Dream Theater

The Astonishing

Excellent album. The album is better than the rating when it comes to the overall experience. The only knock is that the music suffers slightly in order lead you through an epic journey where each track represents a scene. Much to experience and appreciate here.

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Lord Nafaryus, Three Days, The X Aspect

Ariana Grande

Dangerous Woman

Whether you love or hate her, she has talent. A great voice that fits with one of her personalities. The problem is each personality makes an appearance, which leads to some good some bad. Didn't care for the artist features, they distracted, rather than complemented.

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Into You, Touch It, Side To Side

From Ashes To New

Day One

Very good, similar to liked Linkin Park's older albums (Minutes to Midnight & Numb). Very talented musically, there sound is familiar but not tired, the musical talent and expression is fresh.

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Every Second, Farther from Home, Breaking Now

Phantasma

The Deviant Heart

Very good. The album is heavy in symphonic metal. A duet of lead singers from Serenity and Delain, their voices are clean and rich, fitting the mold of this type of music perfectly.

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Crimson Course, Carry Me Home, Novaturient

Myrath

Tales of the Sands

Outstanding. Nice mix of progressive with an Oriental accent (Tunisian Band). There are a few songs that push a little too much Oriental for my taste but overall an excellent album.

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Under Siege, Merciless Times, Dawn Within

BabyMetal

Metal Resistance

Not bad, Not great. Not as good as their last album but their music is so different that it really takes a great effort to make each song work. You really have to have an open mind. It is easy to laugh at the song when it starts but then realize it isn't that bad when it is finished. The best example is from their last album, open your mind and watch the video below.

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The One, Amore

Sick Puppies

Fury

Very Good Album. With the talented lead singer leaving, hard to tell what to expect. The new vocals are a little more heavy mainstream and songs are written very well.

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Here With You, Stick To Your Guns

Sixx:A.M.

Prayers for the Dammed

Not bad. There are a couple good songs and some good musical moments. Just not very unique in talent, some good guitar but just not unique enough. It resembles a newer 80's style music, which is never a bad thing.

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When We Were Gods, Prayers for the Damned

September Mourning

Volume II

Not Bad, it resembles the style reminiscent to In This Moment. The album is more than a set isolated songs, it is a story set to a comic book also written by the band. It is creative and engaging overall but not complicated musically. They should get better once they mature musically.

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Eye of the Storm, Superhuman

Sum 41

13 Voices

Great new album from a band thought to be long forgotten and out of touch. It is their sound but with a fresh take. Excited to get back to some good heavy rock music.

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There Will Be Blood, Breaking The Chain

Delain

Moonbathers

More symphonic-based band and album. The album is good for this specific genre but it may not appeal to all. The vocals fit a little better with complementary strong male vocals, which was done in Phantasma, which I found to be better overall.

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Fire with Fire, Suckerpunch, Turn the Lights Out

Amaranthe

Maximalism

I might be biased because of how much I like the band but it is a good overall album. This strength of this album is between the lines, the choruses are the weaker moments, unlike their last few albums. It is very intense, heavy metal music. You have to like the heavy stuff but this is unique and intense with the three main vocalists powering out their lines. On the rocks is a killer song, s*** kickin' heavy metal.

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On The Rocks, 21, Endlessly

Skillet

Unleashed

Finally back in stride after a less than exciting previous release. This band has a tendency to live within the chorus, and they are very powerful when they hit the mark. The lead singer and the complementary female co-vocalist can really create a very exciting style of hard rock. Being a christian band, there is a lot of good meaning they instill into their music as well, without being preachy. One example is Saviors of the world, which is more of an anthem for the repressed.

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Out of Hell, Saviors of the World, Stars

Stitched Up Heart

Never Alone

Good sound, great guitar, mixed very well to enhance the style. They all feel on the same page, complementing each music talent. A little offbeat lyrically and musically but done in a purposeful way. Not all great but the style and execution is very good, unique in their style. Good heavy music in an area that has felt weak in recent years

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Monster, It's So Easy, Bleeding Out

Edenbridge

The Great Momentum

A symphonic based album. Overall mixed and done well, nice guitar riffs. A very relaxing, metal meditation so to speak. The album cover very much describes the tone.

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The Greatest Gift Of All, Shiantara, Only A Whiff Of Life

Diablo III

Torment VII

I picked the Sorceror because the Season #6 offerings were set with the focus on meelee combat. This is what I have wanted to build for a while and, with the buffs and set bonuses, it was exciting. The video is a 5 minutes snippet to allow for high-resolution in a more managable filesize.

Focus

Extreme attack speed, high recovery hit rate, high critical hit chance with large percentage boost.

• Updated: June 19, 2016 @ 07:00AM