Artist: Slough Feg
Album: Hardworlder
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 4.9/5
Slough Feg is somewhat of an unknown band, but they are frickin’ awesome. I think I found them from the forums on MetalCrypt. To me, this is one of those bands that are driven by a complete musical genius (Mike Scalzi), and the rest of the band is kind of just along for the ride. Not to say that the rest of the band are not great musicians, but sometimes you just get the feeling that one guy is kind of running the show. Sort of like the Beatles with Lennon and McCartney or Death with Chuck Schuldiner. Maybe it’s the turnover of band-members. Maybe Mike Scalzi has a huge ego that can only be dealt with because it’s so fun to be in a band with the guy.
This band has a pretty unique sound. Lots of guitar harmonies and great melodies and Scalzi has a pretty unique voice. I thought of Eddie Vedder the first time I heard him, but he is a little different.
Overall, this band should definitely be checked out if you get a chance.
Andy All Metal Review Slough Feg
Artist: Nevermore
Album: Dead Heart in a Dead World
Genre: Progressive Metal (I guess)
Rating: 5/5
The main guitar player for Nevermore, Jeff Loomis, might be one of my favorite guitar players “of all time.” The guy is a total badass - he’s so talented, but he doesn’t do the wankery/show-offery that other comparable players might. He has a really good sense of melody, and his solos fit the songs so well. I think album is definitely Nevermore’s best work. The vocals are slightly on the cheesy side, but Warrel Dane has a unique voice, so it’s not so, so bad.
I’m not sure what the general metal population thinks of Nevermore. I almost feel like this band is a guilty pleasure, they sometimes tip-toe the line of Dream Theaterness, but thankfully they can actually write good songs.
Andy All Metal Review Nevermore
Artist: In Flames
Album: Whoracle
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 4.8/5
Call me a newbie if you will, but I think this album is part of reason In Flames got so big back in the day. The melodies on this album are excellent, this is the epitome of melodic death metal. The guitars are all layered really well, the overall sound is really easy on the ears. The production quality could be just a little better, but it’s definitely not bad. It’s too bad In Flames kind of took a nose-dive as of late, they had some pretty solid albums in their hey-day.
Andy All Metal Review In Flames
Artist: The Fifth Sun
Album: The Hunger to Survive
Genre: American Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 4.8/5
I found this band from some reviews on MetalCrypt.com. Those trustworthy metal elitists on metal crypt didn’t let me down on this one, it’s really good. Back when I was reading about this band, they mentioned a few times that they’re actually not signed to any record label. They recorded this album at the famous “Studio Fredman” in Gothenburg, Sweden, which is arguably the birthplace of melodic death metal. You can definitely hear the M.D.M. influences in the album, but it does sort of have an american feel, I’m not sure why.
I’m not sure if this band ever got signed. If not, I’d be really surprised, this album is on par with some of the best albums I’ve come across in the genre.
Andy All Metal Review The Fifth Sun
Artist: Eluveitie
Album: Slania
Genre: Melodic Death Metal (Viking Metal maybe?)
Rating: 4.9/5
I sort of came across this band randomly on last.fm. Whenever I listen to these guys, I can’t help but think of the movie “Braveheart.” A few of the songs have some pretty epic openings, and they use some sort of celtic flute, which suits the music pretty well. They also incorporate a mix of clean female vocals with harsh male growling, which I was a little skeptical of at first, but they do it pretty well. The guitar playing is good, and the song-writing is pretty good. The production quality is also very good, everything sounds pretty polished.
Definitely worth checking out!
Andy All Metal Review Eluveitie
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