In the world of metal, the vocalist has a job unlike any other, they must bring power to the masses, big and small. Yes, this has been a trademark from rock from the beginning, but unlike the Led Zeppelins and Queens of the world, metal music is much more intense and sonically impressive which requires [...]
Welcome one and all to my year end list! Overall, this was a fantastic year for metal. We saw the rise of sludge based metal bands inspired by the great success of Mastodon (whom has appeared on some mainstream end of the year lists), such as Baroness and Pelican, bring a strong sense of sophistication [...]
Classic rock and metal share a common bond. The concept of integrity in a good riff and making a connection with your fans on stage is something that the best in rock, as well as metal, share. Metal musicians, both past and present, recognize the significance of where their own music originated, and how much [...]
The last edition featuring my top 10 drummers was popular amongst readers and still gets a healthy amount of traffic a few months after I posted it. So, I have decided to create a second version of my top 10 drummers list, this time featuring an all underground cast of players. These drummers may have [...]
Alright, this may be a touchy subject for any musicians who may be reading this who have been in bands that worked with one or more of these labels. Everyone who has been in the scene long enough knows that bands and labels often times don’t see eye to eye, but for us fans, the [...]
Epic music is a term used for songs that create a story with their instrumentation. Sure, Dylan can create poetry with his music, but being able to construct a full range of emotion and depth with music only is much more convincing and representative of artistic expression in my opinion. The following is are my [...]
10. White Zombie – Astro-Creep: 2000
I don’t care that White Zombie were the commercial darlings of hard music during this time, these guys were the most original thing in metal at the time. Creating a funky flare that I don’t even think Faith No More could conceptualize, Astro-Creep brought the goods, and really made metal [...]
Cole’s best and worst of 2008.
THE BEST
10. Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh
Awesome. Great song writing, interesting lyrics and lots of creativity. A Sight To Behold is a classic song.
9. Psycroptic – Ob(Servant)
Crazy technical death metal with a great range of harsh vocal styles.
8. The Faceless – Planetary Duality
Amazing production and technical ability. A very atmospheric [...]
Alright, before I begin, I want to clarify something. My intention with this top 10 is to not give 10 atmospheric/ambient metal bands as a genre, but rather metal bands who have the ability to create imagery and texture with their music that goes beyond simple riffs, beats and vocals. These bands mold together their [...]
10. Kalmah – Hades
9. Kataklysm – Where the Enemy Sleeps
8. The Black Dahlia Murder – Statutory Ape
7. Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery
6. At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul
5. Arch Enemy – Dead Inside
4. Carcass – Heartwork
3. Amon Amarth – Gods of War Arise
2. In Flames – Moonshield
1. Cryptopsy – Phobophile
