2005 Band |
Votes |
Album |
Connors' Comments |
Wolfmother |
11 |
ST |
Queens of the Stone Age |
7 |
Lullabies to Paralyze |
Aug18. A mostly decent and solid rock album. Nothing more. 3/5 |
Audioslave |
7 |
Out of Exile |
The White Stripes |
7 |
Get Behind Me Satan |
Aug18. Just an average album for these guys. No stand out killer tracks, but I liked a few of the slower and quirky songs. 3/5 |
Foo Fighters |
6 |
In Your Honor |
Jul19. I enjoyed the rock album more than I remember liking it. Best of You is an obvious belter and 5 others are into my H100. I liked the others too with only one song feeling like filler. The slow album bored me. Only song that stood out was Taylor Hawkins' Cold Day in the Sun. I get why they did this; had a lot of acoustic songs & wanted to put them somewhere. But this makes rating this album very hard. The rock part probably would have placed it equal to or above last 2 albums, but can't do that when taking in the whole. 3/5 |
Nine Inch Nails |
5 |
With Teeth |
Aug18. I like this album. More rock? Less production than some NIN albums? Real drumming? Or just good songs? A bit of a combo I am sure. Feb20. Before this play through, I had 4 songs already in my #2005H100. Opening song, All the Love in the World follows a bit of a trademark I am noticing with NIN; start slow and slowly build up. Sometimes this takes too long, but just as often it is worth the wait. You Know What You Are? is biting and does not take long to get to the cool bits. I liked The Collector on this run through - has a few quirky moments. The Hand That Feeds and Only are cool as and very catchy. They have an almost disco-like beat (kind a like The Clash's Train In Vain) to hook you in. Cool vocals too. Love is Not Enough is solid, as is Every Day Is Exactly the Same, and both just got added to my #2005H100. The title track is one of the weakest here to me, and unnecessarily long. How cool is the bass in Getting Smaller? This is a cracking song. There are more slower, moody songs towards then end, and I enjoyed each of them. The songs are more definitive here than on The Fragile, but maybe it is less of a journey too; it does suit my tastes more. I enjoyed this again. 4/5 |
Sleater-Kinney |
4 |
The Woods |
System of a Down |
4 |
Mezmerize |
Mars Volta |
4 |
Frances the Mute |
Cog |
3 |
The New Normal |
…And You Will Know Us by the trail of the Dead |
3 |
Worlds Apart |
System of a Down |
3 |
Hypnotize |
The Hold Steady |
3 |
Separation Sunday |
Kaiser Chiefs |
3 |
Employment |
Clutch |
3 |
Robot Hive/Exodus |
Weezer |
3 |
Make Believe |
2005 Band |
Votes |
Album |
Connors' Comments |
Arch Enemy |
2 |
Doomsday Machine |
Bloc Party |
2 |
Silent Alarm |
Trivium |
2 |
Ascendancy |
Dec21. 1st listen. Nice intro into 'Rain', which is not a bad song but I cannot stand the cookie monster vocal parts. Why? These terrible vocals kick off the next song too. I was about to skip it when some clean vocals came in and I was going to give it a chance, but they soon disappeared and the crappy ones were back. I did skip the end. A nice build up for 'Drowned & Torn Asunder' and thankfully the growls are less on this one, but it would be a much better song without them entirely. These comments could be repeated for the rest of the songs here, except 'Dying in Your Arms', a decent shorter song. Very little here makes me want to listen to again. If I had to same something positive about the other songs, it is the main, fast riff of 'A Gunshot…' was cool. So much here I disliked. Again, yes they can play, but this stuff just turns me off right now, especially the vocals. 1.5/5 |
Unsane |
2 |
Blood Run |
Kreator |
2 |
Enemy of God |
Dream Theatre |
2 |
Octavarium |
Napalm Death |
2 |
The Code is Red |
Against Me! |
2 |
Searching for a Former Clarity |
Everytime I Die |
2 |
Gutter Phenomenon |
Maximo Park |
2 |
A Certain Trigger |
Alkaline Trio |
2 |
Crimson |
Aug18. Another solid LP. Sadie is one of my all-time favs. Many others up there and several in the Top20 for 2005. 4.5/5 |
30 Seconds to Mars |
2 |
A Beautiful Lie |
Pennywise |
2 |
The Fuse |
Primordial |
2 |
The Gathering Wilderness |
Strapping Young Lad |
2 |
Alien |
Chimaira |
1 |
ST |
Devil Driver |
1 |
Fury of the Maker's Hand |
Avenged Seven Fold |
1 |
City of Evil |
Soulfly |
1 |
Dark Ages |
Art Brut |
1 |
Bang Bang Rock n Roll |
Spoon |
1 |
Gimme Fiction |
Franz Ferdinand |
1 |
You Could Have It So Much Better |
Sun 0))) |
1 |
Black One |
Dead Meadow |
1 |
Feathers |
Gogol Bordello |
1 |
Gypsy Punks |
Gojira |
1 |
From Mars to Sirius |
Horrorpops |
1 |
Bring It On |
Gorillaz |
1 |
Demon Days |
Doves |
1 |
Some Cities |
Lamps |
1 |
ST |
A Frames |
1 |
Black Forest |
Part Chimp |
1 |
I Am Come |
Black Lips |
1 |
Let It Bloom |
Pissed Jeans |
1 |
Shallow |
Torche |
1 |
ST |
Cave In |
1 |
Perfect Pitch Black |
Red Sparrowes |
1 |
At the Soundless Dawn |
The D4 |
1 |
Out of My Head |
The Mountain Goats |
1 |
The Sunset Tree |
The Aquabats! |
1 |
Charge!! |
Judas Priest |
1 |
Angel of Retribution |
Oct20. Yep, back with Rob and the sound goes right back to where they left off Painkiller. The first 2 songs, Judas Rising and Deal With the Devil sound like they are sequels to that album. Revolution shows a very different change of pace and style. It could be the name that triggered it, but this reminded me of Brides of Destruction. There are some downrght dirty guitars on here, so yeah, a bit of street/sleaze rock. Nice. Oh wow, Worth Fighting For kicks of with a bluesy, but ballsy, ACDC-like riff. Rob's slower vocal style is brilliant here. So in the first 4 songs, he's showed off about 5 different singing styles. The big riffs they mastered whilst Rob was away return for Demonizer, but there is enough old-school Priest sound to it too. Cracking song. Oh, and there is that cool groove they also developed in the 90s on Wheels of Fire. Rob's vocals on this are what I like. Alice in Chains would be happy with a song like this. There's the obligatory slow song in Angel which does its job. Hellrider builds into an amazing riff, riding the frenetic kick drums. It's a bit long, but the guitars keep it interesting. Eulogy is an interesting, short, and haunting number that would have served as a moody end to album. Instead we get the 13 minute Lochness. Not sure why. It has its moments, but it feels like the band climbed its way back to the top of the hill and then tripped over the edge when they get there. Still, everything else here is gold and I did not picture myself enjoying Judas Priest or the return of Rob as much as this. Apparently a lot of songs on here reference earlier Judas Priest songs. I don't know the songs (let alone lyrics) well enough to pick up on these references, but having them is awesome for fans. I love when bands do this. 4/5 |
Parkway Drive |
1 |
Killing with a Smile |
Boltthrower |
1 |
Those Once Loyal |
Candlemas |
1 |
ST |
Fear Factory |
1 |
Transgression |
Obituary |
1 |
Frozen in Time |
Opeth |
1 |
Ghost Reveries |
Spock's Beard |
1 |
Octane |
Porcupine Tree |
1 |
Deadwing |
Mar20. 1st listen. I was tempted to check these guys out as they periodically come up on our lists. I did not know they were a prog band, but still, let's see how this goes. (I mean I recently just made it through Rush's discography.) Opening track has some cool moments. I see the guitar solo was by Adrian Belew of King Crimson. My prog education is expanding b/c I even know who that is now. (I recently checked out their In the Court of….) I liked Shallow - especially the chugging riffs. In fact, this song reminded me a bit of Stone Temple Pilots when they are rocking out. So did Halo. The slow Lazarus did not do much for me. It wouldn't be a true prog rock album without a song topping out over 10 minutes and Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here is that track. It certainly has its moments and I am sure fans enjoy every minute of it. I thought it was good. The playing on the first half Melotone Scratch reminded me of Alice In Chains on their slower tracks. The vocals did not do it for me though. It lets loose a little in the second half with some wailing guitars but the layered keys were a bit annoying. Open Car is pretty cool. They even get their TOOL on in the heavier parts, though some parts also sound like 80s AOR; an odd mix. Then we are back to the slow-building atmospherics of The Start of Something Beautiful. It can appreciate musos getting off on the layering and textures of different instruments here. I loved the bass myself, and the vocals here are pretty cool too. Again, a little bit of TOOL-like sounds. Then builds to another guitar riff the DeLeo brothers would be proud of. Another track to listen to some more. I enjoyed this album more than I expected. I even have 4 songs in my Current Favourites list for further checking out. For someone that has simple tastes in music I found this intriguing. If this is prog and I had to listen to prog, I would choose this. 3.5/5 |
The Darkness |
1 |
One Way Ticket to Hell and Back |
Robert Plant |
1 |
Mighty ReArranger |
Disturbed |
1 |
Ten Thousand Fists |
Fantomas |
1 |
Suspended Animation |
Lagwagon |
1 |
Resolve |
Coheed & Cambria |
1 |
Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume One |
The All-American Rejects |
1 |
Move Along |
Comeback Kid |
1 |
Wake the Dead |
Propagandhi |
1 |
Potemkin City Limits |
May22. Well, this is an album I whose title I have seen a lot, but I do not recognise any songs. I have now learnt what 'Potemkin' stands for too. I thought the album was just named after a real place. The album opens with the brilliant 'A Speculative Fiction' which has lots of cool changes, and a very anti-American sentiment. 'Fixed Frequencies' has a lot of odd timing, especially in the way the lyrics are sung (by both vocalists). There is a cracking metallic riff in there too. I could say almost the exact same things about 'Fedallah's Horse'. There is definitely a more metal and 'complicated' sound going on here. Song lengths have also moved out for many songs. Overall, the songs don't really grab me until 'Die Jugend Marschiert', but that was mainly the faster beat, rather than the song being great. I do love the riffing through the midldle of the song, though. I have a lot of trouble understanding the lyrics, so this time through I read a lot of them as the songs were playing. A lack of choruses certainly contributes. 'Rock for Sustainable Capitalism' has its cool take on music being a commodity. My favourite song bar the opener. 'Impending Halfhead' is a very strange rant indeed. Not sure I get it. 'Life at Disconnect' had sounds that reminded me of At the Drive-In. 'Name and Address Withheld' and 'Iteration' almost have some melodic and catchy moments, but like most of the album, it is really hard to get into individual songs. There are no repeated choruses and the lyrics are delivered with stops in odd places. These songs must be hard to sing live, and even harder for fans to join in. This is pretty high-brow stuff too. I got to admit - I just did not connect much with this album at all. I have two songs thumbed and I am questionng one of those. 2.5/5 |
Municipal Waste |
1 |
Hazardous Mutation |
Paint It Black |
1 |
Paradise |
The Panics |
1 |
Sleeps Like a Curse |
The Beautiful Girls |
1 |
We're Already Gone |
The Evens |
1 |
ST |
311 |
1 |
Don't Tread on Me |
Jello Biafra & The Melvins |
1 |
Sieg Howdy |
Transplants |
1 |
Haunted Cities |
Seether |
1 |
Karma & Effect |
The Hellacopters |
1 |
Rock 'n' Roll is Dead |
Nashville Pussy |
1 |
Get Some |
The National |
1 |
Alligator |
Editors |
1 |
Back Room |
Eels |
1 |
Blinking Lights |
Black Label Society |
1 |
Mafia |
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club |
1 |
Howl |
The Academy Is… |
1 |
Almost Here |
Fall Out Boy |
1 |
From Under The Cork Tree |
Motion City Soundtrack |
1 |
Commit This To Memory |
Funeral For A Friend |
1 |
Hours |
Valencia |
1 |
This Could Be A Possibility |
Paramore |
1 |
All We Know Is Falling |
Limp Bizkit |
1 |
The Unquestionable Truth (part 1) |
Echo and the Bunnymen |
1 |
Siberia |
Bodyjar |
1 |
ST |
OK Go |
1 |
Oh No |
High On Fire |
1 |
Blessed Black Wings |
Pelican |
1 |
The Fire In Our Throats |
Kylesa |
1 |
To Walk A Middle Course |
Yob |
1 |
The Unreal Never Lived |
Author & Punisher |
1 |
The Painted Army |
Living Things |
0 |
Ahead of the Lions |
Aug18. Always loved Bombs Below. Having another listen and Bom, Bom, Bom is very good too. Some other good songs, but not real stand outs. 3.5/5 |
Smoke or Fire |
0 |
Above the City |
Aug18. I have a feeling the score for this will rise with further listens. I like the husky vocals and a few songs stood out. 3/5 |
Story of the Year |
0 |
In the Wake of Determination |
Mar19. I definitely missed this LP for the 7Songs voting, but pretty sure I would have had it in there. Listening to this again I added even more songs to my H100. Very solid LP start to finish. 4/5 |
The Deadly Snakes |
0 |
Porcella |
Aug19. Hmm, I was interested in this band after hearing a an upbeat song or two of theirs, but this is mostly slow, Doorsy-organ-based stuff with a little Nick Cave thrown in (which does not appeal to me at all). I much prefer the vocals of Gore Veil and it is not a bad song. Also some jangly parts that remind me of Violent Femmes which may appeal to others, but again, not me. Oddly, I liked the slowest number on here: I Heard a Voice. By Morning I'm Gone near the end is okay too, as is closer, A Bird in the Hand (Is Worthless) which had a humourous, They Might Be Giants feel. Ooh, on first listen, I missed Sissy Blues: it is the most upbeat here and a solid rocker. 2.5/5 |
Peppermint Creeps |
0 |
We R the Weirdoz!!! |
Nov19. Pop Culture gives it to anyone and anything popular in the 90s. They bag out some of my favourites, like Kurt Cobain, but I don't mind the FU nature of this song and it has an okay beat. Let Your Voice Be Heard is the time honored punk tradition of doing things your own way. A more positive approach to their lyrics that I did not hear on the first album. The title track combines the approaches of the other two opening songs. Whilst defending individuality it is also a big FU to others. Though the lyrical content goes back to the focus of the first album, I like the upbeat jive of Unreliable, a song I have heard quite a few times. Planetary Control returns to their theme of a band coming back from the future, but just sounds odd against songs that did not follow that theme. And again, has annoying synthesizer sounds to go with it. There is not much better in the second half, but at least there is lyrics about not fitting in (Heartbleed is not too bad actually). Far better than their debut LP, but still not enough here to make me really want to hear them regularly. 2.5/5 |
Volbeat |
0 |
The Strength / The Sound / The Songs |
Nov19. Caroline Leaving is a solid rock opener, but the the thumping 2nd song, Another Day, Another Way is where it's at for me. I love this song. A bit of a lull until Say Your Number got my attention again. Firesong and Danny & Lucy (11pm) bring some heavy riffing. A lot of the riffing here is cool. Alienized is a song that I did not know and stood out on this play through. I Only Want to Be With You is a very cool cover too. I like the vocals for the most part, but dragging some words out way too far makes them bloody hard to understand. 3.5/5 |
L.A Guns |
0 |
Tales from the Strip |
Sept20. Oh wow, It Don't Mean Nothing opens with a riff straight from a Nirvana song (well sounds like one anyway), but that doesn't last long before the song settles into a typical L.A Guns tale of city-life with a fun, driving beat. I really liked this one. Only second song in and we slow down for Electric Neon Sunset but it is not really a ballad - it reminds me of slow brooders like Over the Edge from Hollywood Vampires - so that is a good thing. Gypsy Soul is a typical L.A Guns song and another I enjoyed. Original Sin also reminds me of a Nirvana song at the start - particularly the drumming. But this is by no means a 'grunge' album. I just hear these little similarities. The band on the whole are definitely back to their sleaze-blues-influenced rock. Hollywood's Burning is a cool, anthemic rocker. Rox Baby Girl is also old-school L.A Guns fun. Skin and Shame show more modern rock leanings but are both decent songs and Reserrection is a good cross of the same and 70s rock, in an Aerosmith sort of way. The last two tracks are okay, but the album does feel a little long and a couple of tracks I did not mention could definitely have been culled. Probably a slight step back from last album, but overall, pretty good. 3.5/5 |
Teenage Bottlerocket |
0 |
Total |
Sept20. Wow, these is a cool jump up from the debut. The band just seems to gel so much better and having the sceond vocalist works so well. This is a cracking start to an an album too. Loved Radio and So Cool and I already have the fantastic Stupid Games in my 2005 H100. Fall for You continues the fun and the guitars for Crashing are very cool; the vocals, not so much. I imagine Cody penned Lost In Space. His other band, The Lillingtons cover different and weird topics like this. It's a pretty damn good song too. Blood Bath at Burger King is also Lillington-like creepy fun. Veronica and the dual vocals of Repeat Offender are pretty cool. We have the cool A-Bomb on here too (I reviewed it on an EP) and then finish with So Far Away. The band are on their way. A couple of quirky songs, but they don't quite stand out like on later albums. Everything here is still a little samey. There are advances in songwriting and I like what is here. It's hard to rate when you know what is to come ;) Same score, but I'd place slightly above previous albuj, Another Way. 3.5/5 |
Brides of Destruction |
0 |
Runaway Brides |
Sept20. The genre-swapping on this one is a little confusing. The alt-rock of Lords of the Mind jumps into Ministry-like Deadman's Ruin. There is alt-rock or even Linkin Park style all over the slow song Criminal. There is the grunge of Alice In Chains on This Time Around which jumps to solid rocker for the chorus. It's not a bad song, but the production sounds really flat on this one. I am a lover of all those styles, but it just sounds confusing here and is not their forte. White Trash grabs you from the opening. It sounds more like where these guys cut their teeth and they do it well. (It actually reminded me of Towers of London). Never Say Never brings some Aerosmith or Rolling Stones swaggger which is lost when they switch to a high-pitched chorus more reminiscent of early 80s metal. Porcelain Queen starts as a slow-paced rocker that builds to a bad KISS-take. (Pun intended :P). As the title suggests, Tunnel of Love is not a great song, but they certainly sound more comfortable here (and a little something like David Lee Roth might have released). Dimes in Heaven guitars owe a little to Led Zeppelin as well as 90s wa-wa peddles. In all, a rather confusing and disjointed ride. Nothing terrible, but only one killer track. 2/5 |
The Subways |
0 |
Young for Eternity |
|
Jizzy Pearl |
0 |
Vegas Must Die! |
|
Corrosion of Conformity |
0 |
In the Arms of God |
|
Soilwork |
0 |
Stabbing the Drama |
|
Crashdiet |
0 |
Rest in Sleaze |
|
Millencolin |
0 |
Kingwood |
Oct22. I remember this being a bit of a let-down after Home from Home. For some reason I felt it was one of their weaker albums, but I think my perceptions were swayed by the fact I felt Home from Home was perfection. Over the years this one has clearly grown on me and going into this listen I have 8 songs thumbed! 'Farewell My Hell' opens with a Blink-182-like riff, but the comparison ends there. This song is a very good energenic opener. It seems to be a good call-out to leaving toxic relationships (with anything) behind. 'Birdie' kicks in with a great bouce to it and this is one of the songs that grew on me over time. Not sure why I did not warm to it straight away. It has all the elements I like. That drum roll build into the chorus is cool. 'Cash Or Clash' is a fantastic track and 'Shut You Out' is even better. Nikola seems to be able to get such emotion into simple songs. The next one is faster, but not my favourite, then the bass-heavy 'My Name is Golden' seques into an almost British pop-rock sound. I have no idea why I did not like them releasing 'Ray' as the single from this album. It is a good song, but I guess I liked others here more. 'Novo' is a good rocker. 'Simple Twist of Hate' is a short burst of angst with another heavy bass-line. 'Stalemate' is a mid-paced song lamenting a flatlinging relationship. 'Mooseman's Jukebox' has a great bounce and is the song that gives us the lyric for the album title. Another cool song on looking back at cool times. 'Hard Times' is slow to mid-pace and has a decent riff, but I would have swapped the order of the last two songs. So, in all, maybe I have been harsh on this album over the years. Whilst it lacks any of their absolute best tracks, it has a very good consistency to it. I have to place this somwhere alongside True Brew now. 4/5 |