Metal summer
 

anyone else been blown away by these recently released and upcoming (leaked) albums:

Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache
All That Remains - This Darkened Heart
Shadows Fall - The War Within
Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake
Mastadon - Leviathan
Unearth - The Oncoming Storm

disclaimers: (1) yes i have bought/will be buying all of these albums. (2) who cares if one band is a little more or less "metal" than another.

I have The War Within, The End of Heartache, and as of last night Ashes of the Wake

I've found all three quite disappointing. In every single case, the album released before it by that band has been superior in every way.

I can only think of one or two songs from each album that really stand out, but from their earlier releases i can think of many more.

Quite sad really. Plus, In Flames has gone all nu metal too.

I can't think of any album released this year that blew my mind and, with the leak of Ashes of the Wake, there are no more already announced material to look foward to.

Leventhian is really a work of art to me. It was a bit different but ended up blowing me away. Mastodon never really were just another metal band but something about this album really establishes their sound and gives their music the distinction it needed and deserved. 9/10

The Oncoming Storm was a little bit bleh for me - if you know what I mean. They sound a little bit too proccesed this time around. The music is decent but nothing establishes a difference between TOS is the production - the breakdowns are boring and the music is too predictable. It's like listening to Chimaira's THe Impossiblity of Reason. 4/10

The End Of Heartache is awful in all respects. The music would be alright if the lead singer didn't ruin every song with his voice...they should've recorded their cd with Unearth, pressed them both onto the same cd and called it a day - or the end of their careers for this matter. 3/10

I have yet to hear Ashes of The Wake and I won't hear it until this monday when I get a free copy and their show. The music could be terrible and I'd still enjoy the show.

What about The Dillinger Escape Plan's album "Miss Machine", Bloodbath's "Nightmares Made Flesh" or Arsis' "A Celebration Of Guilt". The last 2 are very death metal but I suggest you download them if you haven't heard them.

Edit: Hey Kiwiman, nice signature.

I like the new Mastodon and the new Bloodbath that Manic_Skafe mentioned. I havnt checked out the other yet though.

I saw KSE last week (my nose is still recovering from the pit) and their new stuff kicked ass. I'll be seeing Shadows Fall next time they're around here (I think October 9th.) I haven't been downloading much lately, so I can't comment on the stuff on the albums

If you're into using the MIRC - EFnet/#lair. If you liked the new Bloodbath then I suggest you download Arsis' "A Celebration of Guilt". You should love it.