Album reviews by Carson and Katherine. Click on the links to read the full reviews. http://music.ballweb.org Alfa's Pop album, World Go Blue, features stunning vocals, good composition, and relatable lyrics. http://music.ballweb.org/album/World%20Go%20Blue.php 2013-04-05 Uwe Gronau's Visions is a very evocative Nu Jazz album featuring themes of the dichotomy between the man made and natural world. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Visions.php 2013-03-17 Thanks go to Mia Mind Music for suggesting that I check out BennFrank's new album BFK. http://music.ballweb.org/album/BFK.php 2013-02-19 Thanks go to Creative Services for sending me a copy of the New Age album Inhale Slowly from Tim White and Joe Paulino. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Inhale%20Slowly.php 2013-02-04 Thanks are due to Mia Mind Music for sending me Emaculent's engaging and humorous album 15 min to E. http://music.ballweb.org/album/15%20min%20to%20E.php 2013-01-15 I recently had the pleasure to listen to Ian Evans' EP Ghostwatch. He had me at the first song; how can you not like a song that contains references to Doctor Who? http://music.ballweb.org/album/Ghostwatch.php 2012-09-14 Thanks go to Independent Music Promotions for sending me the unique Alternative EP We Are Here by German group Rooftop Runners. http://music.ballweb.org/album/We%20Are%20Here.php 2012-08-12 Out Like Pluto's album, Take Cover, which I received a review copy of recently, is one of the best Punk albums I have heard in recent years. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Take%20Cover.php 2012-07-22 I have had the privilege are reviewing the talented Mark Bruland's album BEEing Human thanks to the copy that I receieve from The Creative Service Company. http://music.ballweb.org/album/BEEing%20Human.php 2012-07-11 Thanks to Independent Music Promotions submission, I was able to experience Planetary Nights' album Today Ain't Too Late. This album draws musically on the American Rock traditions and is reminiscent of John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, and others who came before. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Today%20Ain%27t%20Too%20Late.php 2012-06-22 Drunksouls' new Reggae-Fusion album Revolution is a unique work combining a number of elements to create interesting, new sounds. When I think Reggae, France is not the first country to come to mind, but Drunksouls makes it work. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Revolution.php 2012-05-13 Not long ago, I received a review copy of The Decision from Now or Never. They say you can't judge a book by its cover; the same advice holds true for albums. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Decision.php 2012-05-09 A couple of weeks ago, I received a copy of Richard Osborn's guitar solo album, Giving Voice: Guitar Explorations. After listening to it, I found that it was definitely not what I was expecting. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Giving%20Voice:%20Guitar%20Explorations.php 2012-05-06 Recently, I was sent a copy of One Alternative's album Air Sculpture album. This instrumental album is very evocative and conveys its messages very well without words. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Air%20Sculpture.php 2012-04-09 Not long ago, it was brought to my attention that I should check out EP2 by the UK Alterantive band The Hiding Place. I am thankful for this suggestion or I may have missed out on this release. http://music.ballweb.org/album/EP2.php 2012-03-12 Thanks to Gabriel, I had the chance to review a copy of [0PT-0UT]'s eponymous Industrial Metal EP. http://music.ballweb.org/album/[0PT-0UT].php 2012-02-21 I was recently sent Doug Prescott's The Journey & The Deep Blue Sea for review. After listening to the tracks a few times, I began to realize that this is a very diverse and complex album. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Journey%20%2526%20The%20Deep%20Blue%20Sea.php 2012-02-06 A few weeks ago, I discovered Maryse Letarte's Christmas and Winter themed album Des Pas Dans La Neige thanks to Mia Mind Music. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Des%20Pas%20Dans%20La%20Neige.php 2012-01-14 A couple of weeks ago, Independent Music Promotions, requested that I review Monks on Mellonwah's EP Stars are Out. Given the name of the group, I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised at what I heard. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Stars%20Are%20Out.php 2011-12-27 Kiyomi's LP Child Iin Me (sent to us by Mia Mind Music for evaluation) clearly comes from a place close to the heart of the artist, and uses the conventions of many different musical influences to carry the feeling behind the words to the listener. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Child%20In%20Me.php 2011-11-06 A couple of weeks ago, Mia Mind Music sent me a review copy of Gauge's new release Hustler on the Move. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Hustler%20on%20the%20Move.php 2011-11-02 Two weeks ago, Earth Prayer sent me a preview copy of their debut album 9 Days. Based on the name of the group, I was expecting a New Wave album and was surprised to find that it was mainstream Rock. http://music.ballweb.org/album/9%20Days.php 2011-05-31 Last week, Mia Mind Music sent me a copy of Last Parade's EP Lead Me Home. I am fortunate that they did as this album makes for a great listening experience. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Lead%20Me%20Home.php 2011-05-04 I recently purchased Dog of Panic's new album Epsilon and have really enjoyed listening to it. The group identifies itself as "Fusion / Progressive / Rock", which I can hear on a couple of the tracks, but this album feels more solidly in the metal category to me. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Epsilon.php 2011-04-10 Not too long ago, Cash House Entertainment sent me a preview copy of the soon to be released album MasterMinds by Vango Soze. http://music.ballweb.org/album/MasterMinds.php 2011-03-30 A couple of weeks ago Mia Mind Music send me a preview copy of The Green View's excellent Assimilation EP. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Surrealevance.php 2011-03-13 A couple of weeks ago, I was sent a review copy of Surrealevance by Cranial Collide. I was really surprised by the quality of the album as well as the production quality. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Surrealevance.php 2011-03-09 Recently, I was sent a promotional copy of John Gillette's "All Bad". While this is not my typical fare, I do listen to at least a little of all genres and believe that this album stands apart from much of its ilk. http://music.ballweb.org/album/All%20Bad.php 2011-01-27 Normally, my opinion of tribute albums is low. Either the new renditions sound so much like the originals that there is no incentive to listen to the cover. Or, they covering artist has taken the song in a direction so far away from the original that it is barely recognizable. Nativity in Black displays neither of these limitations. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Nativity%20%in%20Black%3a%20A%20Tribute%20to%20Black%20Sabbath.php 2010-09-14 The Mummer's Dance is a very cohesive single that flows smoothly. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Mummers%27%20Dance.php 2010-09-14 The Heads Will Roll single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs contains three versions of the track of the same name: a radio edit, and extended version, and a version with most of the vocals removed. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Heads%20Will%20Roll.php 2010-07-13 It is hard to pass up such a seminal work from the 80's as the "Pump up the Volume" single. And, it contains two versions of the lesser-known "Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance)". http://music.ballweb.org/album/Pump%20Up%20the%20Volume.php 2010-07-06 Capital Punishment: The Megadeth Years is an extremely strong greatest hits album and has three previously unreleased tracks. These unreleased tracks are what this review will mostly focus on as the other songs can have been covered in the reviews for the albums of their original release. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Capitol%20Punishment:%20The%20Megadeth%20Years.php 2010-05-12 The Unravelling's new release, 13 Arcane Hymns has a very unique sound. However the sound should not be utterly foreign to metal aficionados. http://music.ballweb.org/album/13%20Arcane%20Hymns.php 2010-04-29 In many cases cover songs fail to live up to the standards set by the original artists, but Shiny Toy Guns has really hit the mark with Stripped. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Stripped.php 2010-03-05 I was pleased to discover Birthday by The Crüxshadows recently and wondered how I have never heard of them before. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Birthday.php 2010-01-07 While I cannot confirm that "Best of Bootie 2007" really does contain the best mash-ups from that year, I can assure you that the third release in the Best of Bootie series does contain some excellent tracks. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Best%20of%20Bootie%202007.php 2009-09-08 Street Level Doppler's first EP, Taking Some Time is a nice fusion of the Classic Rock and Folk Rock styles and, at 4.5 notes, is a phenomenal first release. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Taking%20Some%20Time.php 2009-05-19 As always, Megadeth has released a solid offering with The System Has Failed but has changed their sound a little from that of many of their newer releases. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20System%20Has%20Failed.php 2009-05-06 White Zombie's La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 blends fast music with dialog from cult classic movies. http://music.ballweb.org/album/La%20Sexorcisto:%20Devil%20Music,%20Vol%2E%201.php 2009-04-13 If the NIN/JA 2009 Tour Sampler is any indication, the tour itself should be a great event. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Famous%20Monsters.php 2009-03-26 Famous Monsters by Misfits is a remarkable album blending original music with plots from science fiction and horror films. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Famous%20Monsters.php 2009-03-26 Post Death Soundtrack's Music as Weaponry works well as a cohesive whole and is very unique in its sound. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Music%20as%20Weaponry.php 2009-03-05 The tracks on Hollywood Undead's Swan Songs are good blendings of Metal and Rap from a group that does not take itself too seriously. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Swan%20Songs.php 2009-01-27 Marilyn Manson's Portrait of an American Family is remarkably very well implemented for a first release. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Portrait%20of%20an%20American%20Family.php 2009-01-18 Newer Wave, a collection of 80's covers by Industrial and Industrial Metal bands, is both familiar yet somehow different. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Newer%20Wave.php 2008-11-24 While short, As Ugly as They Wanna Be does not feel lacking in any way. http://music.ballweb.org/album/As%20Ugly%20as%20They%20Wanna%20Be.php 2008-11-10 With its heavy use of vocal filters, dark atmosphere, use of more traditional sounding instruments, and more ambient sound overall Mythmaker has a more cohesive sound than Skinny Puppy's earlier releases such as The Greater Wrong of the Right http://music.ballweb.org/album/Mythmaker.php 2008-11-03 The Downward Spiral - or Halo 8 - is full of the energy the fans have come to expect from Nine Inch Nails. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Downward%20Spiral.php 2008-10-29 Further Down the Spiral, or Halo 10 in Nine Inch Nails' nomenclature, contains remixes of most of the tracks from The Downward Spiral that do not appear on Closer to God or March of the Pigs. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Further%20Down%20the%20Spiral.php 2008-10-21 Finally is especially good considering it is Raccoon Fink's first album. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Finally.php 2008-10-08 Closer to God, or Halo 9, contains 6 versions of "Closer" a couple of remixes of other tracks from The Downward Spiral, and a cover of Soft Cell's "Memorabilia". http://music.ballweb.org/album/Closer%20to%20God.php 2008-09-16 Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits aptly named album truly is Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Greatest%20Hits%20(Fleetwood Mac).php 2008-09-16 March of the Pigs (UK) - or Halo 7 - contains a couple of tracks that March of the Pigs (US) does not, and the tracks that overlap are in a different sequence. http://music.ballweb.org/album/March%20of%20the%20Pigs%20(UK).php 2008-09-03 March of the Pigs (US) - or Halo 7, if you prefer - is one of several singles and remix albums reinterpreting songs from The Downward Spiral. http://music.ballweb.org/album/March%20of%20the%20Pigs%20(US).php 2008-09-02 The Perfect Drug - or Halo 11, if you prefer - is an anomalous single for a number of reasons. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Perfect%20Drug%20(US).php 2008-08-29 Nevermind is one of the defining albums of the 1990's and of the Alternative genre. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Nevermind.php 2008-08-26 The Greater Wrong of the Right has to be the most diverse album that I have heard in a long time. http://music.ballweb.org/album/The%20Greater%20Wrong%20of%20the%20Right.php 2008-08-12 Youthanasia lives up to my high expectations of Megadeth albums being an energetic album with quality vocals and having a good balance between rhythm and melody on the tracks. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Youthanasia.php 2008-07-29 Love Songs for the Apocalypse is split between two independent punk bands: Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains and Mantits; this split allows for a variety of sounds. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Love%20Songs%20for%20the%20Apocalypse.php 2008-06-23 Ed Hunter contains Iron Maiden's 20 best songs as rated by fans on Iron Maiden's official web site; given this, most fans of Iron Maiden should enjoy the album. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Ed%20Hunter.php 2008-06-23 Violator is not quite as good as 101 - the album that I consider Depeche Mode's best work - but comes very close. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Violator.php 2008-06-19 101 is Depeche Mode's definitive early work and is one of the very few good live albums that I have heard. http://music.ballweb.org/album/101.php 2008-06-18 Ireland doesn't often come to mind when I think of metal, but with groups like Therapy? around maybe it should. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Nurse.php 2008-06-16 Unlike Head Like a Hole (UK), even if you do not like "Head Like a Hole" you still may enjoy this single; there are ten tracks but only five of them are "Head Like A Hole" remixes. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Head%20Like%20a%20Hole%20(US).php 2008-05-14 Nihil is a fast-paced album with a good mix of keyboards and guitar. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Nihil.php 2008-04-07 Okay, I will admit it, I like the Industrial genre. Anyone whose checked out the reviews on this site so far will be able to tell this. However, in Truth Will Out's case, I will make an exception. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Truth%20Will%20Out.php 2008-03-29 Pretty Hate Machine is Nine Inch Nails' first album, but still has a polished sound that isn't often present in initial releases. The intros and outtros to all of the songs flow seamlessly into eachother and - if it weren't for the slight pause between tracks - would sound like one long song. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Pretty%20Hate%20Machine.php 2008-03-11 Front by Front is a typical example of industrial from the late 1980's and early 1990's. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Front%20by%20Front%20(Wax%20Trax!).php 2008-03-07 Happy Hour is a humorous album packed with a mix of humorous and musical tracks. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Happy%20Hour.php 2008-01-28 Rust in Peace is one of Megadeth's better known albums, and possibly their most popular. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Rust%20in%20Peace.php 2008-01-22 Fixed, the remix EP of Broken, has a completely different feel than it's counterpart; whereas Broken sounds like fire crackling, Fixed sounds muted as if listening to the album through water. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Fixed.php 2008-01-15 Sin, or Halo Four on Nine Inch Nails' numbering system, is typical of single releases from Pretty Hate Machine in both content and rating. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Sin.php 2008-01-14 Down in it is the first release by Nine Inch Nails (Halo 1 for those keeping track using Trent Reznor's numbering system) and paved the way for Pretty Hate Machine on which the song would later be featured. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Down%20in%20it.php 2007-12-29 I first heard this album long before the launch of Ballweb. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Mezmerize.php 2007-12-29 System of a Down (SoaD) is a group I never just have on in the background. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Hypnotize.php 2007-12-28 Gravity Kills is, in some ways, typical of industrial albums from the early and middle 90's. It employs loud, angry sounding vocals, metallic scratching sounds, and fast tempos. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Gravity%20Kills.php 2007-12-27 Okay, let me start off by saying, if you don't like Head Like a Hole you will not like this single. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Head%20Like%20a%20Hole%20(UK).php 2007-12-19 Ah, the 80's. When hair metal ruled was in, and Ratts weren't just pests. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Dancing%20Undercover.php 2007-12-18 You can tell an album is good when even the two lead-in instrumental tracks are rated four notes. Broken has a harsher, angrier sound than Pretty Hate Machine and is more guitar and distortion oriented than Nine Inch Nail's first release. If you are looking for Trent Reznor playing melodic tunes on a keyboard, this album is not for you; however, if a heavier sound is what you are after, Broken is definitely worth a listen. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Broken.php 2007-12-15 I will start off by admitting that I am biased - I prefer Ozzy over Dio. Regardless, I am impressed by Dehumanizer. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Dehumanizer.php 2007-12-05 Although overall a mediocre album, two of Megadeth's best songs are on Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?. These are Good Mourning/Black Friday, and, of course, Peace Sells. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Peace%20Sells...But%20Who%27s%20Buying%3F.php 2007-11-28 Hidden Treasures, while mostly an eclectic mix of songs originally published on other albums, the tracks are arranged in ways that flow well. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Hidden%20Treasures.php 2007-11-20 Countdown to Extinction is another solid offering from Megadeth full of what they are known for: driving guitar, lots of bass, and socio-political messages. Symphony of Destruction, Foreclosure of a Dream, and Countdown to Extinction are excellent examples of the politically charged tracks that this album has to offer. http://music.ballweb.org/album/Countdown%20to%20Extinction.php 2007-11-20