July 2006 was one of the strongest months of the year with several really good releases. This month there were 4 CDs that I rated a 4.5 out of 5, compared with just one last month. Deciding which of those 4 albums to pick as the best of the month was the difficult part. Here's my list of the Top 5 heavy metal CDs released in July, 2006.
This album has a nice combination of Voivod's trademark chaotic and unusual riffs and more traditional and simpler thrash metal compositions. Michel "Away" Langevin is a superior drummer who is able to add a lot of texture and bombast with his unique style. Piggy's guitar work is as distinctive and skilled as ever, but it's Snake who really shines. His vocals are some of the best he's done, and delivered with range and emotion.
Gorgoroth plays black metal with a lot of death metal influences and even some doom metal sounds. It has great grooves and riffs, but also an overriding atmosphere of darkness. Frost (1349/Satyricon) is the drummer on this album, and he simply crushes. Gaahl's vocals are an evil rasp, and the lyrics deliver Gorgoroth's satanic message. This is an album that will leave you musically satisfied, and as with all really good black metal albums will also leave you feeling a bit unsettled.
Only a year after the very well received
Alien, Strapping Young Lad has managed to equal and in many ways top that CD. The key word to describe The New Black is balance. As strange as that word may seem in describing this band, there really is a great balance between serious and tongue in cheek songs along with a balance of melodic and screaming vocals.
All That Remains have broadened their style and on this album you'll hear everything from thrash to death metal to traditional metal to metalcore. The songs have tons of melody and memorable riffs, but also gallop along at maximum intensity. The dual guitars shine with crunchy leads, intricate interplay and creative solos.
Cattle Decapitation combines traditional death metal with intense grindcore, and manage to somehow squeeze some melody out of their maelstrom of technical riffs and relentless noise. Ryan's vocals range from indecipherable death metal growls to indecipherable high pitched yowls. You have to check the lyric sheet to decipher the nihilistic, pessimistic and hateful lyrics.
