We just past the 19th anniversary of Sevendust's debut album, which is self titled. The album peaked on the Billboard 200 at 165 and the Top Heatseekers at number 5! It stayed in the Billboard 200 for a total of sixteen weeks. So it did fairly well, especially for a debut album! The first single was "Black", which right off the bat paints quite the picture. You're just minding your own business, but then a darker period falls over you. Thoughts start surrounding you, and others can tell you're not alright. You suppress it, but it still creeps back up. Anyone with any form of mental illness will certainly connect with this song. So, that is a great introduction to the world, Sevendust! All the songs seem to have a theme of struggling with life, yet taking it for yourself. Particularly the song, "Terminator", actually. "Terminator" is his story, his fight song if you will. Everything is fucked up, but deep down, you know you will make it through. You've got this. The song says it best, "Long time coming, somebody catch my train. its too late, its driving me insane. Everybody is going somewhere else. This is my story yo, peace." Something's gotta give, and you're going to do whatever you damn well please. Hands down, this is a beautiful introduction to the world! Great job, Sevendust! This set you up for a legacy that is still growing nineteen years later. Sevendust have released eleven studio albums, one of which is acoustic. We have now reviewed evert single one here on Immortal Music, and you can check them all out below, if you would like! While you're at it, head on over to Sevendust's official website, because they have a lot coming up shortly! They are going to be at many festivals like Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Lunatic Luau '16,Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rock N Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. For further information, please head on over to the respective festival websites or Sevendust's official website! Here are the reviews: Home -Animosity -Seasons -Next -Alpha- Chapter Vii: Hope & Sorrow -Cold Day Memory -Black Out The Sun -Time Travelers & Bonfires -Kill The Flaw
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American punk rock band, Pennywise released their debut, self titled album on October 22, 1991. There was not a single for this album, nor did it reach any charts, but none the less it set Pennywise up on a very long road to where they are today! This album proved to me that Pennywise stuck true to the sound we all have grown to love, and have simply just improved on it. Though I oddly hear more Green Day in this album than I've heard in any other work. I can't explain it, it just has a similar vibe really. Maybe it something about the vocal style, maybe its the instrumentals -I don't know but it sounds like Green Day, but a sped up version of Green Day. While it sounds good, I will say that the instrumentals weren't quite right. Given, it was the early 90's and punk rock has always been a bit unique, but it sort of sounds like all the instrumentals got smashed together. It took them a few albums to find the happy balance between the instrumentals and vocals. In later works, the instrumentals sounded great, but then the vocals were a bit drowned out. In this, you can hear the vocals perfectly, but here and there the instrumentals just sound like everyone was trying to play as loud as they can, thus canceling out each other entirely. That being said, its not all bad! The meanings do still come out, when when you do hear glimpses here and there of the instrumentals being spaced out, it sounds wonderful! Its true classic, punk rock that would make anyone want to head bang with long hair and a flannel on. A track in particular I wanted to highlight was, "The Secret." Its all about searching for answers in life, but never quite getting them. You still believe there' something out there, but you don't know what the answers are just yet. Some of the lyrics are rather humorous, actually. At one point the song asks, "Do I evolve into a adult organism?" Like he was some sort of Pokemon or something before Pokemon existed. Its all part of growing up -all of the wondering and the uncertainty. You know you're missing out on something, but nobody quite tells you what it is. They just go, "You'll understand when you're older." Then you do grow up and understand and keep writing punk rock songs to get out the angst of every day. Over all, while its not an amazing album, it was a great start to Pennywise's career, which is still going very actively today! They have released ten more albums, and there are reviews for 9 out of the ten reviews already here on Immortal Music! Only one remains, which will be up in the next couple of days, so stay tuned! Also on the way are a bunch of festival performances coming up for Pennywise! Those festivals include Fort Rock,Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range! Reviews: Unknown Road, About Time, Full Circle,Straight Ahead, Land Of The Free?,, The Fuse, Reason To Believe, All Or Nothing, and Yesterdays! On August 21, 1990, Anthrax released their fifth studio album, Persistence of Time! This album was also nominated for a Grammy in 1991! It lost to Metallica's Stone Cold Crazy album, but that's still rather exciting! This was the last album for twenty one years to feature Joey Belladona on it. He returned for Worship Music in 2011 and is still with the band today. The album had two singles, "Got The Time" and "In My World." "Got The Time", while it is easily related to, I feel like maybe it wasn't the best choice for a single. Its kind of just going through the motions, while realizing life is short. Time never stops moving, and yet we all get up and deal with the work day. Its still important, and yes, its very real, and most definitely a good song. I just wouldn't have chosen it to be the first single for a brand new album, really. Now "In My World" on the other hand, oh hell yes! Its not only very well worded, but its about wanting to do your own thing. Live your own life, on your own terms. That's something I can get behind completely! "I just want my life to do whatever I like. Yeah, its a selfish need to have no responsibility. So I'll say what I'm gonna say, 'cause I'm going to hell anyway. I'd rather be alone in my own world. I'm not afraid -I am not afraid. Nothing touches me, I'm a walking razor blade." Normally singles aren't the stand out tracks for me on an album, but this one definitely stands out. There's a lot going on in this album. There's expression about life, and its struggles, freedom, mental health and so much more. They did a fantastic job, really! Be sure to give it a listen, and while you're at it, check out the rest of their discography! Reviews have been done here on Immortal Music for a good majority of their albums, and more are coming! So far reviews have been completed for State Of Euphoria, Spreading The Disease, Fistful Of Metal, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, We've Come For You All, Worship Music and For All Kings! Use all of their music to get excited because they have many performances coming up. Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. Sevendust released their second studio album, Home on August 24, 1999. The album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and remained in the top 200 for fourteen weeks. It also received a Gold certification in May 2000. Right off the bat I realized they had some very interesting song titles. "Rumble Fish", "Licking Cream", and "Waffle"? What were they thinking....? The titles didn't exactly go with the songs, and two of the three songs I just mentioned were singles for the album. Though the first one was actually, "Denial." "Waffle", as weird as this sentence is going to sound, is beautiful. Its about looking for the bright side, while you're feeling melancholy. You feel useless, and there's no meaning at all in life. This is a cry for help, for something to show itself to you and make things seem better again. "Bring me a light. Make my life worth something more. Show me a light, bring a light." As for "Rumble Fish", which sounds a bit like a weird, fish shaped adult toy, it actually seems to be encouraging someone to get away from a person who's doing them harm. I'm not doing the track justice, just go listen to it. Honestly, they did a very good job on picking singles, because the singles are songs that stand out on the album. There is another I wanted to mention though, and that one was "Headspace." It tells the story of the internal battle, and struggling with something someone said to hurt you. You hear the pain and the passion, and that makes it rather beautiful. Its a great work that helped lend a hand in the legacy Sevendust has created. Since the release of this album, they have released nine more albums. One of which is acoustic! Reviews have been done for all nine of those albums here on Immortal Music and if you would like to check them out, they're all linked below! Also get excited because Sevendust will be making appearances at many festivals here in the US such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Lunatic Luau '16,Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rock N Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. For further information, please head on over to the respective festival websites or Sevendust's official website! Animosity -Seasons -Next -Alpha- Chapter Vii: Hope & Sorrow -Cold Day Memory -Black Out The Sun -Time Travelers & Bonfires -Kill The Flaw On August 9, 2005, Pennywise released their eighth studio album, The Fuse here in the US. It actually came out on four different staggering dates around the world, starting on June 27 in Europe. The album didn't do that fantastically on charts, though it did reach number 9 on US Indy charts. It reached number 78 on the Billboard 200, 36 in Australia, 60 in Switzerland, and 100 in Germany. So it didn't do great, but did alright. Much like other works from Pennywise, I could not find a single for the album. So instead of acknowledging any singles, I'm just going to talk about tracks I enjoyed. Starting with "Best I Can." It stays true to the title, and just is flat out saying you're doing the best you can and you're going to get what you want out of life for yourself. "Life's too short for mediocrity. My mind still struggles through strife and adversity. It's all or nothing now. It's so plain to see. I'm going to live for me, 'cause I'm doing the best I can. I'm part of the master plan." Its just one of those songs that will get you pumped up to take on the world, and that's great! Plus, you do you! Another track I really want to acknowledge is "Take A Look Around", which is such an inspiring track. It encourages people to -like the title says- take a look around them and see that they can make a difference in life, despite what the world may imply. They remind people that life isn't all bad, and things do get better. That always sounds so cliche' but its cliche' because its true! The song says it best; "We can do better, better if we try. The walls that block our path are the stepping stones of life. Defeat is in the past, this struggle will not last. Take stock of your life, its time to get it right. This is not the end, time heals time and again." Over all, this is a fantastic album, filled with a lot of inspiration hidden through out some songs just about life and things like that! Go check it out, along with all of Pennywise's albums! They have 11 albums in total, eight of which have been reviewed here on Immortal Music! Be sure to check them out as well, and get excited because Pennywise will be performing at many festivals here very shortly! Those festivals include Fort Rock,Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range! The reviews are: Unknown Road, About Time, Full Circle,Straight Ahead, Land Of The Free?, Reason To Believe, All Or Nothing, and Yesterdays! The sixth studio album Megadeth released is called Youthanasia and it came out on November 1, 1994. The album has a platinum certification and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200. Only two singles were released for the album and those were, "Train of Consequences" and "A Tout le Monde", consecutively. "A Tout le Monde" is French, and translates into "To everybody." The song has had a bit of controversy, to the point that MTV banned the music video because they thought it was pro-suicide. Frontman Dave Mustaine spoke up about this matter to say other wise. "It's not a suicide song. What it is, it's, you, it's when people have a loved one that dies and they end on a bad note, you know, they wish that they could say something to them. So this is an opportunity for the deceased to say something before they go. And it was my impression of what I would like to say to people, if I had say, 3 seconds to do so in life before I died I'd say to the entire world, to all my friends, I love you all, and now I must go. These are the last words I'll ever speak, and they'll set me free. I don't have to say I'm sorry, I don't have to say I'm going to miss you, or I'll wait for ya. You know, I'll just say I loved you all, good, bad, indifferent, I loved you all." Its a beautiful song, though sad, none the less. Some other controversy this song received was surrounded by a shooting that happened many years later in 2006. The guy who did this shooting at Dawson High School in Quebec, Canada apparently quoted the song online somewhere and because of how idiotic society can be, they blamed Megadeth for it all. We talked about this a little more in detail in our United Abominations review because the song was re-released on that album and features Christina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. A couple of tracks that really stood out to me were "I Thought I Knew It All" , and "Elysian Fields." "I Thought I Knew It All" stood out because it clearly was written in a moment where you feel a little disappointed in your current situation in life. Its not going well, but you know You may not like what's going on, but there's still some hope. "Maybe I don't like it, but I have no choice. I know that somewhere, someone hears my voice." Its worded incredibly well, and I love it. Now for "Elysian Fields", honestly its a shame there isn't a music video for it. It would make an incredible very detailed music cideo. While I have no idea what inspired this song, it seems to be from the view point of someone who has passed away, from cancer, I assume. It speaks of soaring to the sun with blood on their wings, going to heavy and toward your destiny. Its beautiful and very creatively worded. Its one of those songs that paints a picture, and they honestly should have made a music video for this song. Someone also should have written a book based off this song because its that good. The conclusion and final verdict on this album is its a beautiful album, and is all super creative. It speaks for itself really, so I recommend you check it out. While you're at it, be sure to check out all of Megadeth's other works! They have released a total of fifteen albums, obviously including this one. Several of which have reviews done here on Immortal Music. More are still coming, but for now here are the ones already on the website. Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia While you're looking into all things Megadeth, be sure to include their official website. Over there, you will see a ton of festival performances coming up very soon. Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. So, be sure to check that out, and get excited because hopefully I will be covering their set at Fort Rock. Through Capitol Records on July 6, 1992, Megadeth released their fith studio album, Countdown To Extinction. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 2, which is still their highest chart rating to date. Their latest album, Dystopia came very close, as it reached number 3 on the same chart. So, this album is easily the most successful album from Megadeth. This album has been nominated for a Grammy Award, and is double platinum. There were four different singles for this album, starting with "Symphony of Destruction." This single was announced on July 21, 1992, and is what I would call your typical Megadeth song. Its talking about the power of a mortal man, presumably a government figure and how they act like they're practically Gods. Its a decent song, but honestly its not my favorite. A favorite for me though is actually another single. "Forclosure Of A Dream" comes from a very real, and very dark place. When all hope is gone, and the dedication gets crushed by a brick (which is really life and its antics) you start feeling things slip away from you. But yet, near the end of the song there's a glimmer of hope. That flame begins to ignite again. "Now with new hope some will be proud. This is no hoax, no one pushed out. Receive a reprieve and be a pioneer. Break new ground of a new frontier. Now ideas will surely get by. No deed, no dividend. Some may ask, "Why?" You'll find the solution, the answer's in the sky." This is how any passion in life goes. You got through periods where all seems lost, and there appears to be no point at all. But somehow, it always comes back. This is probably the first Megadeth song I genuinely really loved. I've heard a good chunk of their work from over the years so far, and found most of it to be okay. Not bad, but also not amazing either. Honestly though, I can completely see why this album is Megadeth's most successful album. Its a great piece of art, and definitely stands out a lot compared to other works. Be sure to check it out, along with the other fourteen albums they have out! Several of which we've reviewed actually! We're working on doing reviews for all of their albums, but here's what we have so far! Cryptic Writings -Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia While you're checking things out, be sure to head on over to Megadeth's website to take a look at all of their upcoming performances. They have many festivals coming up such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Further information can be found on the respective festival websites! In September of the year 2000, metal giants Lamb of God released their first album, New American Gospel. When Lamb of God started, they had a much more of a rough sound, specifically in Randy’s vocals. Therefore, this album is considered to be Grindcore and/or Death Metal, which makes it the only album by Lamb of God that can be considered as such. The remastered version from 2006 contains a note on the inlay that explains that the sound of the album is less polished than their newer work, in part due to time constraints as well as heavy drinking. It has sold over 100,000 copies in the United States. The only single released from New American Gospel was Black Label, a ruthlessly hard hitting song that sets the tone for the rest of the album, despite its rather evil sound, the song is actually quite interestingly written. “My freedom can't contain, but tell me, The pain I liberate. Riff hostility to anyone. Has made us so much hate. I made them turn from hate but tell me. The pain and suffering. I made them turn from hate but tell me. The pain and suffering I... know.” The song is about a man who has no idea why he hates everyone so much but he has just accepted the fact that he does. Given the title of Black Label, it may be a hint that it’s an alcohol influenced song, as often times when drunk people can act and think irrationally. Making someone hate for no reason for example. One other track that really stands out is The Subtle Arts Of Murder & Persuasion. Probably the shortest of all their songs lyrically, despite being 5 minutes long, Subtle Arts is an intriguing song. Being as it’s wrote as a poem. Listening to the song you may not understand what he’s saying but after reading it, it becomes quite clear that it is a rather dark poem, but a very smart one. Personally it reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe’s work in how creepy it is. “The dark crow man sits and stares into the oblivion into cold into nothingness; it's snowing in his mind. He's created himself in his own image. Lust held for him means naught, a knock on the door brings no smile to his cruel lips; the welcome in a woman's eyes holds nothing for him. Alone on his haunches the hair raises on the back of his neck. His dead eyes pierce the night. As his gaze falls down on the city it fills him the method ascertained, conviction. He knows what to do and moves to commit the deed.” While being a rather sub-par album all together, New American Gospel hints at the things to come in Lamb’s future once they sober up, because the writing and musical skill is very much so there just the clarity is not. In their following albums we see a vast improvement in their style, vocals, music and writing all get better; but one thing never changed, and that is the simple fact they have never stopped being one of the heaviest fucking bands of all time and make everyone who has come and seen them truly feel the music. Lamb Of God will very soon be going out on tour with Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity and will be performing at many festivals as well! The festivals are actually what kicks off the tour, as they perform at Fort Rock and Welcome To Rockville before going out on tour starting May 3. The tour goes through June 7 and in the middle of it is several more festivals. Those festivals include Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range,Northern Invasion, Rock'n Derby, and Bonnaroo. For more information, please go check out Lamb Of God's official website! Written by Coby Andrews On September 19, 1988, Anthrax released their fourth studio album, State of Euphoria through Megaforce / Island Records. The album has a Gold certification and once hit number 30 in the Billboard 200. There were three singles, the first was "Make Me Laugh", which is an awesome track. Its full on calling out religion, and how backwards some of it is. "Tell me you're killin' joke, Evangelist. You're making me laugh. Jesus saves, but only after I've been paid." It then goes on to say "God says have a TV Show, God says baby do some blow. God says taxes are a sin. God says pour the money in. Rape the poor, faith no more. Faith for cash, make me laugh." This is a truly brilliant track. The whole album is very hard hitting and dark, some songs, such as "Misery Loves Company", and "Now It's Dark" sound a bit like they came straight from a nightmare. Which makes sense, since supposedly "Misery Loves Company" is inspired by Stephen Kings' Misery novel, and "Now It's Dark" was inspired by the film Blue Velvet from David Lynch. Fun fact too, that song can be heard in The Sims computer game, in the Sim language. Hands down though, our favorite track is "Make Me Laugh." There's just something humorous and badass about the call out and the way they did that. Since then, Anthrax has just continued to be wonderful, and have released eight more albums, and an EP. One of those albums is a compilation of B-sides as well! A good majority of those albums have been reviewed here on Immortal Music. Those reviews include Spreading The Disease, Fistful Of Metal, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, We've Come For You All, Worship Music and For All Kings.! More are still coming so stay tuned! Also be sure to check out Anthrax's website to take a look at all of their upcoming adventures. They very shortly will be performing at many festivals around the US! Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. On November 13, 2001, Sevendust released their third studio album, Animosity! The album reached number one on the Top Independent album charts, number 28 on the Billboard 200, 34 in Australia and 26 in Australia! It also stayed in the Billboard top 200 for thirteen consecutive weeks. The first single "Praise" came out sometime in 2001 before the album's release and it also did fairly well on charts. It came in at number 15 on the Mainstream Rock charts and number 23 on Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song itself I think is rather religious like the title suggests, but at the same time I can't completely tell. Its not a bad song, but all at once is not really my cup of tea. A track I do really like though is "Shine." Its coming from a place deep within, where you feel lost and are just wondering how you're doing anything. You're also feeling like you're just going through the motions and now are trying to find yourself and a path where you do not feel that way. This song is all about that, and much like a lot of Sevendust's lyrics it feels very genuine and was clearly written as a release. Its beautiful, and I think a lot of people could appreciate it. Actually, people could very easily appreciate the entire album, along with the rest of Sevendust's discography. Speaking of, we have done reviews for almost all of their albums! More are still coming but we are hoping to complete reviews for all of their albums before Fort Rock! Which is just one of many festivals Sevendust will be appearing at here very shortly! They also will be making appearances at Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Lunatic Luau '16,Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rock N Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. For further information, please head on over to the respective festival websites or Sevendust's official website! And here are all the reviews we've done thus far for Sevendust; Seasons -Next -Alpha- Chapter Vii: Hope & Sorrow -Cold Day Memory -Black Out The Sun -Time Travelers & Bonfires -Kill The Flaw |
InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
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