andconham's Diary

A thrash classic. A brief, pummeling, heavy album with punk influence all over it. May have the strongest end of any metal album I have heard with Postmortem/Raining Blood. Favourite Tracks: - Angel Of Death - Piece By Piece - Necrophobic - Criminally Insane - Epidemic - Postmortem - Raining Blood

How can a metal album be so dreamy? Deftones strip their sound to basics, and stick to what works. What could've ended up sounding phoned in, instead sounds focused and vibrant. Great album here. Favourite Tracks: - Swerve City - Leathers - Poltergeist - Tempest - Gauze - Rosemary

Pusha T might be the most consistent rapper in recent memory. Tight, blunt, no frills rap album here, and its great. Fill with his usual bravado, great beat selection, and decent features. Favourite Tracks: - Brambleton - Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes - Just So You Remember - Call My Bluff - Hear Me Clearly

A breezy peice of spacey alt-pop that never quite connected with me. Never bad, but I felt most of the tracks struggled to stand out. It's vibes for sure though, so others will likely get more out of it than I did. Favourite Tracks: - blade bird

Impossible not to hear this album without feeling the weight of what would happen to these guys not long after. Quite a melancholy listen but for me it's more if a 'celebration of life' feeling rather than full on depressing. Really it's a brief collection of catchy indie-pop tunes that serve as a teaser for great career that we never really got to see. Favourite Tracks: - Dorothy - Cool With You - Marcel - Medievil - What Once Was

Not their strongest output for me. Still, their unique gothic surf rock sound makes for a pretty breezy listen. There just isn't too much that stands out and will draw me back. Favourite Tracks: - Black Ice - Coffin Nails - Nothing To See - Don't Make It For Me

Very on-the-nose, but subtext is for cowards anyway. Idles continue their hot streak with this album, which is somehow more in-your-face and filled with character than their previous albums. It doesn't all land, but most of it does. Favourite Tracks: - War - Kill Them With Kindness - Model Village - Carcinogenic - Reigns - The Lover - A Hymn

While I shouldn't fault bands for experimenting and changing up their sound, this album just hasn't connected with me like their previous albums did. Gone are the raw grooves, making way for more anthemic and dare i day 'poppier' tunes. Not bad by any stretch, just not my flavour. Favourite Tracks; - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - A National Acrobat - Killing Yourself to Live

Too long with too much filler. The songs you already know are great, they go hard. The rest just isn't very good. Decent instrumentals are brought down by Dursts ramblings and seemingly at times ad ribbed vocals. I will always have time for those hits though. Favourite Tracks: - Nookie - Break Stuff - Re-Arranged - N 2 Gether Now

First time listening to this in full since my teen years. Forgot that literally every song on here is a heater. The hits are great, but I had forgotten about all the in-between songs that also hold their own. The dual vocals, catchy hooks, chunky breakdowns, angst filled lyrics. It's all so good. No skips. Favourite Tracks: - All of them.

Some great groovy metal tracks here, as Sabbath pump out great tunes without the album ever dragging. Great highlights but a couple of skips hold it back. Favorite Tracks: - Sweet Leaf - After Forever - Children Of The Grave - Lord Of This World - Into The Void

Starts and ends quite strong, but the middle section is a bit samey for my taste. It all still goes pretty hard, but some of it is just a bit unmemorable. The highlights are good though. I like Conways cadence and fairly nonchalant flows, paired with his dgaf attitude. Not big on a few of the features though. Favourite Tracks: - 1000 Corpses - Blakk Tape - Air Holez - Salute Me

Consistent, but missing the edge of his earlier records. It's a good listen through but there isn't too much that stands out and demands a relisten. Still, he keeps the bars coming and the beat selection is good. I think the fat could've been trimmed here to make a more succinct album. Favourite Tracks: - Nu Devils - Otis Driftwood - Attached

Better Than I Remember. My first time listening to this, probably since my early 20s. This album rules. The heavy riffs, the ethereal vocals, the screaming, it all goes together so well. This album also hosts one of my favorite songs of all time in Sextape, which I really think should have been the closer. Favourite Tracks: - Diamond Eyes - Royal - CMND/CTRL - You've Seen The Butcher - Beauty School - Rocket Skates - Sextape*

More good stuff from Deftones here. A bit more of a mixed bag here but the continue honing their signature shoegaze/metal sound. But my god, pink cellphone really is as bad as they say! Favourite Tracks: - Hole In The Earth - Rapture - Cherry Waves - Xerces - Riviére

Worth a 10/10 for the Booker T sample alone. Conway maintains his streak of solid albums, with another swagger filled collection of raps over cold beats. Some welcome features on this track list as well. Favourite Tracks: - Slapbox - Piper - Land O' Lakes - Sigel In State Prop

A good follow up to Reject 2, Conway keeps consistent with this release. Keeping it brief and relitively simple, Conway narrates his way through a small solid collection of dark grimey tunes. The only dud being the unnecessary Randy Savage DA skit. Favourite Tracks: - Devils Work - 8 Birds - Pavement

A very frontloaded album here, with all the 'singles' coming one after the other to start. The back half of this album is forgettable and not really worth revisiting. The hits do hit hard though and are worth replaying over and over. Favourite Tracks: - Given Up - Leave Out All The Rest - Bleed It Out - Shadow Of The Day - What I've Done - No More Sorrow

Better than expected. New vocalist is pretty damn good, and I can image her covering the classics quite well. There's a few bangers throughout this brief runtime as well. It's hard to escape the shadow ast over this band, but on its own merits it's not half bad. Favourite Tracks: - Heavy Is The Crown - Two Faced - IGYEIH

Decent thrash / nu metal combination here. Loses steam towards the back end, and doesn't match their earlier output but there's still a lot to like here. Favourite Tracks: - Disciple - God Send Death - New Faith - Bloodline - Here Comes the Pain

Decent but over-long HC album here. The some heaters on here for sure, but not enough variety to warrant a near hour long album for me. Still, the Hardcore/hip hop blend works well and there's some groovy riffs throughout. Favourite Tracks: - Chamber Spins Three - Punishment - Shades of Gray - Tears of Blood

Hard to rate this once, as it's mostly a compilation of instrumentals and ambient tracks. There are some more traditional Idles style bops on here though and they are enjoyable. Still, it's rad to see Idles curating a soundtrack for what ended up being one of my top movies of the year in 'Caught Stealing'. Favourite Tracks: - Doom - Cheerleader - Police & Thieves - Rabbit Run - Rabbit Run (Nick Zinner Remix)

Great album here. Smooth instrumentals, with a subdued Akerfeldt on vocals this time around. Album breezes by, with a shorter run time than usual. The songs are still long but nothing outstays it's welcome, only wish the album ended a bit stronger. Favourite Tracks: - Windowpane - In My Time Of Need - Hope Leaves - To Rid The Disease

Not really my flavour unfortunately. Some of the instrumentals are nice, and everything has a quirky Talking Heads vibe to it. But I just found the vocals quite grating. Not something I see myself coming back to. Favourite Tracks: - Taxes

Slaves 'comeback' album after rebranding themselves as Soft Play. Whatever you think about the name change, you can't deny this album holds up well within their catalogue. Yes some of the lyrics are a bit corny but the track list here plays out largely tongue-in-cheek and full of character as you expect from these guys. Great energy, heavy riffs, great stuff. Favourite Tracks: - Punk's Dead - Isaac Is Typing - John Wick - Mirror Muscles - Everything and Nothing

An okay punk album, that gets a little samey down the stretch. Still, it contains 'Story of my Life' which is an all timer for me so there's that. Favourite Tracks: - Story of my Life - Ball and Chain

Solid Hardcore album. Turnstile again keeps it brief with some rapid-fire tunes, churning out some groovy riffs and energetic vocals. Not as experimental as later releases of theirs, with this one keeping it relatively simple and rockin'. Favourite Tracks: - Gravity - Fazed Out - Bad Wave - Out Of Rage - Stress

Incredible hardcore punk album. Riffs and breakdowns kick ass throughout this album. The RATM inspired vocals sound great over these crushing instrumentals as well. Fairly standard 'call to arms' lyrics, but with great energy and some anthemic, catchy hooks. No skips. Favourite Tracks: - Bite The Hook - Echo Of Nothing - Lie Of Liberty - Rats In The Cellar - Change The Way You Think About Pain

Short and sweet. Turnstile keeps it brief with this album, with most songs clocking under 2 and a half minutes. They pack in some good tunes with the classic fun riffs you expect from turnstile. They would go on to do better, but this is still a fun album with some bangers littered throughout. Favourite Tracks: - Real Thing - Big Smile - Generator - I Don't Wanna Be Blind - Lost Another Peice of My World - Can't Get Away - Come Back For More - Time + Space

Feels a little directionless and toothless when compared to their previous efforts. But even a lesser Deftones album is still a great album, just not one I will return to as often as White Pony, Diamond Eyes or Around The Fur. Favourite Tracks: - Hexagram - Needles and Pins - Minerva - When Girls Telephone Boys - Battle-axe - Bloody Cape

Excellent metalcore album here. Great riffs that force you to bob your head along, great range on the vocals, and generally good straight-forward songwriting. Great stuff. Favourite Tracks: - Daylight Dies - This Is Absolution - My Curse - For You - Still Beats Your Name - Eye Of The Storm

A slight step down from their previous album, with a few songs sounding a bit samey. The riffs still crush, with good solos, sick drum work and some catchy vocals as well. Solid stuff. Favourite Tracks: - Walk With Me In Hell - Again We Rise - Redneck - Pathetic - Blacken the Cursed Sun - Forgotten (Lost Angels)

In my opinion, a noticeable step down from their previous 3 albums. Lyrics and instrumentals are less memorable and/or hard-hitting, and the album as a whole feels fairly unfocused. Not bad by any stretch, but definitely not my go-to Sabbath album. Favourite Tracks: - Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener - Changes - Snowblind - Cornucopia - Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes

This seems to be the moment everyone realized Deftones were the real deal. As a whole I think this album is a (very) slight step back from Around The fur, but the peaks are higher. A few songs here remain Deftones best, and continue to be timeless. Favorite Tracks: - Back to School - Digital Bath - Elite - Rx Queen - Teenager - Knife Prty - Korea - Passenger - Change (In The House of Flies)

Incredible album, one of their best. Improves on everything from the first album, with improved song writing, chubbier riffs, improved vocals and a more focused sound. Favourite Tracks: - My Own Summer - Lhabia - Mascara - Rick's - Be Quiet and Drive - Lotion - Headup

A solid debut, and a good hint of things to come. Deftones come out the gate here with a raw, low fi, aggressive alternative/nu metal album that hits more than it misses. Obviously not their best work, but very good for a debut from a band still finding their sound. Favourite Tracks: - Bored - Minus Blindfold - Nosebleed - Root - 7 Words - Birthmark - Engine No. 9 - Fireal

Rough around the edges, but I like the energy and angst in this album. This album has a much more manic, raw feel than their subsequent albums and it works to varying degrees. Favourite Tracks: - Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us - Skylines and Turnstiles - Early Sunsets Over Monroeville - Demolition Lovers

Not my favourite VB album, but even at their 'worst' the boys show more creativity and character than most others in the rock world at the moment. Electronic/disco infused post-punk with great rolling grooves and the usual brand of slurring, crooning vocals. Favourite Tracks: - Ain't Nice - Creatures - 6 Shooter - Secret Canine Agent - I Feel Alive

This is okay. They combine their pop punk sound with shades of folk, and hints of the rock opera sound they would go all the way with in American Idiot. The result is a bit of a mixed bag. Some bouncy, catchy tunes but nothing that really stands out for me. Favorite Tracks: - Warning - Castaway - Deadbeat Holiday - Minority

Great album that has aged well since the dust has settled from Kendricks big year last year. Full with great lyricism, catchy hooks, quotable one-liners and great beats. I also loved the relatively unknown (to me) features on here. Banger album. Favourite Tracks: - wacced out murals - squabble up - luther - hey now - tv off - peekaboo - heart pt. 6 - gnx - gloria

Great album here. Great beats, great bars, great features, doesn't overstay its welcome. The only thing holding this back from 5 stars are the frequent Pharrell verses/hooks, I could've let one slide but there's like 3 songs here with his average vocals on them. Push is creat as always, I've always enjoyed his cadence. Malice is new to me but he pulled his weight as well. Great stuff. Favourite Tracks: - Chains & Whips - P.O.V. - Ace Trumpets - M.T.B.T.T.F. - F.I.C.O. - Inglorious Bastards

Good enough album here, but is noticeably front loaded. The first half goes pretty hard, but then is brought down by a bit of filler towards the end. The hits here are pop punk classics though, and even average TBS songs are better than most in the genre. Favorite Tracks: - Set Phasers to Stun - Bonus Mosh Pt II - A Decade Under The Influence - This Photograph Is Proof - The Union - Slowdance On The Inside

An okay album, that is missing the raw punk sound of Pop's earlier releases. Also a few too many references to young girls littered throughout. Favourite Tracks: - Lust For Life - The Passenger - Neighborhood Threat - Fall In Love With Me

A pop punk classic, but looking back this album is very front-loaded. The hits are great as are some of the b-sides, but there is some forgettable moments on the back half of this. Still, a fun listen and likely Green Days peak. Favourite Tracks: - American Idiot - Jesus of Suburbia - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Give Me Novacaine / She's A Rebel - Letterbomb - Wake Me Up When September Ends

Killer album with some great thrash/groove tunes on here. Sepulturas best sound is on this album in my opinion, with Max sounding better than ever, great riffs and crushing breakdowns. Favourite Tracks: - Refuse/Resist - Territory - Slave New World - Propaganda - Nomad - Manifest - Clenched Fist

Another collection of stellar songs here, as Sabbath fine tune their sound a bit and adds some polish. The result is some of their most popular songs, and some of my personal favorites. Great stuff. Favourite Tracks: - War Pigs - Paranoid - Planet Caravan - Iron Man - Electric Funeral - Hand Of Doom

This album rips, may end up becoming a 10/10 for me in retrospect. Heavy, groovy and I'm sure groundbreaking at the time. Favourite Tracks: - Black Sabbath - The Wizard - Behind The Wall Of Sleep - N.I.B - Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games With Me - Warning

Never been the biggest Jay-Z fan, but this one was pretty good. Sill some corny and awkward lines scattered throughout ("what's better than one billionaire? Two" 🤮), but there's also some great introspective songs on here that makes it worth a listen. Favourite Tracks: - Kill Jay Z - The Story of O.J. - Caught Their Eyes - 4:44 - Legacy