Listened to a few more albums...
Strapping Young Lad -
City
Genre: Industrial Metal, Extreme Metal
Released: 1997
Rating: 4/5
The heavy wall of sound and Devin's soaring vocals make this album an engulfing listening experience. Half of this album is comprised of some top-notch tracks, such as "All Hail The New Flesh", "Detox", "AAA", and "Spirituality". The rest of the album is solid, with "Oh My Fucking God" being the only track I couldn't get into, even though it seems to be a fan favorite for its wacky nature. Perhaps it will grow on me.
Strapping Young Lad -
Strapping Young Lad
Genre: Industrial Metal, Extreme Metal
Released: 2003
Rating: 4/5
This is a very consistent album, as I found every song enjoyable and there's never a moment devoid of well done riffage. That's the difference I noticed with this album compared to
City, as the riffs are the focus this time around instead of the "wall of sound". Both approaches are enjoyable in their own way. However, while being more consistent, this album doesn't have many tracks that will blow you away.
The Gathering -
Mandylion
Genre: Gothic Metal, Doom Metal
Released: 1995
Rating: 4/5
This is as soothing as metal can get. The songs are moderately paced and the vocals are angelic. Six of the songs sound quite similar, even though they're still good and contain some interesting sections that add to the gothic atmosphere. With that said, the title song changes things up with an atmospheric instrumental, while the following song, "Sand & Mercury", is the longest song on the album and adds some progressive elements into the mix.
