NAPALM DEATH:

• Scum (1987) You have a riff that grooves like Sabbath, and then sudden blasts of speed, blast beats, screaming and white noise. Cool, eh? A definitely classic, first of a kind album.
• From Enslavement To Obliteration (1988) What can I saw. Really extreme for its day (pretty extreme by today's standards as well). Fuzzy and low-level production, big blasts of speed, screaming and growling, the cymbals seem to overpower the rest of the band. Lots of really short songs that last long enough to rape your eardrums. The very first baby steps of a whole genre.
• The Curse 7" (1988, EP)
• Mentally Murdered (1989, EP)
• Harmony Corruption (1990) By today's standards it's probably a weak release, but it's still a classic, I mean, this band had blastbeats before the term 'blastbeat' even existed. Some nice riffs, the sound is muddy, but this was before these bands had any money to record in a good studio. The spirit is there even if the nuances aren't.
• Suffer The Children (1990, EP)
• Live Corruption (1990, Live)
• Mass Appeal Madness (1991, EP)
• Death By Manipulation (1991) 21 songs, a compilation of previously released Napalm albums, and some new live tracks.
• Nazi Punks Fuck Off 7" (1991, EP)
• The World Keeps Turning (1992, EP)
• Utopia Banished (1992) The sound is a bit weak, but it has lots of great riffs, great blast beats. Pretty straight ahead death metal.
• The Peel Sessions (1993) Three sets of Peel Sessions from '87, '88, '90. The production quality gets better with each new set of songs, but even so, the sound is raw and the production quality is limited. Still, a fun album to listen to, it showcases some of the stuff the legendary band was doing earlier in their career. A total of 34 songs ranging from longer songs with actual riffs to super quick intros and 5 second blasts of screaming.
• Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994) The sound on this album is just great. No single aspect of this CD rises above the rest, it's just all round good quality music. Their song writing is more coherent, and their music has this great sense of forward motion and groove (thanks in part to their drummer who handles strange time signatures with ease.) A big, thick guitar tone thanks to lots of overdubs. A re-release of the album has two bonus tracks at the end, both of which are cool.
• Hung (1994, EP) Contains 'Hung' and 'Truth Drug', 'Hung' is available on the "Fear, Emptiness Despair" CD, 'Truth Drug' is on a special reissue of that same CD.
• Greed Killings (1995, EP) A few tracks of "Diatribes", a few new tracks never before heard, and a live track. The extra stuff is well worth the money for any Napalm fan, there are some great songs here that should have probably made the full length album.
• Diatribes (1995) The band is obviously trying to evolve, and do new things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The core Napalm sound is there, but the brutal songs are too often interrupted with strange riffs that just don't seem to belong. Still enough good songs to make the CD worthwhile.
• In Tongues We Speak. (1997, EP) A split EP with the band Coalesce. The Coalesce songs are radically unmemorable (but their style probably just doesn't appeal to me). The two Napalm songs are a new unreleased one called 'Food Chains' and a demo version of 'Upward And Uninterested'. The songs are good, but there are only two of them. Probably only enjoyed by those who must own every single song that Napalm Death ever put out (like me).
• Inside The Torn Apart (1997) Excellent production, lots of high and low end, but it's the riffs that really shine. These guys must have spent a lot of time working on the songs and on their song writing skills in general, and it really shows. There's lots of heavy parts, incredibly fast parts, and some more spacey parts (like Fear Factory). Definitely one of the very best albums I've heard this year so far, and maybe (dare I say) the best and most complete album Napalm Death has put out yet.
• Breed To Breathe (1997, EP) A decent EP. It starts off with 'Breed To Breathe' (from "Inside The Torn Apart"), followed by two unreleased tracks, then the two tracks available on the Digipack version of ITTA, then a cover of 'Greed Killing' performed by the band Impending Doom. It also includes their recently censored 'Breed To Breathe' video, and some other stuff to see on the computer. Actually, I'm rather impressed with the computer stuff. The little multimedia presentation is well designed, it's not corny or pointless as most other computer bonus stuff I've seen is. The 4 new napalm tracks are all good quality stuff, so the EP is definitely worth the purchase.
• Live Corruption (1997, Video) A decent video capturing the 1990 Napalm Death Line-up. The camera work is a bit too flashy, as in black and white footage, constantly shifting camera angles, slow-mo, etc, which sort of detracts from the concert and the music. The whole video looks less like a live recording and more of a 50 minute rock video. But eventually I got used to it. The sound is excellent, only slightly muffled, with lots of bass. Mick Harris does an excellent job at the drums, although he does this weird silly-face head-bang thing when he does his blast beats that looks ridiculous (He was, however, the guy who invented the blast beat, so I won't be too hard on him). The rest of the band does a fine job with all the riffs, and Barney growls like his usual self. The crowd in England is really crazy, at one point, there are more stage divers on the stage than band members, the guards frantically trying to throw them back into the crowd. All in all, a good video, it would have probably been better if they'd kept it a little simpler, but lots of fun to watch anyways.
• Words From The Exit Wound (1998) More of what made "Inside The Torn Apart" a great album. The production is almost identical (which means damn good). The songs and riffs are great, with lots of memorable passages. My only complaint is that there isn't as much of a variety of song styles as in the last album, but that doesn't detract too much from the album. What it looses in variety it gains in anger. I'd like to address two things people keep saying about this album. First, that Barney uses some clean vocal singing on the album, and that it detracts from the songs. These areas are few and far between, and generally work with the song, so hyping this "new vocal technique" seems silly to me, it really doesn't stand out. Second, people are saying this album is a lot closer to the older Napalm albums such as "Utopia Banished". This album doesn't really go back to their blasting days, it's much more a progression in the vein of their last album, although there are generally more blast beats and the songs are a bit faster (and they change tempo more, as in a song will start off groovier and then go into super-fast blastbeats and back). Anyways, good, solid metal, I'd recommend it heavily.
• Bootlegged In Japan (1998, Live) 24 tracks (and almost 70 minutes) of what makes Napalm Death so great. A good mix of classics songs from before (and including) "Diatribes", they pretty much play all the best songs from all of their major albums. Production wise, the instruments are clear, the bass and guitar are slightly muffled and possible a little low in the mix, but a stereo with a good subwoofer will fix that problem. This is definitely a live album, as in, no overdubs, or no overdubs that I can find. This means a few mistakes here and there, a few notes not as tight as they could be, but that's ok, because this is a LIVE album, and it truly does capture the spirit of the band's live performances, which makes the album a good buy for any fan of the band.
• Leaders Not Followers (1999, EP) Metallica has done it, Slayer has done it, why not a Napalm Death EP with 6 songs of covers from their influences? The band gets into a studio and just rips these 6 songs off, decent production, a little loose and live as opposed to super well produced, the album goes by real quick, but several of these songs sound similar to stuff that Napalm was doing in their earlier days, which is nice, a bit more grind oriented stuff as opposed to the more straight ahead Thrash / Death combo of their most recent albums. I think as the last chant of "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" stops ringing in your ears, you won't feel ripped off or anything. A great band, some decent songs, a little nostalgia, and probably a new album sometime in the next year or so. And anyways, haven't we been hearing most of these songs as part of Napalm Death encore's for a decade now? Probably high time we had them on CD.
• The Complete Radio One Sessions (2000, EP) The first 12 songs are the entire "Peel Sessions" EP (see above for review), then 4 last songs, again taken from radio, mainly live performances of songs off Diatribes. The last 4 songs are well produced, although with almost no bass drum evident. For the napalm collector in all of us.
• Enemy Of The Music Business (2000) I think the first track on this album says it all, fast, blasting, and 1 minute and 49 seconds long. Wow. They've combined the best elements of their last few more groove oriented albums and their "Utopia Banished" days of unbridled speed and shorter songs. The combination makes for a powerful force. By track 4 you're still waiting for a slow song, but it never comes, not a single moment of mercy in all 14 tracks, constant blasting and out of control fury, but they've also incorporate the vastly superior song writing Napalm has learned during their past two more straight forward albums (not to mention the better production). Fans of the old and new napalm alike, the band has finally combined the two completely successfully, check it out.
• The DVD (2001, DVD) A Earache re-issue on DVD, the band apparently doesn't want anything to do with the release. The DVD starts with 6 music videos, followed by the music contents of the "Live Corruption" Video. Then blast back 6 months to a concert they did in Nottingham. The Nottingham concert is more low tech, a few cameras and some mics, so don't expect perfection, but the sound is pretty clear. The crowd is just nuts on this one, imagine 30 people on a stage that fits maybe 5 comfortably. They even bang into the guitar player a few times, but he keeps playing. Very crazy show. Then 2 quick clips from BBC's TV "Arena" Heavy Metal Special.
• Punishment in Capitals (2002, DVD) The DVD shows up in my mail, and I think, "Hell, I'll watch a few tracks and then watch the rest when I have the time". But no sooner had I made it through those first few tracks, then I'm watching the next and the next, and pretty soon, my tune changes to "fuck it, I'll watch the whole thing now". Yes, it is that good. The earache DVD was called "The DVD", but sorry, this DVD is the real "The DVD". It all starts with a 90 minute show recorded in England earlier this year, a benefit concert for an anti animal exploitation group. The show is fantastic, everyone plays pretty much flawlessly, and with tons of energy. You even get a chance to see Barney's new "short hair" look, but unlike Metallica the shorter hair certainly doesn't slow them down (It refers in the liner notes to Barney as a hyperactive kid, which is a perfect description). As with any Napalm Death show, they play a lot of material from a lot of albums, including of course some of their trademark 3-4 second songs, and all the classics like "Nazi Punks Fuck Off", "Scum", and plenty of tracks off their new album "Enemy Of The Music Business", certainly one of their best and more aggressive album to date. They even play a new song which will be on their new album released in a few weeks. The recording sound quality is excellent, I find the camera tends to jump a bit too quickly (no image is on screen for longer than 0.5 to 1 second), the camera is always pretty tight so it's tough to see where everybody is at any particular time, and also since this was recorded in england, you're dealing with 25 frames per second, so the recording isn't as smooth as 30 frames per second NTSC. But after a few songs all that melts away, and you just enjoy the amazing music. Also included is a 45 min behind the scenes interview with the band members, which is fantastic. No partying and boobs in this one (if you want to see that stuff, I recommend any Pantera video or the "girls gone wild" videos instead), just some good honest questions and answers. Shane discussing his hospitalization in Germany, Barney's talking about his political and social views, Jesse on how he got into the band, and Jesse and Mitch on how the writing process for the band works. The interviews are very personable and relaxed, you definitely get the idea these guys are just regular everyday people who love what they do and try to do the best that they can. If that weren't enough, you also have some songs from another concert in Japan in 1996 and then more songs from Chile in 1997, both which are less "produced" but both good quality. And, a hidden track with Mick, the original drummer. Pioneers in their genre, I repeat, this is "the DVD' to get for all fans of the band.
• Order Of The Leech (2002) Sort of a cross between their last two albums, and the blend is more than satisfying. Like "Exit", there's plenty of moshable / slower / melodic parts on this cd. But there's a LOT of blast beats as well, a la "Enemy". Live, this music will probably go over incredibly well, every song seems almost perfectly crafted to get the utmost response from a live crowd, just the right mix of super speed followed by something to bang your heads to. Their last album was just a pedal to the metal "I am so pissed off" kind of attitude, and this album brings the music back to a slightly more song oriented approach, without losing their fierce performance. The production is good, not quite as treble heavy as "Enemy". 15 years and still at the top of their game, will this band ever slow down?
• Noise For Musics Sake (2003, Bestof) Double CD set, the first CD is best of stuff, a bunch of tracks from all their cds, a pretty decent variety in there, although a lot of my favorite ND songs are missing (I just have too many favorites I guess). The 2nd cd is more rare material, mostly stuff you can find as extra tracks on various ND Cds, like the 2 bonus tracks from the expanded edition of "Fear, Emptiness, Despair", or the seven songs tacked on the end of "Utopia Banished". A few songs are truly hard to find, including two original mixes from "Fear, Emptiness, Despair", which is cool, it's quite a different mix, far more treble and less bass in there, I'm glad they didn't go with that mix for the album, but it does let you hear some of the notes clearer. The album ends with a few badly recorded live tracks. Close to 60 songs on this double CD, is it worth it? Well, if you already own all this stuff, then probably not, but if you're a completist, then sure, if nothing else you get a snazzy "Family Tree" of napalm death foldout which tries to make sense of the band's incredibly complex history of former members.
• Leaders Not Followers 2 (2004, Covers) 19 new cover songs delivered in the usual Napalm Death style. One of the nice things about cover albums is getting to hear a new take on songs you've known and loved. Well, I got into the whole metal thing in the late 80s, and not the early to mid eighties where most of these songs come from, so in 19 songs I've only actually heard the original to 1. But that brings us to the flip side of the equation, the nice thing about a covers album of covers you've never heard is it all sounds like new music to you. And these songs are definitely fun to listen to, especially if you're a punk fan (the harder side of punk, of course). Production wise, don't expect the perfect production we've come to expect from a Napalm Death studio album, this cd misses a little bass (although you can still hear the bass clearly) and is a tad messier than the norm, but considering the theme of the album, the modified production works with the material and really shouldn't detract from the album. It kinda feels like a lost Napalm Death album from the early days of the band, and is a good indication of the style of music that inspired the group. Basically this album strikes me as the missing evolutionary link between the original songs and Napalm Death's earliest albums. Considering you get 19 songs, a great performance, and some killer songs that you may have never heard before, I definitely recommend giving this album a try.
• The Code Is Red...Long Live The Code (2005) Perhaps a little more balanced in terms of fast and slow songs as compared to say their return to roots album "Enemy Of The Music Business". But that doesn't mean this album is slow. Oh no. I mean, track 1 puts you in your place immediately with a classic napalm death song called 'Silence Is Deafening' (check that out in mp3 and try and tell me with a straight face that the band is anything but angry), and track 2 'Right You Are' starts with blastbeats and basically they don't end for the full 52 second length of the song. It really is amazing, the band has been doing this for nearly 20 years, they've released like a dozen albums, and countless EPs, and they're still producing fantastic music that remains true to their style and yet is still fresh sounding somehow. In fact, this album almost more than any other shows everything the band has done and can do, from the crazy blasting of 1987's "Scum" to the melody of "Inside The Torn Apart" to the thunderous sound of "Fear, Emptiness, Despair". The band's seemingly solid lineup is a bit diminished for this release, missing guitarist Jesse Pintado. It doesn't seem to have too much of an effect on the album, but I'd be more than happy to have him back. Maybe due to this size reduction the band felt they needed some extra folk to help out, which they got with a whole bunch of special vocalists, the most evident in the music being Jello Biafra's stint on 'The Great And The Good', and his vocal wackiness certainly does add a seriously different flavor to the song, and yet it strangely fits in. After more blasting, a few more groovy tracks, the album ends with 2 slow doomy songs 'Morale' and 'Our Pain Is Their Power', each with minimal vocals and a monumental feel reminiscent of "Through the Ages", the song that ends Bolt Thrower's seminal "The IVth Crusade" album. This type of album is what death metal/grindcore is all about, and is another crowning achievement in one of the forefathers of the genre. Instant classic.
• Smear Campaign (2006) What is this? Orchestral elements? Choral voices? Bells and Chimes? I did put the right CD in correct? Ah ok, this is just the intro. Track 2 is where the real onslaught begins, and it's everything you'd expect from the band, screams, shouts, blasting followed by slower breakdowns in the middle of the songs. Overall, this is the usual fair from the band with a few extra bits sprinkled in to give the album a bit of its own character. For example, they use a few choral sounding vocals on a song or two. There seems to be more background vocal screams. They use some of those chimes now and again. Also the song 'When All Is Said And Done' is a bit of a departure for the band, a more straight ahead beat with no blasting until the last 30 sec of the song (it's not a bad song, just different). But 99% of the material is exactly what you've come to expect from their last 3 albums or so, vicious, angry and fast. The riffs are good stuff as usual, some great groovy parts and some memorable hooks. The production is a little quieter than their last record, which is a shame, I thought the rawness of their sound on "The Code Is Red" really helped the brutality of the record. All in all, while I think their last 3 albums were slightly stronger, "Smear Campaign" is a damn good cd and well worthy of the Napalm Death name.
• Punishment in Capitals (2007, Live) CD version of their 2002 DVD. Not much more to say that wasn't said in the DVD review, except that the sound is kinda lacking on the CD. It's way treble heavy without a lot of low end at all. It kinda sounds like it's being played through a tiny radio, my poor subwoofer is feeling all lonely. The sound is clear, but I wish they'd mixed in some bass. Otherwise, worth grabbing, since the show's performance and material is so strong.
• Time Waits For No Slave (2009) Another good album, but not quite as good as their last 4. All the elements are here, great production, super fast drumming, lots of vicious screaming from Barney. Intensity out the ying-yang. My only real issue with the album is that many of the songs contains riffs that are too similar to previous albums. Like the slower riff in 'Strong Arm' is almost identical to the slower riff in their old song 'Antibody'. And the beginning to 'On The Brink Of Extinction' is basically the same riff they start 'Plague Rages' with. There are still plenty of new and excellent riffs on this album, but this is the first time in a longtime where I haven't been blown away by a new Napalm album. I guess that's one disadvantage of having so many excellent albums in a row, one that's only "great" comes along and it becomes a disappointment. The CD grows on you though, so while it may not end up being one of the band's career highlights, this CD is well worth buying. Long live Napalm Death.
  

• Blind World (1993, Split 7")
• Grindwork (1994, 4-way split EP)
• Domedagen (1995, Demo)
• Industrislaven (1995, EP)
• Smile When You're Dead (1996, Split 7")
• World In Turmoil (1997, 7" EP)
• inhale/exhale (1998) A good mix of insane blasting and thicker groove oriented metal. The sound is good, but a little softer and not as distorted as Human 2.0. More mid range vocals in this release, with the occasional higher scream and low level burst of grunts. Overall the songs fall just a bit short of the band's next album, but still well worth listening to.
• The Black Illusions (1998, Split 7" EP)
• s/t (1998, 7" EP)
• Human 2.0 (2000) A cross between old Carcass, Napalm Death and Obituary, mixed with a little modern flavor. But these paralells are really only a reference point to tell you where they're coming from, they've mixed their influences into a pretty cohesive new sound. 25 quick tracks that pulverize with a mixture of slow grooves and fast uncontrolled blastbeats (in vintage napalm death style). The singer is pretty high pitched, guitar sound is loud, with big bass and lots of highend crunch (thanks also to a very, very distorted bass). I don't think I've ever heard a more distorted wall of sound before, think Bolt Thrower's 4th crusade, but more ragged and uncontrolled like the sound is going to escape any second and eat the listener alive. Good songs, short, to the point, brutal, and catchy (a little more variety, maybe a few more interludes or something might have been a good idea). Some excellent cover and sleeve artwork helps round out the package. Overall, if you're a fan of good old fashionned grindcore done in a very professional and modern fashion, check these guys out.
• Untitled (2000, Split 7" EP) With Warhate.
• Human 2.01 (2000) The Japanese version of Human 2.0 which includes the Warhate EP as bonus tracks. The 4 tracks are all really short (for a total of less then 3 minutes of extra material), the new stuff is a bit noisier and less polished then the material on the rest of the album, but good stuff. Maybe not worth it if you already have 2.0, but  if you don't, get 2.01.
• Helvete (2003) After such a fantastically brutal 2nd album, perhaps I did myself a disservice, getting too hyped up for their new release, setting up expectations that just could not possibly be met except with the release of a "Human 3.0", which this album is not. That is not to say this is a bad album, in fact, I love a lot of these songs, if I have a main complaint it's the production. While still plenty good, clear and chunky, "Human" had this super scooped razor sharp tone to it that was just deadly. I mean, they could have been playing an Anne Murray song with that tone and it would have still come out sounding like satan himself had written it. That being said, this album falls a little closer to their 1st album, "Inhale / Exhale". Still plenty of good riffs, fast stuff, heavier moshable parts. While "Human" is still going to get more frequent play on my CD player, this album still stands as a great piece of grindcore and should not be missed.
• Shift (2004) While still a good album, "Helvete" just didn't grab my attention the way "Human 2.0" did and so never really made it into my cd player much after my initial review. As well as being slightly less intense and having a few weaker songs, I suppose the main problem I had with the album was that since I loved "Human" so much, I was sort of hoping for a "Human 3.0", and so wasn't happy when I didn't get it. Well, now it's a year later, here's their fourth album "Shift", and, well, "Shift" is indeed that "Human 3.0" I had been looking for. For whatever reason, despite my feelings for "Helvete", I had a good feeling about this album, and impatiently waited for it to show up in the mail. When it finally arrived, I was overjoyed when I put it in the cd player and it actually exceeded my already high expectations. A really great mix of super fast songs and the occasional groovy part, if any album deserves to be referred to as the music equivalent to an epileptic seizure, it would be this. Their sound is much closer to "Human" again (basically the whole album sounds like "Human" except with different songs). There's just ever so slightly less bass and the guitars have a slight twinge of the Entombed sound to them. The vocals are also ever so slightly muffled, but it's nothing that interferes with the performance. Lots and lots of great riffs sandwiched between crazy fits of overly distorted guitars, so distorted I have no hope of ever figuring out what notes they're playing. Brilliant album, if I had a numeric rating system on this webzine this would definitely get a 9.5 out of 10.
• Grind Finale (2006) Wow, 152 grindcore songs on 2 cds (most of which are under a minute long of course). Talk about grindcore overload. And yet, it works. It's like the film Naked Gun. Strange connection I know, but follow me for a second if you will. In The Naked Gun, they basically have a joke flying at you every 5-10 seconds for the entirety of the film. So even if some of those jokes bombed, it was ok because there was another one coming in a few seconds. Same with this cd collection, is every song genius? No, but they're short, and there's so many of them that the good songs far outweigh the so-so stuff. Anyways, for those who don't know, this is all the rare Nasum stuff out there that wasn't on their albums. And there's a ton of it, talk about a prolific band. A few highlights, finally hearing the soundclip that contains the word "Nasum", some unreleased material from the "Shift", "Human" and "Helvete" sessions, the "Grindwork" EP, hell, there's lots of good stuff here. Production shifts all over the place of course from the great to the ok, with mostly the great thankfully. A 40-50 page booklet contains vast quantities of info on each of the recording sessions including stories and lyrics. It is so saddening that with the death of Mieszko, this will be the last release from the band, but it's nice to close their chapter with a fine collection of all the hard to find stuff, and I hope the remaining members of the band get some new project in full swing. A must buy collection.
• Doombringer (2008, Live) 16 track live concert recorded in Japan in 2004. It's short (only 23 min), but furious, pounding through a number of awesome songs. The sounds is really nice with plenty of power and a good balanced mix. My only complaints are, again, it's really short, and also that the distortion to tone ratio on the guitars is a bit low, making it hard to make out the actual tune versus just this wall of static. But a fun little EP, worth grabbing if you're a fan of the band already. Otherwise, grab some of their studio albums.
  

• Season of the Dead (1987)
  
• Holocausto de la Morte (1998)
  
• The Divine Art of Torture (2003)
  
• Harvest Ritual Volume 1 (2005) Fans of Bloodbath would do well to check these guys out. Necrophagia are slow, plodding and brutal as all hell. The key to that brutality is an incredibly distorted guitar tone, so distorted it's tough to identify a pitch when they palm mute. And palm mute they do, as they chug through some very very heavy riffs. Vocals are sorta similar to the high voice from Carcass, with lots of other demonic voices mixed in. Drums never get very fast, but are certainly pounding. The band also includes some odd symphonic themes in the music now and then similar to the stuff Daath is doing. But again, I just keep coming back to this awesome guitar tone that brings a huge smile to my face every time I hear it, not unlike the smile I get when I listen to Entombed's first 2 albums. The music is a little simple, but very catchy, don't miss out, go listen to Necrophagia now.
  

• Onset Of Putrefaction (1999) This is a one man band from Germany playing Dying Fetus / Suffocation inspired music. And in all honesty, it's pretty good. The production is decent, the drumming is a drum machine, but everything else is real. I'm not sure if it's the drums or the ultra precision of his guitar playing, but the whole album definitely has a robotic feel to it. He could have possibly bulked up the sound a bit with more overdubs, but it's pretty clear so I won't complain. Vocals are sorta mid-range growling. The riffs are very technical, with tons of arpeggios played on two guitars simultaneously and crazy scales. Lots of fun squeaks and squawks. I don't know, I like the album, it's just really decent riffing with plenty of memorable stuff. Hopefully he can get a band together sometime so the sound can be less robotic, but obviously he should keep the precise guitar sound.
• Epitaph (2004) Well, Muhammed (lead guitar and vocals) did get himself a band together for this album, and the results (funnily enough) are just about as robotic as the previous album. But the album is certainly more focused than the last, in the song structure especially, the songs on "Onset..." tended to blend together, whereas these songs have their own life, as in I can listen to it and say "oh ya, this is track 2" and such. Performance wise, scales galore perfectly and fluidly performed, but there's still some great chunky riffs that keep the music from becoming only about the technicalities and not about catchy rhythms. I do wish however that during the solos the band would play something more complex than just held chords. I also wish the album was longer, the trip ends before you know it with 8 shortish songs. But despite these nits, this is definitely not an album I throw in once to review and then never listen to again, I'm totally digging the songs and this will get plenty of play in my usual rotation.
  

• Negativa (2006, EP) Well, Gorguts of the "Obscura" era is back. Gorguts main man Luc Lemay has put the band to rest, but has gotten together with former Gorguts member Steeve Hurdle, bassist Miguel Valade and drummer Etienne Gallo to start the carnage again where "Obscura" left off. Really atonal songs, out of tune sounds, this material is experimental, ahead of its time, on first listen its terrible and after 3 listens it's the coolest thing you've ever heard. The first track 'Chaos In Motion' is definitely the best, 4 minutes with some nice riffs and cool drumming. It's also nice to hear Luc's raspy voice again. Track 2 is slow and long (10 min) and doesn't seem to go anywhere compositionally, more of a jam then a song. Track 3 has some similar sounding riffs to track 1, and is fast again. Personally I'd buy this EP, it'll help support the band in making a full length album. Although if they added just a touch more of standard riffing in with the craziness next time, I think it would make the material even stronger. If you enjoyed "Obscura", you'll enjoy this.
  

• A Passage Into Forlorn (2001) Very similar to "Truth Beyond", except, well, no, never mind, just very similar to "Truth Beyond". The production is just ever so quieter, but in every other respect, this is more great material from the band in exactly the same style as their next album. Wow, this is gonna be a short review...nothing more to say...if you dug either of these albums, buy the other one as well. Nuff said.
  
• Truth Beyond (2002) As a rule, I'm pretty sure I've heard just about every death metal band Montreal has to offer. And if I don't own their cd, it must be I heard it and wasn't overwhelmed. So it was a surprise when a friend told me how kicking this cd was, and why on earth hadn't I told him about this band. All I could say was "well, I vaguely remember them, let me check it out". Glad I did, whatever this band did or did not sound like in the past, this cd is very, very good. Technical death metal with a slightly spacey tone. Great production, fast alternate picking and some good squawks. Not sure I can identify a particular band that Neuraxis sounds like. That's great from a band perspective since it makes them somewhat unique. But that's bad from a review standpoint, the best way to describe a band is to describe what they sound similar too, and I'm having a tough time here. Maybe ever so vaguely like Arch Enemy? But with more crazy parts? Oh forget it. Better to just download some mp3s from the band to get the idea. A few spots are overly technical, changing time signatures too fast (making the music very difficult to mosh to, which I can imagine causes strife at their live performances), but other parts are slightly more straight forward and very cool. This music may work better to listen to at home than to try and bang your head to, but I'm still impressed with the technicality and brutality of this cd, well worth a listen.
• Trilateral Progression (2005) The thing this CD has over the last can be summed up in one word, "flow". While I liked the previous Neuraxis material, the tunes always felt a little bit like a collection of disjointed riffs more than coherent songs. One riff would immediately leap into something totally new and random, both good riffs on their own, but they didn't work well together. They needed some coherency in tempo, mood, something to hold the songs together. Well, "Trilateral Progression" has the same general feel as the band's previous material, but is far more consistent, the riffs flow nicely into each other, overall just better song writing. It's still technical, but no longer overly technical. Thankfully the change in song structure hasn't caused the band to lose all the other elements that made Neuraxis somewhat unique, so don't expect a radical change from the band, the material is just more refined. What more can I say, they took their one flaw and fixed it without sacrificing the rest. Bravo.
  
• Live Progression (2007, Live) 11 live tracks from the band. The sound is excellent, the music is angry, and you get a good mix from all their albums. The concert was recorded in Quebec, and hearing all the french banter between songs really brings me back to my days in Montreal. Hopefully non french speakers won't find this a detraction, you don't really need to know what they're saying to enjoy the music. Not too much else to say, the band doesn't really do anything here that they haven't already done on their studio records, but if you enjoy this group, here's a well recorded live concert of many of their best songs.
• The Thin Line Between (2008) Another solid album from the band. Nice production, fantastic musicianship and strong songwriting make this a fantastic sequel to "Progression". All the usual elements are here, with a few standout parts, there's some really extra nice complex guitar picked parts ala Necrophagist, and some nice acoustic bits to try and break things up. Even with the breaks though, there are a few songs that sound kinda too similar to other songs on the album. Adding a touch more variety to the songs would have made the album that much better. But as it stands, it's still an excellent album, fans of the band or technical metal in general will really dig this.
  

• Descent Into Chaos (2005) Well, thrash is certainly alive and well in Sweden. In the style of The Haunted, Arch Enemy or Shadows Fall (although not the vocals), we have Nightrage. While nothing really unique, this album is good quality stuff. Production is really nice, vaguely reminiscent of early Entombed or Arch Enemy's latest material. Vocals are a raspy scream, drumming is good and solid with plenty of boom-chick riffs and the odd blast and double kick spot for good measure. The twin guitarwork is tight and lively. Despite plenty of good songs, I actually find myself most interested in the one 3 minute instrumental track the most, 'Solus', due to a really interesting guitarline reminiscent of Joe Satriani that comes in towards the end of the song. If you're looking for something different, this is the last place to look, but if you've enjoyed any of the bands mentioned above this cd is well performed and has memorable enough riffs to keep you interested all the way through.
• A New Disease Is Born (2007) A little more night, a little less rage? After a lineup change (losing a guitarist, vocalist and drummer) and label change, why not a style change as well? Well, not a total style change, but the band has definitely become a little more generic. Several songs off this album are indistinguishable from bands like In Flames (think the "Soundtrack To Your Escape" album). And overall, there's a little less heaviness. More sung vocals, more held power chords over top of acoustic guitars. There's still some heavy material here, and some of the songs are pretty cool, but with this release, the band has moved from producing music that grabs me to music that's enjoyable when it's on in the background while I do something more important. Try before you buy. All in all, I still enjoyed the CD. But if you have limited cash this week for your music needs, there's other stuff you may want to consider first.
• Wearing A Martyr's Crown (2009) Following in the same tradition as their last album, the band continues playing their In Flames style songs. While a couple of tunes really standout (I really like the instrumental 'Sting Of Remorse' that closes the album), for the most part it's the same sort of song structure and chord progression again and again. If I had to boil it down to a single word, it would be "enjoyable". This material isn't unique, it isn't brilliant, but it's well done, sounds good, and certainly is catchy.
  

• The Faithless (2006) Math metal in a similar style to The Red Chord / Despised Icon / Dillenger Escape Plan, although not quite as chaotic. Start-stop riffs in strange time signatures with hardcorish vocals overtop, a little chaos with some slower stuff mixed in. Certainly well performed, but nothing here to really distinguish the band from all the other folk out there. I'm afraid I have to put these guys in the Into The Moat category, they're obviously good, but don't have anything unique to the band, and so unless you're just absolutely addicted to this genre, I'd put this low on your purchase list.
  

• Festivals Of Atonement (1995, Demo) Their unique style isn't quite there yet, but you start hearing a few of characteristics of a true nile cd. Low, detuned instruments, blasting, overall a little less death metal and a little more straight ahead metal (in the vocals and riff style). The only thing the demo lacks is the song writing maturity of their next demo and their first cd. Although many riffs are excellent, many others sound like filler, which is fine, since they're still learning. Very good and bassy production for a demo.
• Ramses Bringer of War (1997, EP) What could have been a very boring grind band actually comes off as quite talented and inspired. Their grind is as furious as anything Carcass might have put out in their day, straight ahead with blasting drums, low guitars and low guttural vocals, but they temper this with some original themes. The second track on this three song EP is a metalized cover of Mars Bringer of War by Holst. And the last song is a tribal symphonic piece, with chanting, monks and lots of keyboards. Not by any means a run of the mill effort, and if they play their cards right with their first full length album, they might actually make it big.
• Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka (1998) High quality death metal riffs mixed with a touch of black metal and some ambient pieces of egyptian origin. The album remains melodic, but with these scary bursts of brutal aggression, super fast blast beats, incredibly low, thick and powerful guitars and bass, and vocals ranging from chanting to ultra-low growling straight from satan's ass. The sound is great on this CD, really polished. One of the most original works I've heard for quite some time, let the music smash you around for a few days and you'll realize that Nile is a band to be reckoned with.
• In The Beginning (2000, EP) It's nice to see these early demos finally released. While some people see it as a money making scheme to repackage old work and sell it as though it were new, the truth is, we'd all like to hear out of print stuff, and avoid paying $50 on e-bay to hear it. So please, let the reissuing continue. For specific reviews, check out the reviews above for Ramses Bringer of War and Festivals Of Atonement.
• Black Seeds Of Vengeance (2000) The famed second album. So what direction would the band head in now that they've all captivated us with something really unique? Well, they'd just push it further. The egyptian interludes (chanting, keyboards, mournful wailing and traditional instruments) are now firmly part of the music, no longer just cool intros, but mix in with the death metal mayhem. A good example of that is track 3, 'Defiling the Gate of Ishtar', it starts off incredibly fast and blasting, then towards the end, it stops, and this powerful egyptian chanting with super amounts of reverb come on, and then underneath there's fast double kicks, distorted tremolo picking, and then the egyptian chanting trades off with phrases done in standard super low and gurgled death metal vocal style. The guitar/bass/drum sound all merges together into a single, evil entity (and did I mention low, really low), again, excellent production. A few more slower parts in this album compared to the last one, but that doesn't mean there isn't still plenty of blasting. I just realized I've said the word merge or mix a few times now, that's really a good way of looking at it, their last album was cool but still many pieces that were put together (and why not, several songs were from earlier demos and such). This album is truly a cohesive whole, dare I say every note on this album doesn't sound "thought out", it flows so beautifully it's like the notes were just meant to happen, all the band is doing is channeling something that's come from some higher source. I really can't find anything to complain about here, this album was just meant to be, and is a must buy for anyone and everyone.
• In Their Darkened Shrines (2002) This album harkens back a bit more to the brutality of Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka. There aren't quiet as many soft parts as on their previous album, the songs have an urgency to them that's kinda appealing, brought out by generally faster songs and an overall "go for the throat" attitude. While Black Seeds had a lot of finesse, this album is a little more straight ahead brutal, while retaining all of the unique style that is Nile. The new Drummer is fantastic, he can definitely blast with the best of them. And as usual, crazy, crazy guitar work. A few nits, mainly the use of synth, the synth on Black Seeds seemed much more real, possibly due to the inclusion of real instruments instead of a keyboard simulation of a real instrument. The synth on this album sounds a little too synthy, well written but I may have gone the real instrument route instead. Second, there are a few songs where these long solos go on that seem a bit gratuitous. But despite these tiny problems, this album is just fantastic, the songs are very memorable, not a bad tune on the album. It captures all the epic scope, anger and complexity that you'd naturally expect from Nile. Again, another must by from the band.
• Annihilation of the Wicked (2005) Nile's albums have all been so consistently amazing, I don't think I even vaguely worry when I get a new one that it will be anything less than spectacular. And this album is no exception. It retains all the same qualities that their previous albums have without sounding like a rehash. The album starts with a nice atmospheric middle eastern style acoustic bit, and then jumps immediately into the crazy and brutal blasting of the band. I'd talk about the stand out songs, but just about all the songs fit into that category. One thing I really love about the band is how just when you think a song is going to be a bit boring (still more blasting?), the band then breaks down into some really neat guitar riff, some crazy new drum groove, keyboard/acoustic guitar interlude or chanting. I mean, when I heard the first sample from the album 'Lashed To The Slave Stick', I thought "well, it's a good song, but it's kinda mid paced, I hope the band isn't slowing down." But then when you get the whole album the song before it is super fast, the song after it is super fast (after a brief intro), and you see that this song was the breather you needed between those two songs in order to keep the album from being monotonous. Nile's song writing skills are just spectacular, not just in terms of each song but in how all the songs flow together to produce the album. Ok, enough from me, this is mind blowingly good, just like their previous material, and a must buy.
• Papyrus Containing The Spell To Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is In The Water (2007, Single) Contains a new song off the new album, a rehearsal for another song, and a 15 min video of drum tracks during the recording process. The new track is pretty awesome, and certain a good appetite wetter for their new album (although you can listen to it for free already at www.ozzfest.com). The rehearsal track is of course, badly mixed, and has no vocals. Both songs are around 3 min a piece. The video is a drumcam placed on George while he's recording in the studio. You get lots of little clips of him playing solo, followed by some clips playing with the rest of the band (although the recording volume on the band is low, so you won't be able to hear too much except the drums). The lighting quality in the studio is really bad, so while you'll get to see some really crazy blast beats on the snare, his legs are in 100% shadow the whole time, with only the audio to prove he's doing insanely fast doublebass. Not for the casual fan, if Nile are your personal gods, download this from the Nuclear Blast site for the 2 Euros, but for the vast majority of people, just wait for the new album.
• Ithyphallic (2007) A tiny step down from their last CD, but still a worthy Nile album. Songwise, "Ithyphallic" is top notch. I keep thinking that the band has to run out of ideas eventually, but every single cd they manage to write memorable riffs, stuff that really sticks in your head. Lots of great songs, many of the songs are shorter than usual (between 3-4 minutes), but the album begins with an 8 minute epic, and ends with a 10 minute super-opus. This album also shows a return to some of the more symphonic elements from their earlier albums, gongs, wailing voices and synth trumpets heralding the return of the conquering heroes, great stuff to add atmosphere and help break up the songs. So while "Annihilation" was a bit more straight forward death metal, this has some more variety to it (don't worry, there's still plenty of blasting). The only area that I'm a bit disappointed is the mix. This album is a little muffled compared to their last 3 albums, the production is a lot closer to their first album, which isn't bad, but it's just not as sharp as it could be. Also, the band doesn't do as many trade off vocals, apparently Dallas handles most of the vocals this time round, and I sort of miss the variety (Karl joins in more later in the album). But otherwise, everything on this album is fantastic. A Special Edition of the album contains 2 songs off the album with no vocals, which is neat, although nothing too different. Highly recommended.
• Those Whom The Gods Detest (2009) Not quite as good as their last album, but real damn close. All the stuff you love is here, the production is fantastic, plenty of egyptian and middle eastern influences, plenty of ridiculous speed. The only thing that brings it down a notch in my book is that the songs on Ithyphallic overall where a little more instantly memorable. This CD took me a few times before I started remembering bits. The big exception was the first riff in 'Utterances Of The Crawling Dead', I just found it completely mind blowing, I spent a good hour just listening to the first minute of that song again and again. Keep in mind though, a soso song for Nile is still a fantastic song for just about every other band, and as I said, after a number of listens, the songs on this album start revealing their brilliance. It also has a little more in the chanting area than previous records, and some excellent choral stuff that compliments the music well. And the song explanation are back for this release in the booklet. Yay! A really stellar album, Nile just can't release a bad record!
  

• Down In It (1989, EP)
• Pretty Hate Machine (1989) The infamous first album that started a movement. So many classic songs here from industrial "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie" to the haunting piano and vocal piece "Something I Can Never Have". If you're buying this album for the first time after listening to a lot of their later material, it's a great way to hear some of the original classics, and some less "famous" songs that are great too. Highly recommended.
  
• Head Like A Hole (1990, Remix)
• Sin (1990, EP)
• Broken (1992) One of the few industrial artists to ever become popular with the general public. This is primarily due to the accessibility of the music, and yet it refuses to give up its artistic elements. Trent mixes catchy rock/metal oriented guitar rhythms and vocal patterns over top of a wall of sound, a wall comprised of an astoundingly few instruments (electric drum, bass and guitar, with a few synths). But this sort of simplicity is what makes the music accessible, and yet the feeling of anger, depression and its epic qualities makes the music real and not just a money making gimmick. Trent is definitely a man with an artistic vision. Vocals remain distorted and at the same time recognizable. Drum patterns are simple but pounding and effective, as with most industrial music, you repeat the riff over and over to create a groove, but switch to something new before the current mood starts getting boring and redundant, and that is just what Trent manages to do. On this particular album, a good mix of songs that create quite a variety of moods and textures, all of which are dark and unsettling. Good music to play in the background of any serious party.
• Fixed (1992, Remix) Remixes of the "Broken" album. I read a lot of great reviews and so decided I probably should pick this up, but after listening to it I get the feeling the people who wrote the reviews would probably be excited if Trent recorded himself taking a large dump on cd. Track 1, the remix of 'Gave Up' is just kinda boring for the first few minutes, then goes to this dance beat thing over top of the original song. Not too remixed if you ask me. Track 2, the remix of 'Wish' also starts off slow, then they throw in a reasonably interesting drum beat, but with almost nothing over top, just a few very quiet samples from the original song. Then it goes to basically the original song with almost no variation. Track 3, the remix of 'Happiness In Slavery' is the first song to have some of it's own character with a nice bass and drum beat, and continues with a futuristic rendition of the song (lots of keyboards ala Terminator soundtrack). Incidentally, this song is probably the most modified of the songs, and is probably the best song on the album. Track 4 is also decent (Trent had a hand in remixing Tracks 3 and 4) although doesn't have a lot of energy. Track 5 also sorta lacks energy, and Track 6 is more a random assemblage of electronic and industrial noises than a song. Basically, Track 3 is cool, didn't enjoy the rest, buy the original album, personally I'd give the remix a miss.
• March Of The Pigs (1994, EP)
• The Downward Spiral (1994) A large variety of styles and moods on this album. From spooky computer generated gleeps to noisy landscapes to pop tunes. All to a relentless drum machine inspired beat. The music is honest, and properly reflects all the emotions that a standard person experiences, highs, lows and all. This album explores some more "happier" areas while still remaining dark. And of course there are some crunchy synthesized guitar riffs as well. Vocal melodies that are unsettling and laid back all at the same time. Music for the wasteland of the new Millennium.
• Closer To God (1994, Remix)
• Further Down The Spiral (1995, EP)
• The Perfect Drug Versions (1997, EP)
• Closure (1997, Video)
• The Fragile (1999) It's cool that after all this time, Trent is still making memorable music. Nothing new or inventive here, however, this Double CD set does have one major bonus, after one listen, he's already got a melody or chorus stuck in your head, playing over and over again, and it won't get out! Commercial catchiness, yet I don't mind, what's going on? I mean, 99% of music that sounds like this I just don't enjoy listening to, but for some reason Trent just does this style justice. Maybe it's because he invented it. In general, lots of good music to chill out to, not as much anger or heavy stomping beats as in some of his earlier albums, but lots of darkness, gloom and ambiance to make anybody happy (er, sad, that is, I think).
• The Day The World Went Away (1999, EP)
• We're In This Together (Part 1) (1999, EP)
• We're In This Together (Part 2) (1999, EP)
• We're In This Together (Part 3) (1999, EP)
• Into The Void (1999, EP)
• Things Falling Apart (2000, Remix)
• And All That Could Have Been (2002, Live) See review for Deluxe Edition.
• Still (2002, EP) See review for "All That Could Have Been Deluxe Edition".
• And All That Could Have Been Deluxe Edition (2002, Live) You might think, with music that is primarily electronic in nature, why would a live album be of any use? But it takes the live situation to truly reveal how much of NIN really is good old fashioned guitars, drums and vocals. The addition of a live drummer just adds to the power of the band, and Trent is just as maniacal on vocals live as on the albums. No ranting at the audience here or "audience participation" parts, just good clean angry music. A good variety of songs from the band's most popular albums, and lots of them, 16 in total. And if you grab the Deluxe Limited Edition, you get a 2nd cd with 9 bonus tracks (called "Still"), mostly piano and vocal pieces, including a haunting rendition of 'Something I Can Never Have'. If the 1st cd is getting slammed around, the 2nd cd is you crying in your bed as you watch the world crash around you. Highly recommended.
  
• And All That Could Have Been (2002, LiveDVD) While visually intense, this DVD really isn't "all that could have been" (sorry for the bad play on the title, but it was just so apt). Basically, most of the concert is like one giant music video, a shaky camera, lighting so harsh you can't see the performers except in silhouette. The camera also spend most of the concert really really far away from the stage. The band could have been lip synching the whole show and you'd never know because they rarely get close enough to Trent's face to actually see his lips move. I mean, the purpose of a live concert is to feel that the band is right there right now making music, right? Well, thanks to all the above, the concert rarely ever makes you feel like you're watching anything except a bunch of people bouncing around with music playing in the background. It's not all bad, a few of the slower songs the camera finally gets closer like 'Piggy', 'The Wretched' and the concert closer 'Hurt', and you can see that Trent and crew are really into the songs. Having seen the band live, I have to say that they have plenty of stage presence, it's just not well portrayed in this recording. In fact, a few times during the DVD I tried closing my eyes, and just listening to the music, and I actually found it a lot better. Still, there may be a few reasons to grab this DVD, like for instance about a half dozen extra songs that aren't on the CD version of the show (such as 'La Mer' and 'Just Like You Imagined'), but if you have a chance to see the band live, I'd go with that over buying this DVD any day.
  
• With Teeth (2005) Well, it's been quite some time since "The Fragile", so you can imagine a certain level of hype surrounding the newest album from the genre defining Nine Inch Nails. Will it be awesome? Or will Trent pull a George Lucas and produce something highly inferior to his original work? Well, the result is a good album, but a little bit different than you might expect. "With Teeth" is not terribly guitar driven for starters, the guitar tone is pretty thin and only appears now and again to back up the band. This is very much a voice, electronics and drums album. The album also doesn't have any fast songs, so expect more groove and less intensity. Unlike "The Fragile" which had long songs that intertwined with each other, the songs on this album are shorter, more straight forward, simpler in composition with more repetition, and each has a distinct flavor and more formulaic structure. Also expect a pretty stripped down arrangement, with a minimum of instruments playing at any particular time. Basically, Trent is throwing away all the glitz and putting all his money behind the catchiness of the songs, no huge production, no big sound or complex songs. So, do the songs stand up? Many do, a few don't. It takes the album a few songs before it starts to get good, 'The Collector' is probably where my toes started tapping a bit, and 'The Hand That Feeds' certainly does a good job of getting you moving. The title track has this odd repeating drum rhythm, and is the most nonstandard of the bunch. 'The Line Begins To Blur' is the most industrial track of the bunch and has a really cool distorted bassline. There are also a few filler songs that just don't do it for me like 'Only' and 'All The Love In The World' which gets a little too repetitive in the vocal dept. The album ends with two very bleak futuristic style songs that are really haunting. As albums go there's a lot of good catchy material here, but I do miss a thing or two, primarily I wish there had been some faster songs like 'Wish' or 'Starfuckers', and I wish the orchestrations had been more layered for a bigger sound. But it's still a good album, and well worth getting.
• Beside You In Time (2007, DVD) Much better than their previous DVD. The sound is fantastic, the camera switching is great, and the big thing, the cameras are closer to the stage. One of my biggest issues with their last DVD was the cameras were so far away you couldn't see anything, like you bought tickets in the super cheap seats. Now the camera is right up there with the group, with just a few far shots to let you get your bearings. This concert includes a lot of new songs from their latest album, which is both good and bad. The band really can't win in this respect, if they played all their older material, then there wouldn't be anything new to distinguish this from their last DVD. On the other hand, I prefer their older material to the stuff off of "With Teeth". But they play a good group of classics, like 'Hurt', 'Head Like A Hole' and 'Terrible Lie', and many of the newer songs are good stuff. The pacing is pretty good, but there's a slow bit in the middle where one faster song would have helped even out the pace a bit. Performance wise, the band plays with a lot of conviction, but I have to question sometimes if the guitar parts aren't prerecorded, since sometimes what they're doing on the guitar doesn't seem to match with what's being played. But the vocals sure aren't lip synched, that I can tell for sure. The stage show is amazing, the multimedia stuff works great with the band (I'm usually not a fan of this sort of stuff, but it's done so well in this instance no cheesy bad computer graphics, just gritty film and crazy patterns). They bring down a transparent curtain in front of the band for several songs and project cool stuff onto it, and the light show is just spectacular to watch. The extras contain a few extra songs from other concerts, also well done. This is a DVD I definitely expect to be watching again, highly recommended.
• Year Zero (2007) A good album, but I think it's safe to say the old Nine Inch Nails probably ain't coming back. The main missing ingredients: anger and guitars. These songs have plenty of groove, some interesting and cool electronic sounds, but there's very few guitars, basically no fast songs, and no real screaming. Trent has mellowed, the result still produces catchy dark songs, but there's really not much here of the angst that brought me to band in the first place. There are some good songs, 'Vessel' has some seriously cool industrial noise going on, 'The Greater Good' has some cool electronic sounds that build over the course of the song. 'Another Version Of The Truth' has some nice piano work in the middle, and the sounds at the end of 'The Great Destroyer' is really harsh. Maybe my favorite song on the album is 'In This Twilight', something about the electronic drumline, chord progression and vocal processing gives me that hairs-on-the-back-of-my-neck-standing-up feeling. If you liked "With Teeth", this album is pretty much in the same vein. I'll continue to enjoy it for what it is, even if part of me will always miss material like the stuff on their first 4 albums.
  
• The Slip (2008) The story of this album starts with one man (Trent, of course), and a revelation he had. The revelation: file-sharing will never go away, and no matter how much you try and convince people that stealing music is actually stealing, people will always steal your music. So maybe the only way to combat it is to embrace it. And so starts Trent's latest crusade, trying to find a way to make money in an industry that no longer makes money. As an artist, how do you pay the bills when most people will gladly take the product for free, and what little money is left is gobbled up by your record label? Well, not EVERYONE will take it for free. The vast majority maybe, but there are fans willing to pay for a CD, willing to pay for a DVD. And so it's on these people's shoulders that the monetary burden of making music must fall. Is it unfair? Perhaps, but reality is unfair to begin with. And so Trent makes a bold decision, start releasing albums for free without a record label involvement. Anyone who wants it for free gets it for free (the mp3s that is). And then he releases other "packages" from a simple CD, to a CD/DVD combo, to expensive collectors items that while few are sold, they're expensive enough to help balance out all the people who pay nothing for the album. Is this the wave of the future? Maybe. At least it's an interesting experiment, probably only applicable to someone like Trent who's already vastly popular and has a small fanbase willing to spend a lot of money for a "Premium Package". Anyways, enough about politics and monetary issues, Trent decides to release the new Nine Inch Nails album for free. And then releases it on CD a few months later. It's a free album, right, so you might expect he's not putting his heart into it. Well, you'd be very wrong. "The Slip" is probably his best album since 1999's "The Fragile". Maybe all the pressure of being under a record label's thumb has finally worn off and Trent can release that anger in the form of his music. The guitars are back, the angry vocals are back, the songs are heavier and more lively. The album starts off a little slow, but then the odd sounding groove in 'Echoplex' takes over, and you find it won't leave your head. 'Head Down' is ridiculously distorted and heavy in the best industrial fashion. The album then slows down for a moment with 'Lights In The Sky', which brings back the same vibe as songs like 'Hurt' or 'Something I Can Never Have'. Not quite as good, but nice just the same. Following are 2 instrumentals that I really dig, I love the post apocalyptic atmosphere they bring on (although don't expect these to be short and catchy, one of the songs is 7.5 min long). And the album finishes with something a little more upbeat again. A really satisfying album, I bought my copy on CD to pay back the man for going to the trouble of producing some kickass music, go get the free copy, and if you dig the songs, I encourage you to buy the CD copy as well. Lets support the people willing to blaze a new path into the future.