Mosh Presents: 2011 Music Releases Day 15,16,17: Maiden, Priest Dream Theater

Time to get this started again. :D

Foo-FightersBack-And-Forth.jpg

Foo Fighters: Back And Forth (Documentary)

This documentary was released as a companion to Wasting Light. It was shown in theaters about a month before the release of the album, and was shown on TV the week the album was released. It's a great and revealing look at the bands 16 year history. It also spends a half hour showing the making of the band's latest release. Because the band isn't that old, they were able to spend decent time talking about every album the band made. (Although I felt they rushed through Echoes Silence Patience and Grace a bit.) Unlike other band's documentaries, such as Rush, where they have had such a massive career, you can't fit their entire story under an hour and a half time period. Not only did it talk about the band's successes, but it also talked about some of the band's low points, with members leaving, and the near break up of the band. This kept it real, and there was never a point in the film where it seemed like the band was trying to hide something. 10/10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51rkZXVz96L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Pink Floyd-A Foot in the Door (Compilation)

Part of the "Why Pink Floyd" campaign, this is a best of album. Pink Floyd hasn't released too many, and the essential best of has always been Echoes. Most of the songs on here can already be found on Echoes, so this one is a bit of a waste. One shouldn't really be starting with a greatest hits album in Pink Floyd's case anyway, as their albums have always been full album experiences. It's still a good selection of songs though, just isn't something I'd recommend to a starting Floyd fan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
61DasTEGR3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Symphony X-Iconoclast
*Note: I am reviewing the single disc version.

Symphony X is a prog metal band, but on this album, the metal elements dominated the progressive elements, I thought, which isn't a bad thing at all. This is a really good album. It stays heavy the entire time, toning it down just a tad with the closer "When All Is Lost". It still has the proggy feel though. Just very heavy. Russell Allen sounds great, and there is some great guitar work. It stays strong the entire time, and has some brilliant tracks. 10/10

Highlights: Iconoclast, When All Is Lost, End Of Innocence, Electric Messiah
Weaker Moments: Children of A Faceless God, Prometheus (I Am Alive)
 
HMV sent me the double-disc version of 'Iconoclast' even though I only ordered the single-disc version. I was lucky they did because even the bonus tracks are awesome. It's my album of the year.
 
Yes I plan on listening to it on Spotify at some point.
 
While not up to standards with the rest of the album, they are still really good songs.
 
I see that but 10 = perfect. When some songs are "not up to the standards with the rest of the album", a 10 seems a little high. My 2 cents naturally.
 
Well maybe to some people. But my standards are different. Really some of the "weaker moments" on these 10 albums would probably be the highlights of many albums that won an 8 or lower.

However I do regret giving one album a '10' and that is A Dramatic Turn of Events, which is probably somewhere between an 8 or a 9 now.
 
Mosh, did you get the two disc Symphony X album or the raped one disc? I agree that it is a good album (as stated in MY review :p)
 
The one disc. The 2 disc version is on Spotify, I was planning on checking it out soon.
 
86960.jpg

Wren-Nostalgia

This is an independent album. It's electronic, but I found myself really enjoying it and frequently playing songs from it. It was a very pleasant surprise. The songs flow well, and it goes by really fast. I'd suggest to anybody except those who don't like Electronic music, but I went into it not liking electronic music either, so maybe one who doesn't like Electronic music might like this anyway. Plus it's free. 10/10


Highlights-Papers, The Shakes, She'd Never Know, Come Here, Shelflife, A Philistine on the Sidewalk
Weak Moments-Crooked Teeth
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
220px-Albumdystopiacover.jpg

Iced Earth-Dystopia

In comparison to some of the earlier Iced Earth albums (Think from Stormrider to Horror Show), this one would fall last in the rankings. However, it is still a good album. It stays heavy for the most part, and features more radio friendly material, like Anthem. The riffs on this feel generic and that is the main problem with it. But it is still enjoyable for the most part, just heavy on filler. 6/10

Highlights-Dystopia, Dark City, Anguish of Youth, End of Innocence
Weaker Moments-Equilibrium, Iron Will, Days of Rage
 
Onhell said:
Mosh, did you get the two disc Symphony X album or the raped one disc? I agree that it is a good album (as stated in MY review :p)
Click to expand...
I finally checked out that two disc version, it was good, I liked the rearranged tracklist, but I thought that the only notable extra song was Reign in Madness.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
220px-Time_Machine_2011.JPG

Rush-Time Machine Tour: Live in Cleveland

The great thing about Rush is that ever since their hiatus ended they have released a live album for every tour. And they still remain worth it because of the variety in setlists. The centerpiece for this particular album is Moving Pictures played in its entirety. Now Rush normally plays a lot of Moving Pictures songs anyway, so the real highlight of this is Camera Eye being performed, and it delivers. As for the rest of the setlist, it features a good variety of material from all eras. It even has 2 new songs from the still unreleased studio album Clockwork Angels. Personally I would've preferred more 70's songs than later material, but I suppose the reason they don't play much of that is because of Geddy's vocal limitations. But either way, Rush's live albums are always great, regardless of the setlist. 10/10
 
And that's all! Thanks for tolerating this thread everyone. I know I didn't do 30, but I think I did all the important ones. :D My ratings changed a bit over the course of this, notably Chickenfoot III, which was initially a 6 but is now a 9.

My Top 5 albums of 2011:
1: Wasting Light
2: Nostalgia
3: Iconoclast
4: A Dramatic Turn of Events
5: Chickenfoot III
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top