Rate Albums

Reviews by thelastbaron

Too-Rye-AyDexys Midnight Runners & Kevin Rowland

4/10

Half-baked attempt at Celtic-infused-reggae-turned-new wave, with every song dragging on too long, far too many many tracks (15!!!), and the usual not great post-punk vocals. Some cool rhythms and melodies, but nothing original.

1.5/5.0: Bad

Reign in BloodSlayer

10/10

This is the best and most influential thrash metal album of all time. While Metallica’s Master of Puppets has arguably better songwriting and Megadeth’s Rust In Piece is better technically, Reign in Blood perfectly captures the pure aggression, breakneck speed, and riff-centrism the genre is known for. Additionally, this album had a major a influence on the burgeoning death metal and black metal scenes. Not many albums on this list are as technically proficient as this one (shout out to Dave Lombardo’s drumming), very few are as influential, and none are as musically aggressive.

5.0/5.0: Iconic

ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘMinistry

6/10

This is the definitive industrial metal album, but I’m somewhat confused why this obscure (and frankly not great) subgenre gets an album on this list but far more important/influential subgenres like death metal, black metal, progressive metal, or even djent have zero albums (I’m aware that Venom’s “Black Metal” is on the list, but that is not black metal, despite the name). In any case, this is an OK metal album. It has cool rhythms but suffers from the usual repetitiveness and cheesy production of most industrial metal. Every week there are multiple better metal albums released than this, so it’s a bit disappointing that this record is taking up a spot on this list.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayGenesis

10/10

This is the final album with Peter Gabriel on vocals (and the last truly great album Genesis made). While earlier Genesis albums may turn off some listeners because of their disjointed tendencies, this album showcases Genesis’ progressive peak. It’s polished, flows well, and is full of virtuoso musical performances. Gabriel is at his most dramatic and Hackett’s guitars are ethereal, but the Rutherford/Collins rhythm section is the real star of the record, constantly driving the music forward with a peculiar bass tone and weird time signatures. While the music is more refined than usual, there are still experimental elements to the music. However, these elements fit seamlessly into the structure of the album and contrast with the melodies and storyline quite well. Pure genius.

5.0/5.0: Iconic