September 2007 Best Heavy Metal CDs

Chris Amott has now rejoined Arch Enemy, and they haven't missed a step. Their latest is Rise Of The Tyrant, a fierce yet extremely catchy dose of melodic death metal. The band brought back Fredrik Nordstrom, who produced their first several albums.

The songs on this album are really melodic, with great guitar work from Chris and Mike Amott. Their chemistry is evident, and even though the songs have great grooves and riffs, there is still plenty of heaviness and brutality. It's a dark and dynamic CD with plenty of diversity in both music and vocals. Angela Gossow gets better with each release, and her angry vocals are powerful and emotional.

Clocking in at nearly 70 minutes, Framing Armageddon is an epic, both in length and musical vision. The songs are dense and complex, and unfold with greater clarity and detail with every listen. There's a diverse mix of upbeat power metal anthems, progressive mid-tempo songs and soaring ballads.

Jon Schaffer has pulled out all the stops in his songwriting. He's always been able to craft songs that are powerful, melodic and memorable, but has added in some other influences here. From middle eastern vibes to interludes to a strong musical and lyrical arc, this is a very compelling album. Owens is one of the best singers in the business, and this time around the vocals are right in his wheelhouse, and he knocks it out of the park.

High On Fire has delivered another outstanding album. The songs are thundering sludge/stoner metal with thick riffs and slicing guitar solos. Everything is heavy, but they speed up the tempo on several tracks and really get the groove going. They also are able to ease up on the throttle and crank up the intensity with crushing doom metal.

Death Is The Communion also showcases Middle Eastern sounds on a couple of songs and you'll hear acoustic guitar along with the traditional downtuned electrics. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike is the star of the show with his excellent guitar work and raspy vocals, which have really improved over the course of High On Fire's career.

Just a year after releasing Eclipse, their first album with new vocalist Tomi Joutsen, Amorphis returns with a new release.

The Finnish band seemed re-energized with Joutsen, and that energy continues with Silent Waters. The songwriting is even better on this album, combining the intensity of death metal, the complexity of progressive metal and the darkness of gothic metal. The songs are really catchy and memorable with great melodies and musicianship. It's also an album with a lot of variety. There are songs that are very mainstream and accessible, and others that are more extreme and intense.

Colors is their fifth album, and the most diverse and mature of Between The Buried And Me's career. It is complex and textured with both bludgeoning metal and intricate, subdued soundscapes. Several songs are really long, clocking in at over 10 minutes. They insert a lot of progressive elements into the songs, along with jazzy, acoustic, psychedelic and mainstream rock that adds a lot of depth and variety.

Tommy Rogers turns in his finest performance to date. His harsh vocals lend a cutting edge to the music, and his melodic vocals are surprisingly good. He sings with a higher pitched laid back style reminiscent of '90s British alternative singers.