Let’s face it, when we dive into a new album, we’re not doing it with the intention of hating it. It’s a journey fueled by curiosity and anticipation, a quest for those musical gems that resonate with our souls. Yet, the process of curating a list of favorites can be both thrilling and frustrating for any music enthusiast. As we scrutinize our collection, we can’t help but wonder if we might be overlooking one or two hidden treasures. But as we meticulously examine the tracks and albums before us, the truth becomes evident: each one on this list is truly worthy of the honor it receives.
JETHRO TULL ‘RökFlöte’
For the legacy of Jethro Tull, this is an insult. Ian Anderson is the sole original member and has been dead set on trying to modernize this band for the last 15 years. This album is so unfocused and boring. For everyone good song there are four bad ones. This is for me the death nail on the coffin of a band who has been around longer than me and coasted on the name longer than they needed to.
BABY METAL ‘The Other One’
I do not understand how each cd this band puts out sounds exactly like the last one. This band had all eyes on them and the hype machine. Then, they just went in circles not trying to evolve. This album just feels like a band who is unsure what the future holds so they milk out the things that worked for them in the past. I think this band needs depth and a better direction. They keep standing still in an industry that moves fast and forgets everything in seconds. I mean, you can add Poppy to this thought. You have to move ahead and keep establishing yourself. That is why bands like Local H stay that Local. They play to their fanbase not wanting to evolve for the non-fans.
STEEL PANTHER ‘On the Prowl’
I will admit, I was a fan of the debut album. I thought it was a fun and catchy listen. After that, the jokes run thin and keep feeling repetitive. They went from being on a major label to moving to Napalm Records. I guess I am not alone thinking the joke is no longer funny. This album feels like a punishment to music fans. This band has run its course and now is just a shadow of what they once were. That debut album is such a classic, it is sad to think this is what happened to the band.
GODSMACK ‘Lighting Up the Sky’
Godsmack came out at a time when music fans needed them. Thank god, before the internet and downloading or this band would never have made it past the debut. Sully Erna took all the shots and cashed all the checks. Does Godsmack have a statement to make with their music in this decade? No, is my answer. If you thought the debut album sounded like everyone else who was all over your wall, this cd is just the same shit. If you want to hear the Godsmack sound, play any cd by any grunge artist before the debut came out. This album is wooden and so basic. Shannon Larkin once was a great drummer. (Souls at Zero and Wrathchild America) Sully Erna was once a great singer (Facelift, Ten and Superunknown)
LYNCH MOB ‘Babylon’
The days of Wicked Sensation have been dead for 30 plus years now. The sad thing is the new Dokken album is not that bad. Don plays to his strengths and has a group of cheap help to reinvigorate the music. George Lynch is just trying to finish a contract to Frontiers and putting out all these half assed bullshit jokes. This album is lazy, unfocused and just coasting off of a career that in the last twenty years has been dead in the water.
COREY TAYLOR ‘CMF2’
I am no Corey hater. Yet, these two solo albums have made it easy to become one. His ego is all over this album and it gets so tiring. This album from start to finish is a bad joke that feels like he is trying to emulate Machine Gun Kelly. No offense, stick with Slipknot or Stone Sour. That is your strength to have others around to build songs and keep your ego in check. Corey has so much passion that it comes across as fake and pretentious more than realistic. This album is a great album for a twelve-year-old kid wanting to piss parents off. This album is not only a missed opportunity, but it was dead on arrival.
STAIND ‘Confessions of the Fallen’
What is worse than Corey Taylor’s ego? Aaron Lewis. How many Staind fans saw this coming in the early stages of the band? Today, Aaron Lewis is like Fox News put to music. Newsmax put to lazy alternative paint by numbers. I consider the debut album a classic, it won me over when I thought it would not. I was a fan of this fucking band until the lead singer made it hard to even like the band. I listened to this album with an open mind hoping they would win me over, and this album was so divisive and absurd. You are a musician who made your living sounding like nu metal, what gives you the right now to think you are Bono or Springsteen? You are neither and not even close. This album is proof that every idiot will believe anyone who claims they are smart without even checking the words but following the flute to the river.
PRETTY BOY FLOYD ‘Kiss of Death’
I am embarrassed to even say I listened to this cd. Technically, it came out in 2022. I got my copy to review late. I can remember when they were hailed as the next Motley Crue. This was around the time that BULLETBOYS were hailed as the next Van Halen. This album is trying to recapture that 80’s glam feel and it sounds so dated and fake. I am a big KISS fan, and these tributes seem to always be hit and miss, this one though is all misses. There is not one moment on here I remember wanting to listen to again. Would it not be a hoot if at the Kiss farewell last show, that they lip synched this cd. Oh man, that would be a show I would have to witness.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD ‘Life Is But a Dream…’
This is a band that I have tried to get into. I always buy the new album hoping this is the one that gets me into them. Each one has failed for them trying to emulate their heroes to a point that it is plagiarizing. This album is just so dead set on changing the band and their image that it fails to be entertaining. They try to break all this new ground while sticking to their core sound which dilutes the new ground and just sounds bland and unenergetic. This album tries to be a Who or Genesis opus that people will have to venture into as some unknown. This album is basically a band who is running out of ideas and just trying to keep the flame going by just doing anything and putting their name on it. This is a sad day for fans of music because now they think they are Radiohead.
OTEP ‘The God Slayer’
I think mental health in music should be examined. Otep is her own worst enemy. I am a fan of most of her music and own a few cds. I mean, how many record labels has she been on? I think the voice of feminism is important, but she distorts and insults it with her wishy-washy stands. “ I do not like people focusing on my lesbianism”. Yet, she has lyrics that focus on her bragging about women she can pull and what she can do to a female. Her politics flip flop to what caters to her moment instead of what she believes. She is going to retire and be an actress one second, the next we have a new album and tour. This is clearly a woman who feels she is so above the fans, and it shows in her lyrics on this album. To do so many lame covers shows that she has nothing original to add to her current stand. Billy Ellish doing an Otep song could be the money maker. The God Slayer? This cd does not slay anything other than a record label who throws money to the wall and hopes to create success. I guess the days of Warhead are dead for this joke. Otep is a disgrace to both music and entertainment with this shit. This is where I end my fandom with this pathetic puppet. I gave her a pass on Hydra, Generation Doom and Kult 45. “Kult 45, has so many groundbreaking lyrics that were so thought out and what a stand”. Seriously? Metal community, did we listen to the same cd? ‘The God Slayer,’ dumb fuck you are the not a Slayer, you are the lamb who should go back to your flock and sell your bullshit to them.
