Must-have CDs for metalheads!

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, prepare to throw up your horns!
Four new CDs from (relatively) well-known bands have been released, and I'm here to give you the scoop on 'em!

First off, Metallica.
The '80s metal band returns with a new CD, titled Death Magnetic.
No, it's not a repeat of (allegedly terrible) St. Anger.
While I let you make your decisions about St. Anger, I'll do my job and tell you about their current CD.
Death Magnetic marks the return of some "old Metallica" elements, which should be a breath of fresh air for those of you who absolutely despised St. Anger.
Death Magnetic also features "The Unforgiven III", which is obviously the third part of the Unforgiven series of songs ("The Unforgiven" appearing on Metallica, A.K.A. The Black Album, and "The Unforgiven II" appearing on ReLoad).
On a side note, and this is completely opinion, but "The Unforgiven III" seems to have taken a step in a different direction from the two previous "Unforgivens".
For exaple, III doesn't have the same opening as the previous two, and the "story" itself has changed to a story about a man (which we assume is the same man from the previous songs) searching for gold. Interesting concept, but what really threw me was when I heard another song from Death Magnetic, titled "The Day That Never Comes", which sounds more like an "Unforgiven" song than the actual "Unforgiven III". Just thought I'd point that out, but seriously, take it with a grain of salt, make your own opinions; you're the one who has to buy it, not me; I have friends in high places with blank CDs.

Second on the list is DragonForce, a band that was (fairly) obscure up until the video game "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock".
Legends of Rock increased sales and popularity of the fast-paced guitar-solo kings. Why? Because the nearly 7.5 minute epic, "Through the Fire and Flames" (from their CD, Inhuman Rampage) was the song you played in the credits when you beat Career Mode (basically "story mode" for Guitar Hero).
The CD, titled Ultra Beatdown, really lives up to its name.
The guitars, so very fast and driving, lyrics and vocals inspiring to some, Ultra Beatdown is a war on your ears, and, more likely than not, you'll enjoy every second of it.
DragonForce continues to have lightning-fast guitarwork, along with more of their usual video game-inspired undertones in this ten-track epic.
Why only ten tracks? Think of it this way: DragonForce is known for having very, VERY long songs, so the total length of time on the CD is about an hour and ten minutes.
I think that's good and plenty.
Further, Ultra Beatdown also features what may be their SHORTEST song ever; Strike of the Ninja, timed at about three minutes, 18 seconds, but it's still worth a listen if you want your DragonForce fix, but just a little bit.
Also featured on Ultra Beatdown is a song, titled "The Fire Still Burns", that sounds suspiciously like a "Through the Fire and Flames" reprise, but that's just my opinion.
Definitely pick up this CD, especially if you love fast-paced metal bands, such as Zandelle (which is also worth checking out).

Thirdly, and yes, I'm sure many "goths" (no, not the Germanic tribe that invaded a country or two),
or those who just enjoy not-so-optimistic music, have been waiting anxiously for this.
Slipknot has released a new studio album, titled All Hope Is Gone.
I'm going to be honest with you, readers; I've only heard a few songs off of Hope, but I must say, I'm very satisfied with Slipknot's work, so far.
Unless Slipknot can prove that "all hope is gone", I'm going to continue to hope that the rest of the CD is as well-done, gritty and cynical as the samples I've heard, and their previous work (which I loved and listened to often as an angsty teen, but that's just a side note, nothing to take too seriously).
Moving along, the songs "All Hope Is Gone" and "Psychosocial" feature the usual screaming and fast-pacedness of previous Slipknot albums; though, these songs feel somehow "darker" than previous works; less like "angsty goth teen" drama (which is good and all, but awkward if you're, like, 19), and more serious; as in,
"Slipknot's here, deal with it or they will bust your ass up".
Fabulous.
Also, it feels more like they let their drummer loose; the flow of the drums cooperating with the guitars seems to be much better, thusfar, as opposed to previous albums.
Totally pick this one up, and tell me how it is. Or burn me a copy. Please, I'm poor.

Fourthly, Disturbed's new CD, Indestructable.
What can I say about this CD? It's angst-ridden, dark, and full of heavy emotion, along with heavy guitars and lyrics.
Haunting lyrics that grip you from the very beginning, guitars that are easy to get addicted to, Indestructable is definitely some of Disturbed's best work, in my humble opinion.
The song "Inside the Fire" is especially emotion-ridden; from sources such as my friends and Wikipedia, "Inside the Fire" was inspired by lead singer David Draiman's girlfriend committing suicide. Draiman would go on to state that the devil would tell him to take his life as well, so he may be reunited with his girlfriend; this was apparently all when he was a teen, so it's pretty obvious he kept his life.
Another song is "The Night". The actual source of inspiration for the lyrics of the song remain foggy, but nonetheless, "The Night" is definitely worth a listen or two. Or three. Perhaps just set your CD player on loop for just that one song.
Well, maybe not JUST that song, there are many other songs on Indestructable, such as "Perfect Insanity", a previously unreleased song; it didn't make the cut for one of Disturbed's previous albums, so they saved it up until recently, when they released an old video of the band playing "Perfect Insanity".
"Perfect Insanity" is a very addictive, fast-paced song that might be hard for some to get into, but once you do, it's hard to get out.
Another song that you should check out is "Indestructable", the feature song of the CD.
It's been described by the band as a "fight song".
"Inside the Fire", "Perfect Insanity" and "Indestructable" are also playable songs for the video game Rock Band; they're available only through the Downloadable Content feature of the game, so be sure your internet is working (though if it wasn't, you probably wouldn't be reading this right now, would you?).
Check out Indestructable. Buy it off iTunes, bother your friend Pete to burn you a copy, bawl and whine until your mother buys it for you; just get it. Legally.

As a bonus feature, I'm going to cover some Japanese metal (no, not samurai swords [as a side note, hate the pun, not the punmaster]).

Maximum the Hormone, a Japanese rock/metal/alternative/I have no idea how to describe it band is a great example on how awesome foreign music can be (golly, Pink Floyd didn't prove that already?).
With two songs featured in the anime Death Note, Maximum the Hormone is an excellent source of screaming, loud guitars, and illegible lyrics (the latter being fairly common of most metal bands, so don't feel bad if you don't speak Japanese; it's hard to make out what metal bands are screaming, most of the time, anyway).
Death Note's second opening, "What's Up,People?!" is a loud, driving song, with embarassingly misheard lyrics (it's "ningen", people! "Ningen" means "human"), but still totally worth a listen.
Death Note's second ending, "Zetsubou Billy" is another good source of thrashing, and even features female vocals and a short "rap" session. But don't let the "rap" part put you off if you don't like rap; it's short, and it's still a great song.
Both of the previously mentioned songs are available on M.T.H.'s CD, BuiikiKaesu!!, along with more great songs, such as fast-paced, pop-rockish (with a touch of metal screaming) song "Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nururu Rero Rero".
Now try saying THAT three times fast. I dare you. I double DOG dare you.

Thanks for reading, and buy the CDs. No illegal downloading. If you download illegally, these artists might not have enough money to replace their smashed, broken, melted or lost-in-another-dimension guitars.

- V. Holmes