Hyper-clean production emasculates the guitars and drums, transforming what could have been a real Rush rip-off into something else.

The song structure and melodic style are still quite reminiscent of Rush, but everything seems a little more technical and lighter. I'm still not sure I dig it, but the performances are quite decent.

The main difference is the emphasis on the instruments as opposed to the lyrics. Enchant wants you to know that the players are good. Rush has a message it wants you to hear.

Compare and contrast is done. Enchant is good enough to stand on its own merits, even if those prog-rock merits are not among my favorites.

Reasonably catchy ultra-heavy grunge stuff, though I became less enchanted as the disc wore on.

More dull than truly bad, 454 Big Block keeps returning to the same well to try and salvage a sense of sound and attitude. And, amazingly, the band seems to incorporate the bass line to "Back in the Saddle" into every song. I don't think I imagined that, anyway.

454 Big Block does credit to the genre, but that sound is getting awfully tired. And nothing moves forward; the music just keeps getting more constipated.

Lush, almost romantic metal. And it's refreshing to hear a female vocalist who is not trying to sing like a man or like someone else.

Anneke van Giersbergen has just the right touch for this sweeping, melodic attack. The rest of the musicians know just how to keep the songs flowing in all the right ways. A real nice job of song crafting.

I've been hearing snippets of things about the Gathering for some time now, and it is good to know that all those folks who were raving were not mad. Indeed, this is a fine band and a fine album. Listen and be completely enchanted.

Tending an atmospheric death-doom sound that lies somewhere between Tiamat's first and second albums, Moonspell weaves just that.

Sure, many of the tracks are long. If you get bored, then you just aren't listening. Yeah, so the over-the-top success of bands like Type O also creates a cool market for this album.

The guitar lines are fluid and graceful, the songs sound positively composed, and yet there is also a romping playfulness present as well. These boys are having fun, and so am I.

Not a new direction, but this is death-doomy stuff done particularly well. The production left just the right amount of rough edges, and the performances are good as well. A well-crafted piece of work.

While easily fitting into the "same-old NYC rap-hardcore" mold, Time's Expired takes the time and effort to meld its varying influences into a seamless wall of sound.

Yeah, this isn't some lame toss-off effort (and I've heard a lot of those lately). Many of you know I don't really like this sort of stuff, but I really like this album (tape, whatever). And mostly because the band refuses to stay in any typecast area long enough to be pinned down. There are some positively thunderous metal moments, and some smooth jams rap moments. Enough variety to tickle anyone's fancy.

Variety and creativity from a NYC hardcore band? Believe it. And that's what makes this a great set.

A collection of club-ready stuff that has enough guitars and general noise to satisfy the staunchest loud music aficionado.

Yeah, so Chemlab is here, too. Also great stuff from Gracious Shades (though the track isn't new), Hate Dept., Schnitt Acht, 16 Volt (yet another Hate Dept. remix of "Skin"), Naked Lunch and more.

The moods range from goth to metal-hacking-industrialism (I know, I stole that). Fourteen tracks, about half-and-half old and new. But as you probably haven't heard most of the re-released stuff, then dig in with abandon. A good set.

Yeah, so Chase has a thing for the -core (this is a synthcore compilation; Reconstriction has also released cybercore, etc.). Whatever. This thing has tracks from some of the best in the business.

Vampire Rodents have Athan from Spahn Ranch help out on one track, and VR also remixes a Chemlab tune to great effect. Hate Dept. has a new track, plus that band remixes the 16 Volt tune "Skin" in a rather innovative fashion.

Plenty more from the likes of Acumen, Skrew, Penal Colony, SMP and more. The music is impeccably chosen (as usual) and the result is an almost seamless foray into a nice industrial-techno subgenre. How can I say anything bad about this?