Why is Mechanized Warfare such a good album and easily deserving of five stars? There is no one answer to that question because the album is so diverse and original. Take to the Sky: Talk about catchy. Take to the sky is a heavily melodic, fun song with vocals beyond excellent and an awesome chorus. It starts out with a very cool riff and instantly awakens your spirit with one of the coolest voices ever. Vocalist Harry Conklin must have studied Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson for years, because in this song he makes the words "go" and "low" sound beautiful. Every word is stressed perfectly on Take to the Sky.
Frozen in Fear is a paradox of and song and is quite impressive because the depressing message still comes across well. It's a song with a really upbeat and carefree style that just happens to be about a horrible rape. The fact that those two elements are put together the way the are fills you with sympathy in such an odd way. It's almost like there's no compassion for this girl and those harsh feelings of apathy cause the listener the feel the right kind of pain. "Unworthy" is completely different from these first two songs, yet the album would be lacking without it. It has a church choir feel like some strange spiritual sacrifice, and yet is as metal as everything else here.
The Silent! My god, what a powerful awesome song this one is. It may be called The Silent, but it is the exact opposite. It's filled with loud passion and angry energy. I love it. The singer is screaming out "I feel for you, to stalk the night in which you live!" and "Bathe me Blood" in that incredibly bold voice of his. The solo is as simple as can be but is really so fun, that you can't help but whistle to it and have it stuck in your head for days (in the best way). It's perfect and interesting throughout. Another interesting change in style is The very Judas Priest like Scarlet Letter, a song about a seductive and tricky vixen. It's a really slow, simple, funny and different song. and Jag Panzer knows how to play a good riff, "Choir of Tears" is proof. Cold is the Blade is possibly my favorite song on the album. "Valor and Honor is our right". Absolutely. The song truly makes you feel like you're on the bloody battlefield itself. Such an excellent battle anthem, you'd think this were a Virgin Steele album. The album could end there and be perfect, but it takes a risk, adds more and still turns out amazing. Hidden in my eyes is a weaker part of this album, but is still a very interesting song, sounds different from the rest of the album and a very solid effort.
Then there's Power Surge. That's a perfect title if their ever was one. The song is a powerful speed metal ballad to help end the album perfectly. The vocals, in the chorus especially, are some of the most lovely high pitched screeches ever. Finally, All things Renewed (They really are good with titles) is a slow, softer song to end the ablum... at least it starts out that way. It fools with low singing and slow playing and halfway through turns it up and blows you away! Cold is the Blade could have been a cool ending, but this is an immense, exciting ending. Perfect!

That's Heavy Melody, Great Lyrics and Subject matter, plenty of stylistc diversity, awesome riffs, excellent solos, beautiful vocals and plenty of fun. Jag Panzer and Mechanized Warfare is some of the most truly entertaining metal around.

Metallica's Master of Puppets could just as easily be called "Master of Thrash Metal". It's likely the greates Metallica album of all. The album demonstrates everything Thrash metal is, should be and ever was. Each song is a proud display of nothing but raw emotion, feelings of energy, anger, rage, wrath and power. This is what legendary Thrash is made of. With "Battery", the album starts out with a blast of noisy excitement coupled with just the right amount of melody. The contrast of speed between the songs varies greatly, yet it's all a prefect representation of agility. The length of the songs is another impressive aspect of Master of Puppets.
Metal in general tends to work better and feel more complete with shorter songs and albums, yet Master of Puppets songs all range from five to eight minutes and every song is still interesting and exciting throughout. Thrash Metal is thought to be unmelodic noisy screaming, with nothing but power chords and overdone guitar solos. This album proves all the stereotypes to be more than incorrect with songs that are quite melodic, creative and very catchy. "Sanitarium" and "Leper Messiah" both have very original arragements and incredible use of vocals, but "Disposable Heroes" is the highlight of the album and is pure thrash itself. The lyrics are simple and yet perfect and completely get the feeling of battle and death across. Master of Puppets is 52 minutes of non stop thrash action that leaves you more than impressed, astounded and satisifed.

Power Metal lyrics are thought to be only about Fairies, Dragons, Knights and Elves. For the most part, that stereotype hold true... but not for this Band. Lost Horizon's A Flame to the Ground Beneath has no problem breaking barriers and changing metal. This album decided to not only do something totally different with power metal lyrics, but also with the music itself. It uses basic power metal characteristics such as grandiose vocals, high pitched battle cry like screams and extensive melodic guitar solos. However, it throws in Progressive Metal style keyboard playing and classic metal like bass playing and guitar breakdowns after choruses. The lyrics are all well thought as well as clever and insigtful. Lost in the depths of me, for example, exhibits the opinions of Christianity from the Athiest, Agnostic and Satanic view point without being offensive or violent in any way. Cry of a Restless Soul greatly explains the power of human free will and the disbelief in the concepts of fate and destiny, subjects not often touched in Power Metal. Overall, the album is just a very thoughtful, inspired effort with very different ideas & insight and beautiful musicianship by all members. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys any forms of metal.

Listening to Slipknot's self titled album, I wonder if these guys are even trying to make good music. I wonder if this is all some odd joke. I also wonder what were they trying to accomplish or achieve with this album. Is it supposed to sound like disorganized, random noise? If so, they nailed it. The lyrics are abysmal as they come off sounding like horrible, angry, whiny people who for some reason deserve our sympathy and compassion. The music seems completely overdone for no reason at all. It all comes of as an attempt to be Death or Thrash Metal which failed miserably. This album has no redeeming factors at all. There's no harmony, no melody, nothing interesting, thought provoking or impressive, and it's not even slighty fun or catchy. I don't consider a lot of mindless screaming, growling and random profanity to be music. It's a painful experience that I recommend to no one.

Nightfall in Middle Earth is quite possibly the greatest power metal I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. It's one of my personal top five albums ever because it captures the emotion and imagery of the middle ages like no other power metal album. I've listened to this album hundreds of times and I can't find a single thing out of place with it. The album is told like some ancient storybook. The interludes are a simple touch that add so much more power and impact to the album. The contrast of music style is fantastic. There are songs like Nightfall, Thorn and The Eldar that give off a serene and peaceful effect. There are also songs like Into the Storm and The Curse of Feanor that demonstrate glory and rage in the purest form. Everything fits together perfectly and beautifully. Very few Power metal albums compare to Nightfall in Middle Earth.