, I guess you could consider it a slightly heavier, Swedish version of Dream Theater . Great songwriting, great instrumentation, poetic lyrics and some of the guitar solos are really outstanding. Thomas Englund's clean vocals aren't anything overly exciting, but they don't get in the way like so many similar vocalists, and that's important. It's basically power metal, but definitely not as cheesy as most other bands in the genre (Although they get a little cringe-worthy in a few spots, like in the otherwise good "I'm Sorry," which opens with the lyrics, "I painted a picture of you / your soul was red / and your mind was blue" over a soft piano). But for the most part, it's really not that bad, they make some nice transitions from the heavy stuff to more mellow, melodic parts. There are even some soulful female vocals that pop up in there, Pink Floyd-style as well as some nice piano passages and acoustic guitar parts. Overall, it makes for a unique listen, heavy enough to satisfy more traditional metal listeners but interesting and dynamic enough for other open-minded music fans.
Jay's Picks: "The Great Deceiver", "As I Lay Here Bleeding", "Blinded", "Fragments,", "Your Darkest Hour"




9. Cold - Year of the Spider
Often lumped in the nu-metal category, this band is too talented and too mature for that unfortunate fate. With their third album they once again prove they deserve to be taken a little more seriously thanks to quality songwriting and lyrics. It's certainly not as aggressive as anything else on this list, yet it still doesn't quite fit in a pure "rock" category, as the heaviness of "Kill the Music Industry" will attest. "Stupid Girl" is a standout rock song, though, (co-written by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, of all people) that got some radio airplay. But they're at their best though on softer tracks like "Suffocate" (featuring female backing vocals) and "Wasted Years" (complete with acoustic guitar and violin), which also allow vocalist Scooter Ward to stand out from the Fred Dursts of the world (ironically that's who "discovered" them. They also get props for a nice tribute to the late Kurt Cobain (Nirvana, duh) and Layne Staley(Alice in Chains) on "The Day Seattle Died", which offers a hint that they're a little more serious about true songwriting than some would have you believe. Recommended for the more mainstream rock-oriented metal fan.
Jay's Picks: "Remedy", "Suffocate", "Stupid Girl", "Wasted Years", "Kill the Music Industry", "The Day Seattle Died"




8. Mors Principium Est - Inhumanity
This is the album In Flames should have made last year. Excellent Swedish-style melodic death metal (there's a twist though, they're from Finland, ohhh), pretty good song writing - not bad for their debut album. They sound like great musicians too, and the opening of the fourth track, "Inhumanity," gets the nod for Best Guitar Riff of the year (although they're docked points for worst new band name of the year). It's entertaining and well-done enough to stick out from the pack of In Flames clones, and they could even give the originators a run for their money. Expect big things from them in the future.
Jay's Picks: "Another Creation", "In My Words" "The Lust Called Knowledge," "Life in Black"




7. Machine Head - Through the Ashes of Empires
Ever since MH blasted onto the metal scene with their 1994 classic Burn My Eyes, fans have been asking them to top it. And with each subsequent release, they've gotten farther and farther away from its sound, from the good-but-not-great The More Things Change to the somewhat nu-metal The Burning Red to 2001's pretty bad/almost awful Supercharger. It's almost as if they've gone in the opposite direction on purpose - why else would they keep running one way, when their hardcore fans keep calling for them to do the complete opposite and put out Burn My Eyes II? It may have been a conscious effort to expand their sound or hop on the musical trends to mainstream popularity, or it may just have been that BME was so damn good that they couldn't possibly top it. Anyway, Through the Ashes of Empires is not the sequel fans have been calling for, but it's pretty close. From the hard-hitting riffs of opener "Imperium" (which contains many elements of their signature tune, "Davidian") to the more focused song writing of "In the Presence of My Enemies," this sounds like it should have been their second or third album, and not the fifth. Singer/guitarist and mastermind Robb Flynn is still holding onto his slightly annoying "singing" voice ("Left Unfinished"), and some of the profanity-laced lyrics directed at the biological parents who gave him away are, unfortunately, a little childish. But these faults can be forgiven, because it's clear the band is making a serious effort to get back to its original sound. They've improved by leaps and bounds since the last album, after kicking out nu metal-inspired guitarist Ahrue Luster and replacing him with old-skool axe man Phil Demmel of Flynn's previous 80s thrash band, Vio-Lence. They reduced the number of tracks and taken everything up a notch, and for that they get the 2003 Comeback Album of the Year award. Burn My Eyes will probably never be topped, but this is a damn good attempt.
Side note: The album hasn't as of press time been officially released in the U.S., they're currently looking for a new label, so keep an eye out for it in stores soon.
Jay's Picks: "In the Presence of My Enemies", "Vim", "Wipe the Tears", Descend the Shades of Night"




6.Superjoint Ritual - A Lethal Dose of American Hatred
It's been three years since the last Pantera album, and for frontman Phil Anselmo, that's apparently way too long to keep his demons caged. A year ago, he released a second album with his stoner-Sabbath-southern rock band Down (Down II, Jay's World's 2002 album of the year, mind you) as well as the first album from yet another side band, hardcore thrashers Superjoint Ritual (Use Once and Destroy). That album's title was somewhat fitting, since its songs tended to blend into one another as the album dragged on, making it difficult to return to for repeat listens. But one year later, Phil proclaimed SJR is now his main focus, and it shows - the songs on A Lethal Dose are more focused, there's more dynamics, and overall it's a world of improvement. The band's hardcore/punk songs are sometimes slowed down to a sludgy crawl, then speeded back up to a furious pace. Phil's vocals boil over with the intensity and aggressiveness of Pantera's 1996 The Great Southern Trendkill. Sure, there's the cryptic lyrics about Charles Manson and the voices inside his tortured head that have become his trademark, but as the album's title suggests, there's also loose concept criticizing America's continuing war on terrorism and conflicts in Iraq. On "Personal Insult" he screams: "Fight us / The American citizens / The most pissed off motherfuckers in the world." He also takes some stabs at his former Pantera bandmates ("Destruction of a Person"). Phil is obviously the star of the show, as his lyrical skills continue to impress and evolve after all these years, but the rest of the band is also solid. There's less of a garage-rock sound in the production, but it's still pretty raw and they've kept their jam-band vibe (just about every song starts with a "1-2-3-4!" countdown), which keeps the tracks from sounding all the same. And of course, the tunes are some of the most intense and hard-hitting in metal right now. Bonus points for the best album title of the year.
Jay's Picks: "The Knife Rises", "Waiting For the Turning Point", "Dress Like a Target", "Death Threat", "Permanently", "Personal Insult"




5. Black Label Society - The Blessed Hellride
Another fine album from the band of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde (his previous effort, 1919 Eternal, made my list last year). As always, quality songwriting and excellent guitar work (no surprise there). It's basically a heavier version of his work on recent Ozzy albums, just straightforward metal/hard rock; the first single, "Stillborn" (which actually got some radio/MTV play, which is refreshing) actually features guest vocals by the Ozzman himself. Zakk's vocals sound more and more like Ozzy too, mixed with some kind of southern rock accent (which is kind of funny, since he's from Jersey). It gets a little mellow on the title track, and full-out acoustic (even with a piano) on the final track, "Dead Meadow", which recalls his solo album. And "We Live No More" has an anthem-type sounding riff that's pretty inspired. Once again, Zakk doesn't disappoint.
Jay's Picks: "Stoned and Drunk", "Stillborn", "We Live No More", "Dead Meadow"




4. Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon
The epic "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" is worth the price of admission alone, as it takes their combination of full orchestra parts and relentless "satanic" black metal to a new level; this could be their best track ever, and it's my pick for Song of the Year (check out the video too, pretty cool). The rest of the album is pretty powerful too, but overall, the album falls just slightly short of what it could have been, as the potential of that one track shows. They still haven't topped the classic Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, my personal fave, as far as being truly groundbreaking, although this album is still head and shoulders above any other black metal (or pretty much anything else) out there. The production is excellent; the songwriting does get a little bland in some spots, but it works more often than it doesn't. I would have liked to hear the clean vocals a little more, but that's a minor point. Oh, and the drumming from Nick Barker is outstanding. Basically, it kicks ass.

Jay's Picks: You can't really go wrong: "Lepers Among Us", "Vredsbyrd", "Cataclysm Children." Just definitely check out "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse."




3. Dream Theater - Train of Thought
This is really an impressive album all around. The instrumentation is top-notch as always - John Petrucci (guitar), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), John Myung (bass) and Mike Portnoy (drums) are four of the most gifted musicians and songwriters of modern music, without question. Vocalist James LaBrie stays away from his sometimes irritating whine for the most part, which certainly makes it more appealing. "As I Am" is a somewhat shocking opener, both musically and lyrically. The lyrics almost read like an attack on the band's many critics, and also illustrate an unwillingness to compromise their music: "To those who understand / I extend my hand / To the doubtful I demand / Take me as I am." It also features a pretty ominous riff, which can be found throughout - this could be their most consistently heavy album. But there are softer moments, like "Vacant," a beautiful but short piano ballad. "This Dying Soul," an outstanding and complex 11-minute track that deals with alcoholism, opens with some blistering drum work and shredding riffs. It then twists and turns through several very different parts, at some points sounding just like Megadeth and Metallica's "Blackened," later moving on to some peaceful piano sections, and closing with just a blistering guitar solo. "Endless Sacrifice" plods along until halfway through, when it goes off on some insane keyboard solos. Some of the tracks do tend to venture off on musical tangents and get a little bit excessive (four are over 10 minutes long, including the 11-minute instrumental "Stream of Consciousness") but honestly, when you're this talented, well, it's not a big problem. The disc closes out on a high note with the excellent "In the Name of God," which seems to address the religious fanatics in the Middle East and features a dizzying keyboard solo and some nice lyrics courtesy of Petrucci. Train of Thought is perhaps Dream Theater's best work, or at least a rival to their most-acclaimed, 1992's Images and Words and my personal favorite, 1999's Metropolis Pt. II - Scenes From a Memory. A must-listen.
Jay's Picks: "As I Am", "This Dying Soul", "In The Name of God"




2. Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll
The fourth studio album from these Finnish speed metal freaks was easily one of the most entertaining discs of 2003. Known for silly and outlandish song and album titles and lyrics, their less-than-serious approach often leaves "true" metalheads pissed. But the lightning-fast riffs of guitarist Alexei Laiho are nothing short of superb, and this is definitely some of his catchiest and most memorable work. The rest of the band sounds super tight and super fast - they do slow it down on chunky-riffed tracks like "Angels Don't Kill" to give the album a nice dynamic, but they're at their absolute best when the drums, guitars, keyboards and vocals are at absolute lightning speed ("You're Better Off Dead", "Needled 24/7"). Past C.O.B. albums sometimes had a little bit of a sameness that kept the songs from being truly distinguishable, but on Hate Crew Deathroll there's some great songwriting and melodies that will keep the songs stuck in your head for days. There's even an excellent cover of Slayer's "Silent Scream" tacked on the end as a bonus, and it features some awesome '80s video game-sounding keyboard parts in place of guitar solos that you've just gotta hear. Overall, an outstanding album, it gets my highest recommendation.
Jay's Picks: "Needled 24/7", "Hate Crew Deathroll", "Triple Corpse Hammerblow", "Silent Scream"




1. Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me
This was the most well-rounded albums of the year, and a very nice surprise. For a long time, I've been into Type O's mix of gloomy Sabbath-meets-Beatles (yes you read that right) style of metal, crossed a mix of humorous/intelligent lyrics and a hardcore punk influence. But this album, I think, took it to a new level. The punkish "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is one of my favorite songs of the year. Sure, there are plenty of bleak, doom-and-gloom type songs with their usual dark outlook on life and sludgy riffs ("Life is Killing Me", "Anestesia" "The Dream is Dead"), which is what they do best. But they add enough lightness ("I Like Goils" is an message to lead singer Peter Steele's gay fans; "Angry Inch" is about, well, you don't want to know) to keep it somewhat upbeat and entertaining for the not-so-morbidly depressed, and even in the darkest songs their is a glimpse of hope. There's a range of emotions thanks to some nice guitar and keyboard work and some overall great songwriting. This is a must-listen, arguably their best album, and it's well worth the honor of my Metal Album of the Year award.
Jay's Picks: "I Don't Wanna Be Me", "Less Than Zero", "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)", "I Like Goils", "A Dish Best Served Coldly", "How Could She?", "(We Were) Electrocute"




Year-End Awards




Biggest Surprise: Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll. I was always impressed by their previous stuff, but this one blows it away. Never would have thought it'd be a serious contender for the top spot.
Runners up: Machine Head - Through the Ashes of Empires; Mors Principium Est - Inhumanity.




Biggest Disappointment: Definitely Metallica, only for the fact that it was hyped up to be some kind of death metal/return to their roots masterpiece, when of course it never could have been. Still a solid album though, I once again stress.
Runners up: Nevermore, Soilwork




Best Riff: Mors Principium Est - "Inhumanity". Check out the opener! Catchy as hell.




Best song: "Progenies of Great Apocalypse" by Dimmu Borgir.
Runners up: Type O Negative - "I Don't Wanna Be Me", Black Label Society featuring Ozzy - "Stillborn", Metallica - "Unnamed Feeling", Children of Bodom - "Triple Corpse Hammerblow", Dream Theater - "This Dying Soul", Outkast - "Hey Ya"




Comeback of the year: Has to be Machine Head's Through the Ashes of Empires, hands down.




Best Album Title: A Lethal Dose of American Hatred by Superjoint Ritual




Best New Band: Mors Principium Est
Runners up: Grimfist, Black Dahlia Murder, Nightrage

Best Album Cover: Grimfist -Ghouls of Grandeur. A circular saw blade with this emaciated evil demon thing with a bone in its mouth - pretty cool.
Runner up: Crown - Possessed 13. Looks like a 60s horror movie poster.




Worst Album Cover: Iron Maiden - Dance of Death. Just look at it - semi-nude computer-animated figures in party ball masks, plus an Ally McBeal-style dancing baby in a bikini riding a white wolf. Whose idea was this exactly? Particularly shocking after a history of classic covers with their mascot Eddie. Only saving grace is the Eddie/grim reaper dude.
Runner up: Evergrey - Recreation Day. A painting of a toddler crying? Please.




Overlooked in 2002: Darkane - Expanding Senses, Amon Amarth - Versus the World, Decapitated - Nihility, Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines. All terrific, definitely would have been high on my list last year had I heard them in time.




Looking ahead to 2004: New discs from Iced Earth, Judas Priest, In Flames, Decapitated, and more, plus the debut of Damage Plan (featuring Dimebag Darrel and Vinnie Paul of Pantera fame). Can't wait.

Well there you have it, hopefully this doesn't lower your opinion of me, I know I'm a loser .................



posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 2:27 AM [edit]

Merry X-Mas, I spent mine at work, oh and they didn't have the heat on either, Bob Cratchet style ....

Anyway, to celebrate the holidays and the coming new year, I figure it's time to start my year-end music review ... to begin, we'll take a look at Jay's World's Top 5 Non-Metal CDs of 2003 .... why five? Well, I don't really listen to much non-metal music, so I this is all I could come up with really, but I assure you they're all quality ... anyway, here we go ....




5. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Yes, they are media darlings, and the word "brilliant" gets tossed in their direction a little too much. I didn't want to admit it for a long time myself, too. But they became too hard for me to ignore once I got into Kid A not too long ago, and they deserve some credit. I don't find this album as "brilliant", but still it's quite good, from the eerie "Where I End You Begin" to the laid-back first single, "There There." It's experimental music, no doubt, and often the experiments (weird electronic beats/sounds/effects on "Backdrifts", "The Gloaming") aren't that successful. They're at their best when they tread the line between really-out-there stuff and more conventional music, especially mellow ballads like "Sail to the Moon" and "Scatterbrain." The band's not afraid to take chances though, as the fuzzy basslines and distorted vocals of "Myxomatosis" do actually make for a good song. There's enough creativity to keep their music fresh, but at the same time there's enough familiarity ("Go to Sleep" brings to mind "Paranoid Android", you know, the whack animated video got mad MTV play a few years ago) to not disappoint fans. Another fine album from what will probably be remembered as one of the greatest bands of the 90s/00s.
Jay's Picks: "Sit Down. Stand Up.", "Sail to the Moon", "Scatterbrain", "Where I End You Begin", "Myxomatosis"

4. A Perfect Circle - The Thirteenth Step
This is the second outing from the brainchild of former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel, which also serves as a side project for Tool mainman Maynard James Keenan. It's been three years since their excellent debut, and the band has added new bassist Jeordie White (ex-Marilyn Manson) and guitarist James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins, although he's not on the album). Thirteenth Step deals with a theme of loss in a variety of mysterious lyrics, as is Maynard's specialty, while the various moods and tempos surround them. I don't find this album to be as particularly striking as the first, as it is a little more atmospheric and subtle, and there's certainly nothing as hard-hitting as their first single from Mer De Noms, "Judith", which of course didn't truly represent their sound in the first place anyway. "The Outsider" is, however, more of a straightforward rocker, and "Pet" has a pretty heavy backing riff to it, but just about everything else is more experimental and lighter. "The Nurse Who Loved Me" has a certain symphonic/soundtrack type of feel, while the psychedelic "Gravity" could have easily fit on the latest Tool disc if it had a heavier part attached to it somewhere. I'm not ready to put this disc ahead of their first, but it's certainly an intelligent and original standout in the mainstream rock world, and one of the best of the year.
Jay's Picks: "The Noose", "The Nurse Who Loved Me", "The Outsider", "Pet"

3. Opeth - Damnation
You may be surprised to see this on the non-metal list, if you're familiar at all with Opeth. If not, they are in basic terms a death metal band from Sweden; however, their music is a lot deeper than that, it usually switches from a real harsh metal sound to a more mellow, progressive rock type sound, often several times within the same song. They had an interesting idea last year though, coming up with basically a double album, the first disc released about 6 months before the second. 2002's Deliverance was a much more harsh metal album, more similar to their previous work, and it made my list last year. Damnation, on the other hand, is almost completely mellow, mostly acoustic, all clean singing vocals, which is why it made my non-metal list. For the most part, it's pretty mysterious sounding, with ambiguous, mournful lyrics and plenty of interesting musical ideas. It's a true album, in the sense that you can't just pick out one "single"-type song, you really have to listen to it as a whole as the songs unfold to really understand its brilliance. Tracks like "Windowpane", the 7-minute dreamlike opener, and "Closure" really take on life of their own. The storytelling qualities of "Death Whispered a Lullaby" and Mikael Akerfeldt's mournful vocals over simple notes of a keyboard/mellotrone on "Weakness" are pretty haunting, as the album focuses on issues like, well, death and damnation, but in a much more mature manner than most death metal bands could imagine. Akerfeldt , also the principal songwriter, once again proves his musical genius, going from his outstanding work on past Opeth albums (Blackwater Park, Still Life, etc), to a straight-up death metal classic with side band Bloodbath last year (again, see my '02 list) now to another excellent disc. It's especially recommended for fans that wouldn't even go near anything "metal," you would probably still enjoy it.
Jay's Picks: "Death Whispered a Lullabye", "Hope Leaves," "To Rid the Disease," "Weakness"

And the number 2 and 1 non-metal album(s) of the year come from the Outkast double album, Speakerboxxx / The Love Below .... Pretty bold move here, after reaching the pinnacle of commercial and critical success with 2001's instant classic Stankonia the two members of Outkast decide to split up and record separately for a double album. For the most part, it pays off though, and taken as a whole this is another superb album. Speakerboxxx gets a slight nod over Love Below for the top spot ....

2. Outkast - The Love Below
This album comes from band member Andre 3000, he's always been a little more out there, what with the Jimi Hendrix pimp get-up, singing rather than rapping a lot of the time. That's pretty much what he does here; it's a lot more experimental, and he really doesn't get into any real hardcore rapping until like the 20th track. Otherwise, he's sounding like a Lionel Richie-style lounge singer ("Love Hater") or with Norah Jones and an acoustic guitar ("Take Off Your Cool"). Sometimes he's a little too freaky, such as in songs about a milf ("Pink & Blue") who he says is "freaky, in a Clair Huxtable kind of way," or in "Vibrate," which is about, well, take a guess. Here's a hint, it includes the line "Become the master of your own bation." Anyway, these are the misses, but there are plenty of hits, like the extremely catchy "Happy Valentine's Day" and "Hey Ya," the mellow "Prototype" and the somewhat sad "She's Alive" about his own single mother. Andre takes some real chances here, and for the most part they pay off with a very entertaining album.
Jay's Picks: "Happy Valentine's Day," "Spread," "Prototype," "Hey Ya," "Roses," "Behold a Lady," "She's Alive," "A Day in the Life of Benjamin Andre"

1. Outkast - Speakerboxxx
This disc, on the other hand, from the more hardcore-rap minded Big Boi sounds more like a traditional Outkast album. It's all about the street cred here, and there's some seriously good stuff goin on, although I could do without the Ludacris and Jay-Z guest spots. It's pretty much a party album that doesn't stop the whole way through, once again it's rap at its finest. Just about every song is great, excluding a few short interludes that every album simply must have. There are some nice cameos from Killa Mike, Cee-Lo, and even one of Big Boi's kids (see the funny, but somewhat disturbing "Bamboo"), but that also brings me to my only complaint - sometimes Big Boi's raps are just too good, and when he has other guests on a track they only embarrass themselves. For example, in "11" you've got some dudes named Big Gipp and Konkrete rapping about "swimmin in the fallopian of an ehtiopian" and Ludacris rhyming "pistachios" with "nasty hoes," as well as a host of curse words. Then Big Boi gets on the mic and creatively raps about everything from how good of a rapper he is to his relationship with Andre to his late dad's last words to him in a mere 46 seconds flat and basically shows them all up. I guess what I'm sayin is this is some of the best music out there, and I pretty much recommend it to everyone, even fellow metalheads like myself. Once again Outkast have one-upped themselves with a great album, but hopefully they'll recombine on the next one and just blow everything away.
Jay's picks: "Ghettomusick," "Unhappy," "The Way You Move," "The Rooster," "Bust," "War" ... Oh hell, just about every one that's not labeled "Intro" or "Interlude," you really can't go wrong.

*** Coming next: My Top 20 Metal Albums of 2003, plus the end of the year awards, so check back soon .........


posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 1:43 AM [edit]

Happy Holidays everyone, from your friends at Jay's World ...




Coming soon, my year-end 2003 music reviews, stay tuned ...
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 12:42 PM [edit]

A very special Jay's World Happy Anniversay wish to Jen, for putting up with me for 5 whole years ....

(And no, this corny web post isn't the only thing I got her, I'm not that much of a loser...)




I didn't get out of work until almost 3 a.m. last night, we had some technical difficulties with the computer system, so everything went down from about 11 p.m. (first deadline) until about 2:45 a.m. (wayyy past deadline) .... oh well, at least I got paid for it, that's really all I care about, the bottom line .........
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 1:44 PM [edit]

Here's a shocker: Jim Fassel was fired today as Giants head coach ... of course, this should surprise no one, we all saw it comin and a change had to be made ... he is a classy guy though, I respect how he went to the front office and they were up front with him, even asking him to coach the last two games of the year ... it should be for the best for both parties, hopefully he'll be successful somewhere else (Arizona?) and the Giants will bring in someone to bring us to Super Bowl glory ....




In other news, have you been following this whole Strom Thurmond story, it's been revealed that the recently deceased senator had a black daughter way back in the day, and only now she's come forward (she's 78) .... it's a pretty big shock, considering I saw a clip of him from the 1950s the other night makin a speech, and it went something to the effect of: "There isn't an army that can force us to let these niggerees into our homes, our swimming pools, our schools or our churches!" Turns out old Strom was a hardcore segregationist, and in the meantime he was gettin it on with the family's African American maid .... good stuff.




Oh, and Jen is comin home today!
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 2:21 AM [edit]

Hey someone tell Joe Horn to go kill himself ...

You know, the Saints wide receiver who celebrated a TD against the Giants the other night by pretending to make a cell phone call in the endzone ... it's guys like this who ruin professional sports ... if I were the Giants I would have taken him out earlier, but now he's definitely got to go on their "payback" list in the future ... as if they weren't embarrassed enough as it is. When will the nightmare end?
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 1:43 AM [edit]

History was made today when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured ... he was hiding out in some whack hole in a farmhouse growin out his scraggly beard ... i doubt he'll be executed though, if it goes to the international courts, since we're the only western country that still has capital punishment ...




In other news, it's snowing again, but not as bad as last week ... hopefully I won't have to stay overnight up near work .....................
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 2:00 PM [edit]

Today is a sad day for Yankees fans ...

Andy Pettitte is a Houston Astro. Somehow, some way, George Steinbrenner let him get away, they didn't even make him a final 4-year offer like his agent suggested ... I respect Andy for wanting to be with his family in Houston, it obviously wasn't about money with him, it was about respect, and George gave him none ... now we're left without the cornerstone of four world championship teams, and what do we get instead, an aging, often-injured Kevin Brown ? No thanks .... I have a feeling this will go down as one of King George's all-time bungles ...




More bad news, you've probably heard that Ozzy was in an ATV accident ... what he was doing on an ATV, who knows, but they're saying now he may never be able to sing again, which is a damn shame ... here's hoping for a speedy recovery by the Ozzman ...
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 2:04 AM [edit]

Well, that was a fun weekend .... I spent it in a hotel room with The Rick ...

no seriously, with all the snow this weekend, especially in north jersey near work, there was no way I could get home, it took me 4 hours to drive in to work on Friday during the storm (it's usually an hour), so Rick and I spent two nights at the Day's Inn (on work's dime, of course) ... let's just say it was a weekend I won't soon forget ...




In other news, my fantasy football season came to an abrupt end this weekend when I was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs .... special thanks go out to the Miami Dolphins for not mustering a single point against the Patriots, as well as Steve Smith and Stephen Davis failing to score against the atrocious Atlanta Falcons .. but I won't be too bitter, even though I was unseated from the "total points" lead in the final week and lost by only about 15 points .... it was a fun year and an important step in Ace in the Hole's three-year plan, first we establish ourselves as a competitor in the first year, then we take the next step in Year 2 and make the playoffs, finally Year 3 it all comes together nicely and the Super Bowl trophy is ours ... I'm already counting down the days till draft night ...




A special shoutout to the New York football Giants for another dismal performance on Sunday ... my man Kerry Collins finally went down with injury after a season of beatings behind a pop warner offensive line ... his backup, Jesse Palmer, fared no better, in fact I had flashbacks of Dave Brown ... ugh. With this season long over, I think the Giants have no other course but to turn to third-string QB legend and Princeton product Jason Garrett ... that's right, it's time to usher in the Jason Garrett era in New York .... but in all seriousness, this team is still dead to me until they show some heart .....




The Supreme Court said that it will not interfere with civil rights legend Rosa Parks' lawsuit against rappers OutKast ... the 90-year old is suing over the song named after her (which, by the way, has nothing to do with her) ... Parks claimed that OutKast "violated her publicity and trademark rights and defamed her." What I want to know is, is this what Rosa Parks stood up for in the 60s, the right to start frivolous lawsuits? I mean, she became the timeless symbol of african americans' fight for equal rights under the law, and somehow she doesn't understand the concept of free speech? I just hope that at the trial they make her sit at the back of the courtroom ... hah, get it, you know, like the bus ......




I won't even get started on this whole BCS mess and the controversy that is college football, let me just say this: there should be a playoff system, but all the neat ideas that you can think of are meaningless until someone can explain to the school presidents/board of directors and conference big shots how such a system could be put in place to maximize their earning potential and revenues, because guess what, it's all about the bottom line .... playoffs won't be happening anytime soon until they all come to realize there's more money to be made, and that's sad but true.

I'm Jay Bartolone, and that's my two cents ....
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 3:57 AM [edit]

Hey everyone, I'm still alive ...

Hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving, mine was fine except I had to work that evening ... it was good to see Jen though, as well as some of my pals ...




Today I waited in stopped traffic for about 40 minutes because President Bush paid a visit to Morris County for some kind of fundraiser thing up near work, that was real fun ... the only good part was I missed a meeting I was supposed to go to, so I didn't have to hear some of the usual nonsense ...
Unfortunately I have to go in to work tomorrow (on my day off, no less) for a mandatory training session about "real life, real news," that's the catchphrase around the office ... I just noticed that I sound like a disgruntled 40-year-old employee with a case of the Monday's, that's sad ... I've also noticed that I'm starting to find those stupid Dilbert "office humor" comics funny, not to mention all-too-true ... what's happening to me?




The Giants are pretty much dead to me right now ... they killed my spirits a long time ago, but that travesty of a "game" against the Bills on Sunday was the icing on the cake ... deep down I think Jim Fassel is a good coach, I really do ... if you look at the stats of other coaches around the league who've been with their teams as long as he has, he has pretty comparable numbers and is just as good as anyone, as far as playoff / Super Bowl appearances are concerned. But I just think he's lost the team, mentally, no matter how much they deny it. They stick up for him because he is a "player's coach" and they like him personally, but for whatever reason they're no longer motivated and/or mentally prepared by him, and a change has got to be made. I hope he ends up with another head job elsewhere and I wish him success, I think he can be successful, but he needs a change of scenery too ... owner Wellington Mara realizes this too, after speaking to the team in the locker room this weekend, and I assure you a change will be made. But don't think it stops with the coach ... when they bring in a new guy (probably Tom Coughlin?) you can believe he won't be a "player's coach," he'll be a hard-ass and every starting job will be up for grabs, so I don't think the players will tank it in the rest of the season if they know what's good for them. Man what a disappointing football year for my teams, arguably the worst ever for both Penn State and the Giants in terms of not living up to expectations. Is it 2004 yet?
posted by JASON BARTOLONE at 2:41 AM [edit]