Metal Reviews

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I agree with the reivew on most parts, and it's not as good as the previous release, but still a damn fine album.
A diamond for disease is still the best song by them yet. Get that EP if you are checking Arsis out for the first time.

95 for me.

This is more technical than their past releases which is for me a good thing..

I think this is better than A Celebration of Guilt in pretty much every way except that it's shorter. It's not as good as A Diamond for Disease, but that song kicks so much ass it's not even fair. I probably would have been more disappointed in it if I hadn't read in an interview to expect the same thing but better back in August or so...

Still waiting for this one in the mail. I love noodles for bringing this band to my attention. I saw them live a few months back when they were touring with Necrophagist and it was damn amazing. Malone’s has skillzzzz. This dude will solo, scream, sweep, and still sound like he does on the album. Fucking amazing band. I have really high hopes for this.

Wow,a somewhat disappointing overall score.I think the review is well written,but the final marks are perhaps too harsh.If there is one thing that I have learned is that even with the most hyped and anticipated things in life,always remain calm and give it a second chance.

The review itself seems a little rushed,like a listen or two and then BAM,post the damn thing!I'm just messing around,but seriously,I noticed this site seems quite different in taste and perspective than me,though I enjoy it.Its like with the power metal and hard rock stuff,the reviews are laid back and generally fun,whereas the death metal reviews are very opinionated and harsh.Most reviewers seem to love the first album and then the rest are mere shadows of the former glory,and the will probably not live up to their standards.

Still,to each his/her own.I've been waitin' for this album since I finished the first cd years ago,and it is great.Different to some degree,but still thoroughly enjoyable.I'd rate it in the mid 80's to high 90's(and now for tomorrows forcast...).

Lucky metalNESS,getting to see them live with Necrophagist,must have been awesome!!!

Don't forget that a score of 72 means very good, which is a decent rating.

The reason why people often find the first album to better is because it's fresh, new and probably from a new unexpected group. Take Sikth for example, the first album is unique and refreshing but the second one only continues on the same formula and does not really offer anything except some good songs. And I, personally, feel it's the same with Arsis. First album is a furious force of metal, but this just isn't as powerful.
Still, I rated it 81 because it is great music nonetheless.

I listened to the album 10 times over the course of one week. I got it two weeks ago when I caught an Arsis show in my town and they were selling the albums early, but it still hasn't click with me.

But anyway, Zeth was right about the score. I think lots of people look at the ratings like school grades, where a 65 or 70 would be a poor grade, even though that would be a very good rating for an album on this site. I know that lots of people will like this album a lot more than me, and that is completely fine. Arsis is a great band and has some serious talent. Maybe this album will finally click for me at some point down the road...

I think he's comparing it to other scores on the site, eg. Into Eternity getting a 93 . I think in general all the reviewers here should be a lot more conservative with their ratings.

Yeah it seems that the rating system applies just for some albums...

So does that mean I done good or bad?

I guess you done good kid( ,i'm only 22).Thank you for not ripping me a new one!Seriously,last time I "criticised" a review,I got thoroughly reamed!When it comes to any form of art there are going to be problems,three in particular.The eye of the beholder,the review system,and the critic.

The first is obviously a tough one to nail,as one's mood,the setting and many other factors contribute to how someone percieves something.Review systems are a near impossible thing to nail as everybody and their mother each has their own preference and no setup is perfect.The critic is the most dangerous and sometimes annoying,they can destroy careers and bug the hell out of everybody with their fan rants and raves.

Personally I feel a smaller scale of 1-10(11 for those oh so special albums)would be better for something as challenging to review and describe as music,which is very broad in its scope and appeal.With a site as big as this one having so many reviewers and such a large scale,to avoid the inconsistency and sometimes dramatic difference in scores,it would seem more logical to use the more easily identifiable system.

And conserning the whole "first albums great,then they slowly degrade into shite" thing,why is it that say power metal reviews here are so lenient and forgiving,and they get high scores regardless of actually bringing anything "new" to the table outside of a more epic sound,whereas again,DM and the other "extremes"(which where btw are the grind reviews?and no ND doesn't cut it)get far more grilling reviews?Its unfortunate as the group here seems oddly out of sync with each other and the review system.The majority of PM reviews are like "its more of the same but thats ok,its still great!" and the opposite with darker side of things "oh great,its still the same...".

I have taken to ignoring the scoring system almost completely,as it is so varied and unpredictable in its inconsistency that I just can't gain any valuable input from that alone.I mainly just try to find some well written reviews and well thankfully there are some good ones(this one in particular).Well,thanks again for bearing with me in my time of philosophical ranting,I needed that.Man this post is just to long,and I don't mean to attack or aim at someone in particular to assign the blame,I just wanted to let out whats been bugging me for awhile.Have a great day!Stay Heavy!

Thanks for the understanding Xinin. I do have one thing to say about extreme metal getting harsher reviews while melodic metal reviews get a generally more positive overtone.

Extreme music inherently sounds similar, more so than the more melodic acts. I believe Alex said it best in one of his reviews last week, something along the lines of death metal bands already being very close to sounding redundant, right from the get go, due to the strict confines of the genre. Black metal is more or less in the same position. So when an extreme metal band makes a great CD, it is very difficult for the sophmore effort to match up to the same quality levels in the minds of the critics. But then again, extreme metal bands are also in the position of being branded a sellout if they slow their tempo down by 20 bpm, poor guys.

Haha,so true.One of the only bands that I can recall not getting branded is Behemoth's Zos Kia Cultus.I personally find more diversity soundwise in extreme music than melodic stuff,but I see your point.I'll look out for your reviews in the future.

On a side note,I'm so going to have this cd streaming in the backround while I decimate my foes in Gears of War!!!Good times are ahead!Chainsaw bayonets FTW!!!

I'm not really sure, I'm just not a fan of how ratings are given out here

you did good, people review shit here way to high. There is no way on earth a band like Into Eternity should ever get over an 80 no matter how good their album is. That is just fanboy BS. Shit I love I rarely rate over a 7/10 so you are more then fair.

yeah, I mean I'm madly in love with Protest the Hero's Kezia but I wouldn't classify it as a "masterpiece", it's just some emo fag stuff I really connect with

That game is so brutal you'll need to listen to an airplane engine to get a heavy enough sound to match. I want it soooo bad, even though I don't even have a Xbox 360


That pretty much sums it up yeah.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were no ratings to bitch about? I somehow don't care if people hear an album and say my rating isn't fit. If they say the points not subjective to opinion that I make in my review are uncorrect, then I'm listening.

I've just got through playing nearly 10hrs worth of videogames today,what with Call of Duty 3,Tony Hawk's P8 and GoW,and it was amazing!GoW is soooo damn fun!The tactics and depth to the game are incredible(no rts but its still good),my sis and I are in love with it,game of the year for us,co-op rules,and it is soooo beautiful,easily one of if not the most gorgeous game yet!

noodles,at least your honest.

Sometimes yes,a no score scenario is a kinda good idea.The "other" guys over at digitalM don't have a ratings system,if I want to know how they feel I have to read the whole review.It can be a little tricky to get a better idea as to where cd's stack up against each other,but then again,seperating the near immediate final judgement we all know is often a good thing,as the focus is then almost exclusively on the album in review.It helps get a more honest less comparitive review,letting the material stand on its own.

Gotta love my Captain Obvious ways!To the helicarrier!!!