Black Label Society 'Mafia'

Black Label Society's Mafia is a great album. I think it's a must have for any BLS fan. As is the video for "Fire it Up". The song's great but the video is also very well done. I mean, who doesn't love seeing the news delivered by two skeletons? The video is mixed with dark humor and the truth about how the world is turning into hell on Earth.

The album has great power tracks to a wonderful ballad dedicated to Dimebag Darrell to a fuckin' Lynyrd Skynyrd cover! Though, I must say that one of my favorites is "Electric Hellfire". Great song and the ending is hilarious....in my opinion that is. This is one of the few albums that I can just sit back, hit play and jam out to the whole damn thing. While having Zakk Wylde's signature guitar sound I think a few of the songs could've been better. For example the intro on "Fire it Up" gets old after you listen to it a few times. I think they could've easily found something better. But as I said, the album has mostly strong and very strong tracks.

I highly recommend that everyone get a copy of Mafia, I truely think you'll love it.

Metallica: Death Magnetic

I bought Metallica's Death Magnetic yesterday at my nearest record store, which just happens to be Wal*Mart. I just got done listenin' too it and all I can say is "HOLY SH!T!!!!" This album is LEVELS upon LEVELS better than St. Anger, and this is comin' from a guy who not only BOUGHT St. Anger the week it came out, but likes every track on the cd. I just mean WOW, this album really goes back old-school, and I like it. The riffs are great, and THANK GOD they didn't have the same drum and guitar sound as on St. Anger I mean it sounded like they were playin' inside of a 55 gallon drum. But on Death Magnetic it's completely different. This is one of the better albums I've heard in a long, long, LONG time. My personal favorite tracks are "Broken, Beat, & Scarred", "The Day That Never Comes", "All Nightmare Long", and "Cyanide."

Now let us break it down some. The vocals, well, it's James Hetfield, what can I say? His voice is one of the greatest music HAS ever or WILL ever hear. And on Death Magnetic his vocals return to the master form that we all know and love from their early releases, and hopefully we won't have to wait another FIVE YEARS to hear more new stuff. The guitar, Kirk Hammet, you are a master. He is by far one of the best guitarists in the world. The sound of his guitar was a brutal mess on St. Anger, but now here is a good example of bein' able to return to what works well and not have any ill effects from an experiment gone wrong. I say he's still in top form on Death Magnetic. Bassist Robert Trujillo has an impressive debut on Death Magnetic with what fans have come to expect from Metallica bassists, great deep rhythmic bass work that is right up there with the best in the business today. Good show old boy. (Had to crack at least one joke.) And now onto the best part, my brother!!! Oh wait, sorry that's Lars Ulrich, sorry he looks like my older brother, it's kinda creepy. By far the best drummer in the world. Move over John Bohnam, Lars Ulrich has dropped you down a peg. Once against Lars brings the best drummin' in the industry to a Metallica release. The few constants in this busy are simple, Elvis is dead, Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player to have ever lived, Ozzy Osbourne is still incoherent when he speaks but competely clear when he sings, and Lars Ulrich will always bring the best drummin' in the world to the new Metallica album, and he does on Death Magnetic. And lastly the producer, what else do you expect from Rick Rubin, a man who has produced albums for some of the best acts in metal, along with legends such as Johnny Cash. Another home run for the legendary producer.

So after all that, I just have this to say, GO BUY Death Magnetic NOW!!!!