The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (2009)

A Hard Day's Night was the first Beatles album of all original material, and the first to feature George Harrison playing his Rickenbacker electric 12 string guitar (on the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night," for instance). The distinctive sound of the 12 string inspired countless guitarists including Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of the Byrds. The film from which these songs hail remains a classic combination of happy 60's naiveté and nascent hipster wit. Many of the most important rock bands to emerge in the latter half of the 60's came into being because of A Hard Day's Night's irresistible vibrancy. The tunes flow like the finest red wine, as the title track leads to the glorious harmonica of "I Should Have Known Better" and the powerfully poignant "If I Fell."

Band: The Beatles
Album: A Hard Day´s Night
Genre: Rock Classic/Rock & Roll
Country: Liverpool, England
Original Date Release: Jul 10, 1964
Label: Capitol/Apple Records

"Tracklist"

01. "A Hard Day's Night [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
02. "I Should Have Known Better [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
03. "If I Fell [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
04. "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
05. "And I Love Her [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
06. "Tell Me Why [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
07. "Can't Buy Me Love [from the Film "A Hard Day's Night"]"
08. "Any Time at All"
09. "I'll Cry Instead"
10. "Things We Said Today"
11. "When I Get Home"
12. "You Can't Do That"
13. "I'll Be Back"

A Hard Day´s Night ♪♫

In Flames - Clayman (2000)

The production value on Clayman is instantly apparent; the album initial sounds jump right out and pull the listener in, conveying a power and excitement that lasts the duration of the disc. The songs on Clayman are what ultimately sell In Flames, though. With some of their best writing yet, they continue to tighten up a sound that could please fans of everyone from Queensrÿche to Arch Enemy to maybe even Satyricon. With their blend of speed, melody, and pensive aggression, In Flames is indeed hard to pin down. Clayman at its core, though, is invigorating, well executed metal that, dare it be said, is a fun listen; this probably isn't far from what the band intends.

Band: In Flames
Album: Clayman
Genre: Death Metal/Melodic/Progressive
Country: Gothenburg, Sweden
Release Date: Jul 25, 2000
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Bullet Ride"
02. "Pinball Map"
03. "Only for the Weak"
04. "...As the Future Repeats Today"
05. "Square Nothing"
06. "Clay Man"
07. "Satellites and Astronauts"
08. "Brush the Dust Away"
09. "Swim"
10. "Suburban Me"
11. "Another Day in Quicksand"

Clayman ♪♫

In Flames - Whoracle (1997)

A master of progressive death metal or the "Gothenberg sound" practiced by many a Swedish band, In Flames delivers one of its best efforts with 1997 "Whoracle". One extremely heavy number after another flows continuously from this record track list, including standouts like the mind bending "Gyroscope" and "Morphing Into Primal," just two of the original and extremely well executed songs offered on this release. Indeed, some tracks are much better than others on Whoracle. Softer numbers like "Jester Script Transfigured," with its half acoustic Metallica ballad vibe, could probably have been left off this otherwise powerful recording. There are also some rather unnecessary vocal histrionics, most notably on "Worlds Within the Margin," but this kind of overcooked "singing" really comes with the death metal territory. None of these sour notes manages to damage Whoracle, and the record has ultimately become accepted in the highly factional underground metal community as an important release not only for In Flames, but for the entire melodic death metal movement.

Band: In Flames
Album: Whoracle
Genre: Death Metal/Melodic/Progressive
Country: Gothenburg, Sweden
Release Date: Nov 18, 1997
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Jotun"
02. "Food for the Gods"
03. "Gyroscope"
04. "Dialogue With the Stars"
05. "The Hive"
06. "Jester Script Transfigured"
07. "Morphing Into Primal"
08. "Worlds Within the Margin"
09. "Episode 666"
10. "Everything Counts"
11. "Whoracle"

Whoracle ♪♫

In Flames

After leaving Ceremonial Oath to form In Flames, founding member and guitarist Jesper Strömblad saw this project as a way of expressing his songwriting creativity rather than being stuck in the background. With the added influences of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, along with his own touch of aggressive metal that overwhelmed his home country of Sweden, Wrong Again Records took notice and released In Flames 1993 debut, Lunar Strain. In the tradition of many other Swedish metal acts, In Flames also had a revolving lineup that changed year after year, not that this was going to stop them from releasing their next album, Subterranean (1994), before signing to Nuclear Blast Records in 1996.

After putting out The Jester Race album later that year, followed by 1997 Whoracle, In Flames lineup was finally settled with Björn Gelotte (drums), Anders Fridén (vocals), Peter Iwers (bass), and Daniel Svensson (drums) in addition to Strömblad. To celebrate, the band released its sixth album, Colony, in 1999. Clayman followed in the same vein the next year, and the band even managed to keep the same lineup for this release. The live Tokyo Showdown was released to promote their tour in 2001. Reroute to Remain arrived in 2002, followed by Soundtrack to Your Escape in 2004 and Come Clarity in 2006.

Lunar Strain

Band: In Flames
Album: Lunar Strain [Bonus Tracks]
Genre: Death Metal/Melodic/Progressive
Country: Gothenburg, Sweden
Release Date: 1994
Label: Regain Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Behind Space"
02. "Lunar Strain"
03. "Starforsaken"
04. "Dreamscape"
05. "Everlost, Pt. 1"
06. "Everlost, Pt. 2"
07. "Hårgalåten"
08. "In Flames"
09. "Upon an Oaken Throne"
10. "Clad in Shadows"
11. "In Flames [1993 Promo Version][Demo Version]"
12. "Upon an Oaken Throne [1993 Promo Version][Demo Version]"
13. "Acoustic Piece [#][from Promo 1993]"
14. "Clad in Shadows [1993 Promo Version][Demo Version]"

Lunar Strain [Bonus Tracks] ♪♫

Ungrace - Hostile Revival (2010)

Band: Ungrace
Album: Hostile Revival
Genre: Deathcore/Groove Metal/Industrial Metal
Country: Ukraine
Year: 2010
Label: DFMO

"Tracklist"

01. "Before the End"
02. "Humanity Dethroned"
03. "Insane & Paranoid"
04. "Rampant Disease"
05. "It's Hostile"
06. "Waiting"
07. "Make Me!"
08. "Rape This Night"
09. "Zero Logic"
10. "After the End"

HOSTILE REVIVAL ♪♫

Another Rise - Another Rise [EP] (2010)

Band: Another Rise
Album: Another Rise
Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore
Country: Brazil
Year: 2010
Label: Cheder records

"Tracklist"

01. "Malleus Maleficarum"
02. "Influenza A"
03. "This is a Serious Song"
04. "Error 404, Server Not Found"
05. "There's No Space For a Coke"
06. "Vulnera Non Dantur Ad Mensuram"

ANOTHER RISE EP ♪♫

The Beatles - With the Beatles (2009)

With the Beatles is a sequel of the highest order, one that betters the original by developing its own tone and adding depth. While it may share several similarities with its predecessor, there is an equal ratio of covers to originals, a familiar blend of girl group, Motown, R&B, pop, and rock, and a show tune that interrupts the flow of the album. With the Beatles is a better record that not only rocks harder, it's considerably more sophisticated. They could deliver rock & roll straight ("I Wanna Be Your Man") or twist it around with a little Latin lilt ("Little Child," one of their most underrated early rockers); Lennon and McCartney wrote sweet ballads (the achingly gorgeous "All I've Got to Do") and sprightly pop/rockers ("All My Loving") with equal aplomb; and the propulsive rockers ("It Won't Be Long") were as richly melodic as slower songs ("Not a Second Time"). Even George Harrison first recorded song, "Don't Bother Me," is a standout, with its wonderfully foreboding minor key melody. Since the Beatles covered so much ground with their originals, their covers pale slightly in comparison, particularly since they rely on familiar hits (only "Devil in Her Heart" qualifies as a forgotten gem). But for every "Roll Over Beethoven," a surprisingly stiff reading of the Chuck Berry standard, there is a sublime moment, such as Lennon soaring interpretation of "You Really Got a Hold on Me," and the group always turns in thoroughly enjoyable performances. Still, the heart of With the Beatles lies not in the covers, but the originals, where it was clear that, even at this early stage, the Beatles were rapidly maturing and changing, turning into expert craftsmen and musical innovators.

Band: The Beatles
Album: With the Beatles
Genre: Rock & Roll/Classic Rock
Country: Liverpool, England
Original Date Release: Nov 22, 1963
Label: Capitol/Apple

"Tracklist"

01. "It Won't Be Long"
02. "All I've Got to Do"
03. "All My Loving"
04. "Don't Bother Me"
05. "Little Child"
06. "Till There Was You"
07. "Please Mister Postman"
08. "Roll Over Beethoven"
09. "Hold Me Tight"
10. "You Really Got a Hold on Me"
11. "I Wanna Be Your Man"
12. "Devil in Her Heart"
13. "Not a Second Time"
14. "Money (That's What I Want)"

With the Beatles ♪♫

The Beatles - Please Please Me (2009)

Once "Please Please Me" rocketed to number one, the Beatles rushed to deliver a debut album, bashing out Please Please Me in a day. Decades after its release, the album still sounds fresh, precisely because of its intense origins. As the songs rush past, it's easy to get wrapped up in the sound of the record itself without realizing how the album effectively summarizes the band eclectic influences. Naturally, the influences shine through their covers, all of which are unconventional and illustrate the group superior taste. There's a love of girl groups, vocal harmonies, sophisticated popcraft, schmaltz, R&B, and hard driving rock & roll, which is enough to make Please Please Me impressive, but what makes it astonishing is how these elements converge in the originals. "I Saw Here Standing There" is one of their best rockers, yet it has surprising harmonies and melodic progressions. "Misery" and "There's a Place" grow out of the girl group tradition without being tied to it. A few of their originals, such as "Do You Want to Know a Secret" and the pleasantly light "P.S. I Love You," have dated slightly, but endearingly so, since they're infused with cheerful innocence and enthusiasm. And there is an innocence to Please Please Me. The Beatles may have played notoriously rough dives in Hamburg, but the only way you could tell that on their first album was how the constant gigging turned the group into a tight, professional band that could run through their set list at the drop of a hat with boundless energy. It's no surprise that Lennon had shouted himself hoarse by the end of the session, barely getting through "Twist and Shout," the most famous single take in rock history. He simply got caught up in the music, just like generations of listeners did.

Band: The Beatles
Album: Please Please Me
Genre: Rock & Roll/Classic Rock
Country: Liverpool, England
Original Data Release: Mar 22, 1963
Label: Capitol/Apple

"Tracklist"

01. "I Saw Her Standing There"
02. "Misery"
03. "Anna (Go to Him)"
04. "Chains"
05. "Boys"
06. "Ask Me Why"
07. "Please Please Me"
08. "Love Me Do"
09. "P.S. I Love You"
10. "Baby It's You"
11. "Do You Want to Know a Secret"
12. "A Tast of Honey"
13. "There's a Place"
14. "Twist and Shout"

Please Please Me ♪♫

The Beatles: Stereo Box Set (2009)

The Beatles always stood apart from their peers, a self evident statement that sadly extended to the treatment of their catalog in the digital age. Where all their peers from the Byrds to the Who have had their catalogs remastered and reissued in deluxe editions, sometimes several times, the Beatles remained stuck in the early days of digital, their 14 albums plus Past Masters singles collection remaining untouched since 1987. Anniversaries came and went, but no remasters arrived until the release of the video game The Beatles Rockband pushed a long overdue revamping of the band entire catalog into the stores on 9-9-09. This reissue campaign corrects almost all the problems of the original 1987 CDs: the sound and artwork are improved, and all the original mono and stereo mixes finally see the light of day. Naturally, it's possible to quibble about some details of the presentation, particularly the decision to split the reissue into two separate box sets, one covering the stereo mixes and one the mono mixes, with only the stereo mixes available as individual discs (it's still possible to complain that the albums do not add era-specific singles or outtakes, but such expansions were never really in the cards), but both boxes still constitute the best Beatles by far. Crucially, it's also inarguably the best sounding Beatles music ever released, robust and rich even on the earliest rock & roll. None of the albums have been remixed, Although Help! and Rubber Soul retain Martin 1987 mixes, the original stereo mixes are bonuses on the mono set, so this doesn't shock the way the Yellow Submarine soundtrack did with its reimagined stereo mixes. Nevertheless, these remasters surely do surprise with their clarity and depth, with each album feeling bigger and fuller than the previous CD incarnation, but not artificially so. It's not that these are pumped up on digital steroids; it's that the veil has been lifted, so everything seems full and fresh. Appropriately, there's more to savor from Help! onward, as the Beatles' productions grew ambitious, but Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night all have a strong punch, while Beatles for Sale is warmer than the previous disc.

As a package, the stereo box is slightly unwieldy, it's a large, vertical set with two stacks of discs in slick cardboard sleeves piled on top of each other. No extra book is included with the set, but each disc has its own booklet with dry, straightforward liner notes detailing the recording process instead of analyzing the music. If anything about the set could be called disappointing, it's the mini documentaries attached to each disc as Quicktime files and collected on a DVD bonus for the box. "Mini documentary" may even be stretching what these are: they're three to five infomercials about the albums, not much more informative than the notes themselves. Nevertheless, these do offer annotation, something sorely lacking from the first CDs, and they do replicate the original notes, in the case of Magical Mystery Tour, including the entire storybook; in the case of Pepper, all the 20th anniversary annotation is added, finally bringing the Beatles to the same standard for reissues that every other major (and most minor) bands have had for years now. And the story, at least for the stereo box, is not the packaging, it's the glorious sound that makes this such a treat. There's also no question that those who waited 22 years to hear a better version of the Beatles will not be disappointed (although they may still wonder why it took so long for the Fabs to be treated as they deserve).

Band: The Beatles
Album: The Beatles: Stereo Box Set
Country: Liverpool, England
Genre: Classic Rock
Release Date: Sep 9, 2009
Label: Capitol Records

"Albums"

01. "Please Please Me" (1963)
02. "With the Beatles" (1963)
03. "A Hard Day's Night" (1964)
04. "Beatles for Sale" (1964)
05. "Help!" (1965)
06. "Rubber Soul" (1965)
07. "Revolver"
08. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
09. "Magical Mystery Tour"
10. "The Beatles [White Album]"
11. "Yellow Submarine"
12. "Abbey Road"
13. "Let It Be"
14. "Past Masters"

Carnifex - The Diseased and the Poisoned (2008)

Band: Carnifex
Album: The Diseased and the Poisoned
Genre: Deathcore
Country: San Diego, California, United States
Year: 2008
Label: Victory Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Suffering"
02. "In Coalesce with Filth and Faith"
03. "The Nature of Depravity"
04. "Adornment of the Sickened"
05. "Innocence Died Screaming"
06. "The Diseased and the Poisoned"
07. "To My Dead and Dark Dreams"
08. "Sadistic Embrace"
09. "Answers in Mourning"
10. "Aortic Dissection"
11. "Among Grim Shadows"
12. "Enthroned in Isolation"

THE DISEASED AND THE POISONED ♪♫

Dana Walker - A Ghost Among Us (2008)

Band: Dana Walker
Album: A Ghost Among Us
Genre: Metalcore/Heavy Metal
Country: Kilmarnock, Scotland
Year: 2008
Label: None

"Tracklist"

01. "Run Gun Guru"
02. "Violence"
03. "Infection"
04. "Break The Silence"
05. "Forte"
06. "I Am Waves"
07. "The Real Bette Midler Showdown"
08. "We Die Alone"

A GHOST AMONG US ♪♫

Wintersun - Time (One Song) (2010)

Band: Wintersun
from the album: Time
Genre: Melodic Metal/Progressive/Folk
Country: Finland
Year: 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast

"Tracklist"

01. "Time"

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Light This City - Stormchaser (2008)

There's something decidedly anticlimactic about an album whose creators have already parted ways by the time it arrives on record store shelves, and this turned out to be the case for Light This City "Stormchaser" their fourth long player and, as it turned out, also their last. At least the San Francisco melodic deathsters made their swan song count, though, by concocting a very solid new batch of reliably violent, yet surprisingly catchy headbangers like the evocative title track, the fleet fingered neo-thrasher, "The Anhedonia Epidemic" (reminiscent of At the Gates), and the particularly memorable "A Desperate Resolution" (boasting even more guitar licks to die for). Light This City also have an amazing knack for sweeping guitar harmonies, a quality they share with Sweden Arch Enemy, along with having that all too rare female frontwoman (Laura Nichol) capable of roaring as fearsomely as any man, and they're not afraid to use it, as displayed on additional standouts like "Beginning with Release" and "Sand and Snow." Obviously, much like Light This City previous albums, Stormchaser music menu isn't all that unique, per se, and certainly anything but cutting edge, but in a genre often ruled by brawn instead of brains, their focus on writing songs one can generally remember after five minutes is not to be underestimated. And in order to mark their final farewell with a few special treats, the group brought in "Testament" legend Chuck Billy to trade vocals with Nichol on the pulverizing thrasher "Firehaven," and the Funeral Pyre John Strachan for "Collector Part 2: Donor." With all this going for it, it's no wonder that Prosthetic Records chose to release, rather than shelve Stormchaser forever, when Light This City decided to call it a career; a career to which it can now provide a very respectable epitaph.

Band: Light This City
Album: Stormchaser
Genre: Death Metal/Thrash/Speed Metal
Country: San Francisco, California, United States
Release Date: Nov 11, 2008
Label: Prosthetic Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Stormchaser"
02. "Fragile Heroes"
03. "The Anhedonia Epidemic"
04. "Beginning with Release"
05. "Firehaven"
06. "The Collector, Pt. 1: Muse"
07. "The Collector, Pt. 2: Donor"
08. "A Desperate Resolution"
09. "Wake Me at Sunset"
10. "Bridge to Cross"
11. "Sand and Snow"
12. "Self Portrait"

Stormchaser ♪♫

Light This City - Facing the Thousand (2006)

Facing the Thousand is the third album from San Francisco outfit Light This City and the group second for Prosthetic Records, which is quickly seeing its faith and investment repaid by bandmembers whose rate of improvement nearly matches the pace of their playing. After a majestic orchestrated synthesizer intro, the title track opens proceedings at a characteristically ferocious clip, democratically representing the so called New Wave of American Heavy Metal with elements of death, thrash, metalcore, and even a little black metal, if you listen closely enough. Outstanding vocalist Laura Nichol is largely responsible for the latter, in fact, as she spit rasps lyrical venom betwixt her more guttural deathly growls throughout the ensuing mayhem. All the while, her bandmates seek to shine a little light amidst the suffocating darkness via some Gothenburg-flavored harmonies that elevate the likes of "Cradle for a King," "The Unwelcome Savior," "Maddening Storm," and "City of Snares" (reminiscent of Sweden the Crown) to highlight status. On others, such as "Exile" (borderline power metal, minus the clean vocals, and featuring a rare, deliberate finale), "The Eagle," and "Tracks of Decay" (both of them copycats of In Flames and At the Gates), that same melodic insistence respectively becomes almost too distracting and rather derivative, so there's obviously a limit for everything. Also, the slightest hint of repetition does set in after about half a dozen of these, mostly full-throttle blast beaters, even though, pound for pound, they're still far more distinctive and engaging than the inexplicably more popular Black Dahlia Murder, whose vocalist, Trevor Strnad, actually guests on the (you guessed it) savagely one dimensional "Fear of Heights." All things considered, by the time Facing the Thousand thrashes to a finish on the furious blastbeats of "Like Every Songs Our Last," it's apparent that Light This City could still do with a little more consistency and originality, but they clearly have a head start on most of their direct competition this side of the Atlantic, whether consumers have realized it or not.

Band: Light This City
Album: Facing the Thousand
Genre: Death Metal/Thrash/Speed Metal
Country: San Francisco, California, United States
Release Date: Sep 19, 2006
Label: Prosthetic Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Facing the Thousand"
02. "Cradle for a King"
03. "The Unwelcome Savior"
04. "Exile"
05. "Maddening Swarm"
06. "City of the Snares"
07. "The Eagle"
08. "Fear of Heights"
09. "Tracks of Decay"
10. "Like Every Song's Our Last"

Facing the Thousand ♪♫

Light This City - Remains of the Gods (2005)

Light This City arguably came into their own with this release, which, coincidentally, was also their first album for Prosthetic Records, by striking upon the two pronged formula that would characterize their particular mix of melodic death metal henceforth: velocity and bombast. The first permeates every song so completely and compulsively (as indeed it would on every one of the band albums) that their inexorable intensity would simply overpower the senses without the second timely punctuations, which really help to give shape and temper emotions during standouts like the opening title cut, the excellent midsection riffs of "Obituary," and the brilliant Gothenburg-style staccato picking of "The Hunt." Kudos, too, to vocalist Laura Nichol, who compensates for her relatively indistinct (though always impassioned) death growl with thoughtful lyrics like those of "Letter to My Abuser" and "Your Devoted Victim," which address matters of mental and physical cruelty from a refreshingly female point of view, at least in the macho world of heavy metal. But a distinctly weaker second half, marked by more of the same über thrashers and an unimpressive instrumental conclusion unwisely named "The Last Catastrophe," proves that Light This City still needed a little more experience and maturation to make their inspiration match the boundless energy and physical stamina displayed from start to finish on albums such as this.

Band: Light This City
Album: Remains of the Gods
Genre: Death Metal/Speed Metal/Heavy Metal
Country: San Francisco, California, United States
Release Date: May 17, 2005
Label: Prosthetic Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Remains of the Gods"
02. "Obituary"
03. "A Guardian in a Passerby"
04. "The Hunt"
05. "Letter to My Abuser"
06. "Fractured by the Fall"
07. "The Static Masses"
08. "Guiding the North Star"
09. "Your Devoted Victim"
10. "The Last Catastrophe"

Remains of the Gods ♪♫

Light This City

A speedy thrash metal band with death metal overtones, Light This City are primarily notable for being one of the only bands in their chosen style with a female lead singer, the dynamic and impressively leather-lunged Laura Nichol. Formed in San Francisco in 2002 while several members were still in high school, the original lineup of Light This City consisted of Nichol on vocals, guitarists Tyler Gamlen and Steven Shirley, bassist Mike Dias, and drummer Ben Murray. This lineup recorded Light This City's debut, The Hero Cycle, but by the time the album was released on the Reflections of Ruins label in the fall of 2003, Gamlen and Shirley had been replaced by Brian Forbes and Steve Hoffman. That lineup of the band signed to the respected metal indie Prosthetic Records for their second album, 2005's Remains of the Gods. Further lineup changes followed after that release, with Dias replaced by Jon Frost and new rhythm guitarist Ryan Hansen taking over for Hoffman. Light This City's third album, Facing the Thousand, was released in the fall of 2006.

The Hero Cycle

Band: Light This City
Album: The Hero Cycle
Genre: Death Metal/Heavy Metal
Country: San Francisco, California, United States
Release Date: 2003
Label: Prosthetic Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Apostate"
02. "Picture: Start"
03. "Give Up"
04. "Parisian Sun"
05. "Cold"
06. "Laid to Rest"
07. "Sierra"
08. "No Solace in Sleep"
09. "The Weight of Glory"
10. "Next to Godliness"

The Hero Cycle ♪♫

Carnifex - Hell Chose Me (One Song) (2010)

Band: Carnifex
From the Album: Hell Chose Me
Genre: Deathcore
Country: San Diego, California, United States
Year: 2010
Label: Victory Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Hell Chose Me"

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Mudvayne - Lost and Found (2005)

It's been three years for Mudvayne, three years when metal started to reject its "Rap" and "Nu" prefixes. At first, Lost and Found reflects that realignment. Vocalist Chad Gray and his mates have nixed the nicknames and makeup for their third Epic full length, and they try to focus on songs instead of heavy music shtick. However, they equate getting real with the melodramatic plead that interrupts the razor-sharp main part of "Choices," and Gray can't overcome lines like "IMN"'s "No one/No one could ever understand/This life." The song is about suicide, which is very serious. But yelling "Fuck this shit!" over thudding rhythms just isn't very powerful anymore. They nail it on opener "Determined" one of Mudvayne all time strongest tracks, it's a fist swinging blast of modernized thrash. But Lost and Found soon falls into the familiar, busting no one understands me lyrics and matching moments of refreshing rawness to stretches of stereotypical "corporate metal," a non genre that's risen up to accept loud rock refugees and the harder side of Post-Grunge. The energy in "Determined" and "Just" is sapped by the meandering "TV Radio" and "Fall into Sleep," and ultimately Mudvayne gets lost between thrash and diluted Slipknot devotion.

Band: Mudvayne
Album: Lost and Found
Genre: Alternative Metal/Heavy Metal
Country: Peoria, Illinois, United States
Release Date: Apr 12, 2005
Label: Epic Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Determined"
02. "Pushing Through"
03. "Happy?"
04. "IMN"
05. "Fall into Sleep"
06. "Rain. Sun. Gone."
07. "Choices"
08. "Forget to Remember"
09. "TV Radio"
10. "Just"
11. "All That You Are"
12. "Pulling the String"

Lost and Found ♪♫

Mudvayne

Heavy metal quartet Mudvayne formed in Peoria, IL, in 1996, its members adopting the unusual pseudonyms sPaG (M. McDonough) (drums), Gurrg (G. Tribbett) (guitar), and Kud (Chad Gray) (vocals). The group original bassist was replaced after two years by Ryknow (Ryan Martinie). During their development, the bandmembers began the practice of applying bizarre makeup. After self-releasing their first album, Kill, I Oughta, they were signed by Epic Records and recorded their major label debut, L.D. 50, which was released in August 2000 shortly after the end of their first national tour opening for Slipknot. The album later went gold and earned Mudvayne the first ever MTV2 Video Award at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Mudvayne continued touring and reissued their self-released debut EP, Kill, I Oughta, in November 2001 as The Beginning of All Things to End. A year later the band returned with its official follow up, The End of All Things to Come, which was recorded at Minneapolis Pachyderm Studios with Tool producer David Bottrill. With a new album came new personas, this time as space aliens. The bandmembers changed their names accordingly, taking the new monikers of Chüd (Kud), Güüg (Gurrg), R-üD (Ryknow), and Spüg (sPaG). They embarked on a European tour, arriving back stateside in July to join the Summer Sanitarium shed tour, featuring such heavyweights as Metallica and Linkin Park. In 2005, the band released Lost and Found, their third album for Epic. In September 2007, Mudvayne announced they would allow fans to vote on the band website to determine the track selection for the compilation By the People, for the People, released the following month. The all new full-length New Game arrived in November 2008, followed six months later by an eponymous 2009 effort.

L.D. 50

Band: Mudvayne
Album: L.D. 50
Genre: Alternative Metal/Heavy Metal
Country: Peoria, Illinois, United States
Release Date: Aug 22, 2000
Label: Sony Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Monolith"
02. "Dig"
03. "Internal Primates Forever"
04. "-1"
05. "Death Blooms"
06. "Golden Ratio"
07. "Cradle"
08. "Nothing to Gein"
09. "Mutatis Mutandis"
10. "Everything and Nothing"
11. "Severed"
12. "Recombinant Resurgence"
13. "Prod"
14. "Pharmaecopia"
15. "Under My Skin"
16. "(K)now F(orever)"
17. "Lethal Dosage"

L.D. 50 ♪♫

1997

With stated influences like Mineral and the Promise Ring and a name like 1997 it's pretty obvious with which wave of emo the hearts of this Chicago quintet lie. Prior to forming the band in October 2005 members of 1997 had spent time in area outfits like Constance, Funeral Etiquette, and October Fall, but nothing felt quite right until everyone started jamming together in a suburban Lombard attic apartment with acoustic guitars and a keyboard. Vocalist Kevin Thomas, drummer Nick Coleman, guitarist Caleb Pepp, singer/keyboardist Kerri Mack, and bassist Alan Goffinski began writing and practicing for a few months before eventually playing out shows around town. The fresh faced crew inevitably drew the attention of local indie powerhouse Victory Records and officially inked a deal with them only a year after forming. 1997s debut full-length, "A Better View of the Rising Moon", followed in April 2007, by which time Alida Marroni had replaced Mack. A year later, the band released its sophomore album, On the Run.

A Better View of the Rising Moon

Band: 1997
Album: A Better View of the Rising Moon
Genre: Emo/Alternative/Rock
Country: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Release Date: Apr 17, 2007
Label: Victory Records

"Tracklist"

01. "Water's Edge"
02. "Garden of Evil"
03. "Hey Darlin'"
04. "In Your Car"
05. "Patience, Prudence"
06. "Grace"
07. "The Roads You Can Take"
08. "Lovelikepoetry"
09. "Tennessee Song"
10. "Enough Is Enough"
11. "Droppin' Dimes"
12. "Curse or Cure"

A Better View of the Rising Moon ♪♫