Metal bands were known for their aggressive, masculine sound. Clad in denim and leather garments or performing breakneck spins at breakneck speed, their music created its own language of darkness, evil, and power that stood as an antidote to hippie culture’s peace and love message.
Heavy metal bands continued their trends-setting ways in 2005 with both intense heaviness and delicate delicacy.
Converge – Jane Doe
Though some fans argue about whether Jane Doe is Converge’s best or most significant album, no one denies its impact as one of the key albums ever produced in metallic hardcore genre. A masterwork of its genre and a landmark moment in their 30-year journey together.
Jane Doe can be considered a concept album; each song of this record tracks the disintegration and ultimate demise of an intimate relationship, from “Concubine”‘s intensity to its subtle hatred-born insidious love; all provide heartbreaking depictions of human pain and confusion.
The record begins with two Jesus Lizard-influenced tracks – “Distance and Meaning” and “Hell to Pay,” before taking off with tracks like the harrowing title track and atmospheric instrumental finale “Phoenix in Flight,” where you’ll hear more ambition than many bands can muster over an entire discography – creating an intense journey of pain and release that could break even the strongest hearts.
Jacob’s lyrics also speak volumes. They’re unflinchingly honest and convey an intense feeling of unrequited need. Jacob lashes out with intelligence and finesse; making his statements seem more meaningful than just another loud record for kids to dance along to.
Jane Doe is more than meets the ear, though. Playing it live requires enormous energy and endurance from its performers; its longevity speaks volumes about them! On Friday December 10, they’ll perform all 11 songs from Jane Doe at Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Los Angeles in its entirety.
Lamb of God – As the Palaces Burn
Virginia-based LAMB OF GOD returned from touring with bands like Cannibal Corpse and Dimmu Borgir with plans of making their follow-up album for 2000’s unrelenting New American Gospel more aggressive. After several attempts, LAMB OF GOD settled on new producer Ben LaBrie to produce tight, groovy technical metal album featuring Randy Blythe’s vocals as its centerpiece; many bemoaned the change (comparing it to slower SLAYER), yet it proved beneficial, propelling their meteoric rise into prominence.
As the Palaces Burn boasts some real standout tracks, like Purified and Ruin from metalcore thrashing quartet Ruin. Even its weaker tracks such as Vigil’s clean intro features an intriguing guitar riff; all these songs combine to make this album worth your consideration. Overall quality stands out as well – making As the Palaces Burn a worthwhile listen.
With their re-release of As the Palaces Burn, LAMB OF GOD also unveiled a documentary film directed by Don Argott to accompany it. Following LAMB OF GOD on their 2012 world tour and showing how metal music transcends borders and unites people across cultures, Don’s film also demonstrated how LAMB OF GOD’s strategy of staying humble while working hard to please their fans had earned them many friends along the way.
Josh Wilbur remastered and remixed their album to get it closer to how the original recording sessions intended it, yielding stunning results that make the record even more massive and intense than before – perfect for casual listeners as well as diehards of heavy metal music alike!
Isis – Oceanic
Heavy metal can be hard to categorize. While it certainly falls within this genre, many artists such as ISIS have taken what can often sound repetitive into something with more depth and layers; Oceanic being one such example of their Atmospheric Sludge Metal/Post-Metal sound.
After years of producing aggressive heavy albums, Isis decided to try a different approach with Oceanic. They would incorporate more progressive elements, along with ambient layers and some heavy guitar riffing into their sound.
Oceanic by Isis stands out as an album where they really found their own distinct style, taking listeners on an emotional journey through both consciousness and subconsciousness.
Oceanic is an album full of emotion and foreboding that envelopes its listener like the sea laps against its shore. Although Oceanic does not reach the heights of their next release Panopticon, it remains one of ISIS’ finest efforts and shows both captivating sounds as well as feelings of impending doom – ISIS have demonstrated their talent at creating sounds which capture feelings that seem beyond human control – indescribably powerful forces such as ocean currents or elemental forces.
Body Count – The Winner Loses
Heavy metal has a rich legacy of dark imagery. The genre’s lyrics often explore themes related to madness, horror and death while exploring more playful subjects with pomp and hyper-masculine might. Over time the music evolved further with underground subgenres like death metal and grindcore emerging for even greater extremeness – yet heavy metal remains a vibrant global phenomenon with new audiences emerging over time.
Black Sabbath first introduced metal into rock music through their lumbering overdriven guitars and acrobatic drumming; since then bands have dressed it up in denim and leather jackets while speeding the music at breakneck speed and adding catchy melodies to create different styles of metal music. While some members scoffed at its “metal” labeling, iconic bands like Slayer and Metallica transformed metal into an instant lifestyle with an instantly recognisable rugged demeanor that instantly defines it.
Modern metal bands often draw inspiration from progressive artists like Dream Theater, Meshuggah and Neurosis; yet their music still exudes virtuosity. Periphery pioneered djent with their Meshuggah-worshipping metalcore; “Icarus Lives” displays how tight technicality can create an exciting groove.
Rammstein and Korn may have made the biggest impactful statements recently in industrial-metal, yet Finland’s Trap Them pioneered feedback-heavy energy in 2005 with their midtempo crunch and haunting vocal melodies pushing the limits of what metal could do while also showing their ability for melodic swagger – one of their key tracks from this era, it shows how hardcore metal bands can evolve without abandoning their roots.
Two – The Void
Two – The Void picks up immediately where Shards of Earth left off and provides some answers to some of the questions raised in its predecessor, while still leaving many unanswered, which may prove frustrating to some readers.
This collection of six dark tales ranges from horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres, and offers something different than other similar movies. While not particularly compelling or captivating in writing or presentation, each tale does possess an eerie atmosphere that sets it apart.
This installment sees Misery Wizard decrease their dependence on drone and take a more varied approach to writing songs, with shorter and less repetitive songs on this album that should keep the ADHD mob away. Some songs still include their signature doom fuckery such as on “Master’s Chamber” and “Into the Void,” though not to the extent found on Misery Wizard debut album. Also notable here is their improved singer who sounds somewhat similar to Ozzy mixed with Butch Balich from Argus while adding weighty vocals that really add weighty to their songs.
Songs on this album don’t match those on Shards of Earth, but are nonetheless strong. This movie is an excellent addition to the series; if you enjoyed Shards of Earth then I suggest checking this one out too if that was your cup of tea. This sequel offers something darker than its predecessor and should make for an engaging sci-fi flick experience if that’s your jam – though perhaps not quite on par with classic sci-fi flicks such as Bladerunner or Terminator!