The Identity Matrix Presents: Listening Log 2017

The Identity Matrix · 05-15-2017, 10:56 PM

Artist: Nocturnus

Country of Origin: United States

Album Title: The Key

Genre: Death Metal

Year of Release: 1990

Track Listing:

Lake of Fire: 10/10
Standing in Blood: 9/10
Visions From Beyond the Grave: 9/10
Neolithic: 9/10
Undead Journey: 8/10
BC-AD: 9/10
Andromeda Strain: 9/10
Droid Sector: 8/10
Destroying the Manger: 9/10
Empire of the Sands: 9/10

Final Score: 8.9/10

Pros:
Killer vocal delivery, the riffs are furious, thundering guitar work played at lightning speed.

Cons:
Dips in quality of production across the album

NOTE: Batty I am getting to the earlier death metal recs. I just had to spin this one again.

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/5TICPm12epHwIbZsQfw04O

The Batlord · 05-16-2017, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

NOTE: Batty I am getting to the earlier death metal recs. I just had to spin this one again.

Keep it coming. Now I'm curious just what the hell I recced you.

The Identity Matrix · 05-15-2017, 11:37 PM

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age

Country of Origin: United States

Album Title: Era Vulgaris

Genre: Alternative Rock (Stoner)

Year of Release: 2007

Track Listing:

Turning on the Screw: 7/10
Sick, Sick, Sick: 8/10
I'm Designer: 7/10
Into the Hollow: 8/10
Misfit Love: 8/10
Battery Acid: 8/10
Make It Wit Chu: 9/10
3's and 7's: 8/10
Suture Up Your Future: 8/10
River In The Road: 7/10
Run, Pig, Run: 7/10

Final Score: 7.7/10

Pros:
Solid catchy alt rock, decent lyrics, some emotive tracks

Cons:
Vocals are a little hit or miss on this one.

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/64SL0QEXxulD2QgwJmJbUL

The Identity Matrix · 05-16-2017, 11:20 AM

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age

Country of Origin: United States

Album Title: ...Like Clockwork

Genre: Alternative Rock (Stoner)

Year of Release: 2013

Track Listing:

Keep Your Eyes Peeled: 9/10
Sat By the Ocean: 9/10
The Vampyre of Time and Memory: 8/10
If I Had A Tail: 8/10
My God is the Sun: 8/10
Kalopsia: 8/10
Fairweather Friends: 10/10
Smooth Sailing: 10/10
I Appear Missing: 10/10
...Like Clockwork: 9/10

Final Score: 8.8/10

Pros:
Quite the comeback record, Dig the vocals, instrumentation is on point, production is rock solid

Cons:
Some weak guest appearances

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/06S2JBsr4U1Dz3YaenPdVq

The Identity Matrix · 05-16-2017, 11:21 AM

Finally caught up... Now every time I post an album I will have just finished listening to it. Obviously If I have already posted it here I won't post it again. But if it is an album that I have heard before and it isn't on this thread then I still will post.

The Identity Matrix · 05-16-2017, 03:59 PM

Artist: At the Drive-In

Country of Origin: United States

Album Title: Relationship of Command

Genre: Post Hardcore

Year of Release: 2000

Track Listing:

Arcarsenal: 9/10
Pattern Against User: 10/10
One Armed Scissor: 9/10
Sleepwalk Capsules: 10/10
Invalid Litter Dept.: 9/10
Mannequin Republic: 9/10
Enfilade: 10/10
Rolodex Propeganda: 9/10
Quarantined: 9/10
Cosmonaut: 10/10
Non-Zero Possibility: 10/10
Extracurricular: 9/10
Catacombs: 10/10

Final Score: 9.5/10

Pros:
Killer Instrumentation, vocals are near perfect, love the energy and the sound

Cons:
Honestly nothing much to complain about.

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3fpwDgOHVqI2q4PuG4SKGL

Trollheart · 05-17-2017, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

Artist: Iron Maiden

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Album Title: Somewhere In Time

Genre: Heavy Metal

Year of Release: 1986

Track Listing:

Caught Somewhere in Time: 10/10
Wasted Years: 10/10
Sea of Madness: 9/10
Heaven Can Wait: 9/10
The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner: 10/10
Stranger in a Strange Land: 10/10
Déjà Vu: 9/10
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C): 10/10

Final Score: 9.6/10

Pros:
Fantastic songwriting, fantastic vocals, fantastic guitar work, NOT A DULL MOMENT TH, NOT ONE!

Cons:
lyrics can be a weak point on a few tracks

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/4ly2BmT61LBYVFBNGXOj3n

Jesus H. Dickinson! You rate "Loneliness" a 10? Fair enough but it bored the **** out of me. As did some others, as already mentioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

I really enjoy all of their work from debut to Seventh Son, only after that do they kind of drop off for me. But they do come back a few times. NoTB was my first maiden record, so it holds a special place for me. I really enjoy every track immensely, but I see where you are coming from.

Also my first ever heavy metal album.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

I never really "got" Brave New World. It just sounded off to me. That was a couple years ago though, since I am going through all my favorites why not the whole discography...

It was the Return of the King. That kind of says it all. That, and two previous dungheaps of albums which shall not be mentioned in polite company.

The Identity Matrix · 05-17-2017, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Jesus H. Dickinson! You rate "Loneliness" a 10? Fair enough but it bored the **** out of me. As did some others, as already mentioned.

Also my first ever heavy metal album.

It was the Return of the King. That kind of says it all. That, and two previous dungheaps of albums which shall not be mentioned in polite company.

I have put the rest of the Maiden discography on my list. So I'll give Brave New World another spin.

By the way did you see the album that I mentioned you would like? The Ocean - Pelagic?

Also I have fallen behind in posting this. All of a sudden I have 5 more albums catalogued but not posted here.

Trollheart · 05-17-2017, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

I have put the rest of the Maiden discography on my list. So I'll give Brave New World another spin.

By the way did you see the album that I mentioned you would like? The Ocean - Pelagic?

Also I have fallen behind in posting this. All of a sudden I have 5 more albums catalogued but not posted here.

Um, no, and I did look for it. People were always getting on my case about an index in the OP of my threads like this. Maybe something similar? Or for now, how about just a link?

Also, did you listen to those Threshold albums yet? Just wondering what you thought. Whenever.

The Identity Matrix · 05-17-2017, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Um, no, and I did look for it. People were always getting on my case about an index in the OP of my threads like this. Maybe something similar? Or for now, how about just a link?

Also, did you listen to those Threshold albums yet? Just wondering what you thought. Whenever.

The Threshold albums are on my list. I'll bump them up though since you mentioned them again.

Here is a link to the album on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6R9cHdJ7hljxDDYq2tUCdO

Whoops I ****** up the name. It's Pelagial not Pelagic.

I'll think about an Index. That seems like a lot of work though.