July 2007 Best Heavy Metal CDs

The Art Of Partying is a massive blast of crossover thrash. Municipal Waste has a great sense of humor and that's reflected in song titles like "The Inebriator," "Beer Pressure" and "Lunch Hall Food Brawl." But just because they have an irreverent attitude and sing about drinking and partying doesn't mean their musicianship is as juvenile as some of their song subjects.

To the contrary, Municipal Waste delivers razor sharp riffs and songs that are very catchy and memorable. Most of the songs on The Art Of Partying careen at lightning speed with blazing guitars and frenzied drums. The controlled chaos periodically eases back into a mid-tempo groove before winding up and blasting off again.

The Apostasy is a crushing album that also has fantastic musicianship. Behemoth also infuses some Middle Eastern influences into a few of the songs, which adds an interesting flavor. Inferno's drumming is really good, and whether he's playing blast beats at lightning speed or keeping a monster groove on the slower songs, his playing is flawless. The songs on this album are really catchy, and the main reason is that are so many different clever riffs packed into each track. Nergal has some interesting solos, but the riffs are what are really memorable.

The songs on The Last Kind Words are brutal and intense, but with much more depth and intricacy. Guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick rise to the occasion with monster riffs, nifty solos, and outstanding teamwork and interplay. Undercurrents of melody ebb and flow over and around the extremity, making the songs even more memorable.

The production is also really good. Jason Suecof (Trivium, God Forbid, Chimaira) produced, while Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage) mixed and mastered. They capture all the fury and passion of DevilDriver's sound and refine it without sanitizing it. The last kind words of this review are "without question, this is DevilDriver's best album so far."

Serpent Saints: The Ten Amendments is the band's first full-length album in about four years, and it's a good one. The songs are gritty and aggressive, but catchy as hell. It gets off to a rousing start with the title track, which is very memorable. "When In Sodom," the title track from last year's EP makes an appearance as well. From fast paced death and roll to slower, doomy dirges, Entombed hits on all cylinders.

L.G. Petrov's distinctive voice is in good form whether he's growling or singing gurgly melodic vocals. Serpent Saints: The Ten Amendments takes a basic, straightforward approach, which really plays to Entombed's strengths and makes for an album that is the best they've done in a long time.

The Heart Of Everything is a strong album, and an appealing blend of gothic and symphonic metal. The songs are dynamic and bombastic with metal guitars winding around and through epic orchestral arrangements. They have the optimum balance of the melody and hooks of mainstream rock, the depth and complexity of classical music and the dark edge of gothic metal.

Sharon den Adel is Within Temptation's vocalist, and she's a powerhouse. She has a great tone and delivery, and shows a lot of versatility on this album. She showcases an angelic soprano, a powerful and expressive middle range, and even displays some attitude and edge. There's also a duet with Life Of Agony's Keith Caputo.