Our chhota dost is gone!

It was a windy/rainy friday night about 2 months ago and we were feasting on our customary pizza and some alcohol to go with it. We heard some noises on the balcony, so we went out and saw a pigeon violently flipping over some empty cartons. Poor thing had hurt one of its legs and was not able to fly. For a while we didn't know what to do, the little guy was flipping all around the place. Then, I mustered up some courage and caught hold of him with a towel in my hand. We soothed him for a bit and kept murmuring calming sounds (we made up our own language) and then lay it down in a secure spot. Then we put some breadcrumbs and a bowl of water in front of him. He looked calm now but was still shaking, so we went inside and let him be. Next morning I went to check the balcony as soon as I got up. The breadcrumbs were gone, the bowl of water was empty, the little guy had flown away! yay. We were so happy and relieved. Come to think of it, we've had a strange chemistry with pigeons ever since we moved into our current apartment. They were always nesting and making a mess of things in our second balcony...but we were never really annoyed.

Now comes another story: About three weeks ago we had a new entrant in our home..a little mouse. His first sighting was when he ran right over my wife's feet resulting in a witch-like scream. Women...aah!..why do they have to scream at anything and everything...even a cockroach(now that's just silly). Anyway, I was ordered on a hunting mission right away....but all attempts went in vain. After a few days we forgot about it and the little guy kept showing up while we were watching the TV or just slacking on the couch. He loved to run right accross the carpet which would make my wife jump. After getting used to him, we started calling him our chhota dost (little friend). If he were to show up when guests were at our place, that was the way he was introduced..our chhota dost.
About 4 days ago, while my wife was taking out some stuff from one of the kitchen storage cabinets, she saw rice splattered all over the place. When inspected, we saw that the rice packet as well as a lot of others were chewed and gnawed upon by our chhota not so dost anymore. That evening, we bought some rat kill and put it all over the place. The last we saw of him was 2 days ago. We've searched the house, but there's no sign of him. Even our maid didn't find him anywhere in her jhaadoo ponchha routines. Who knows, maybe he just left our house..or maybe he actually ate some of the rat kill and went and died somewhere outside (it takes atleast 2 days for rat kill to affect).
The point is, if you've not got it by now...why did we differentiate between the pigeon/s and the mouse? Was it because the mouse was destroying our food...well...we gave food to the pigeon voluntarily didn't we? Was it because the mouse was creating nuisance...well..not anymore than the crap the pigeons made out of our second balcony. Or was it just because pigeons are soothing to the eye and mice are like...well....creepy. I don't know myself, but I do know that ever since his last sighting I've been feeling a little guilty. Guilty that I might have killed him..but why? I have killed hundreds of mice and rats in my life..why was this one special? Again, I don't know...maybe because we actually let him stay and got used to him. Maybe because we started calling him our chhota dost(bad idea) and felt connected to him. Come to think of it, I think that's what it is..we never should have named it. As much I like chicken and fish, would I ever be able to kill and eat one which I've named myself, which lives in my house pond or barn? No, I don't think so...not after this incident. In fact I'll stop naming things which I want to eat. Not that there are many living things to eat around the house(except the wife), but still. Oh no, this has been such an idiotic post...maybe I'm losing it. Now that I've spoken about it, I do feel less burdened with the guilt...so it was not all that idiotic I guess. Cheerio!

Ninja Gaiden 2 Review: Xbox 360

The near perfect action flick this generation of video games has to offer.


First things first; I haven't played any games of the Ninja Gaiden franchise before this, so there would be no comparisons.


Make no mistake, Ninja Gaiden 2 (NG2) isn't for the faint of heart or the attention deficient. It's a tough game, tough to the point of being punishing, merciless! More likely than not, there will be times when you'll simply want to throw your controller at the screen or scream obsceneties. Persevere, and thy will be rewarded! Now that this, the most probable deterrent for any casual gamer or even NG veterans has been touched upon, let's get on with the review.

Story....hmmm..well...it's as cheesy and downright uninteresting as it could get, but that's not the point of NG2 anyway. FYI though, Ryu Hayabusa (our Ninja hero) has been given the inevitable job of saving the world again. He has been on a revenge mission since the black spider clan Ninjas and fiends (the main villains) destroyed his village. This time around, there's a CIA?? twist in the tale and Ryu gets the help of Sonia (a buxom agent) intermittently in the game. The Archfiend has awakened and he threatens to shatter the peace on earth with the help of his four greater fiends (bosses you got to fight on and off in the game).



What surprised me immediately about NG2 was that it didn't hold my hand and tried to spoonfeed me at all. As soon as the intro cutscene was over, there I was, smack! in the middle of 10 angry ninja foes ready to mince me for dinner. Thereafter, it kept presenting me with scrolls on how to perform a specific evading move or how to counter an attack, so on and so forth. Never did it feel like Iwas being taught, but it still felt like I was learning. If you're one of those who think they are good because they can pull of insane combos and ratings in Devil May Cry then be ready to cry your heart out in as early as the second chapter of NG2. Button mashing will lead you nowhere, the enemies in NG2 are no punching bags. I cannot stress the importance of learning enough for this game. Look for enemy attack patterns, learn what has to be dodged and what has to be blocked (of course, most enemies in NG2 have guard breaking techniques, so don't think nothing will hit you if you just stand there blocking).



The enemy design and AI, specially the bosses is truly marvellous. Master Ninjas, dragons, six legged werevolves, giant armadillos,giant worms, gargantuan mosnter skeletons, flame throwing dark lords, vampirish fiends, spider like warriors, you name it..you've got it. What's more interesting is that, except for a few, there are many ways to tackle a specific boss. I won't spoil the fun for you here, it's best you figure it out for yourself. Level design is mostly good with the exception of a few which seem kind of bland considering what we're used to seeing on current gen systems. The game also experiences a few hitches when the framerate drops during intense battles or sometimes goes to the loading screen abruptly. The in-game camera can also be annoying; it tends to follow Ryu too closely sometimes or it simply gets stuck in a wall while you're fighting. Fortunately you have the option to reset the camera in front of Ryu with the right trigger. Most boss battles also have a free camera mode option with the RB button for different players' needs. The camera aspect is certainly not a game breaking experience but I would have still liked to have it centred a little farther away from Ryu than it currently is.



What would be a Ninja without his cool weapons eh? By default, Ryu is equipped with a Dragon Sword as his melee weapon and Shurikens as secondary (projectile) weapons. As you get further in the game you'll get access to many more like the Lunar Staff, Dual Katanas, Kusuri-Gama, Nunchakus, Scythe and a couple of others. Ryu is also blessed with the ability of casting Ninja Magic spells (Ninpos) on his enemies, which include elements of fire, ice, wind etc. These Ninpo spells come in very handy when you feel you're being overwhelmed by a large group of enemies. Not only do they deliver severe damage to all around you, they also protect you from any attack during those spell casting frames...neat eh?



Which brings us to NG2's combat element. Holy cricket!! is this the mother of them all. It's tough, yes, brutally tough actually, but oh sweet lord is it rewarding. Call me up when you perform and Obliteration technique the first time and do not go 'damn!!!'. If I were to talk about all the combos fo every different weapon here, it would take ages...so I'm not gonna go there. But, as I said earlier...no matter how cool an obliteration looks or how cool a mid air 40 hit combo looks, the better part of your attention should always be focused on the block, dodge and jump moves. This is no Devil May Cry 4 (a game I thoroughly enjoyed by the way), even a measly foot soldier in NG2 is potentially dangerous. Don't get too caught up in ogling at the blood you just spilled or it's time for the Game Over screen. In addition to all the moves and combos, every weapon in NG2 also has an Ultimate Technique, which basically means you have to hold down one button long enough to charge it and deal chaos on the enemies. You won't always have the time to do so, but when you do..it certainly makes things a little easier. Add to this the fact that Ryu can jump from wall to wall, do flying bird flips and can also deliver massive damage delaing hits while doing his acrobatics. Everything in NG2, all of Ryu's abilities are there for a reason. Getting yourself acclimatized with his projectile weapons, ninpo spells, airborne combos, block/dodge is AS important as chopping enemy heads off with your favourite melee weapon.
Slicing off enemy limbs, chopping their heads off in NG2 is cool not only because it looks awesome, but because you know you've done it right and earned it. Now I don't know whether this game will sell bucket loads but I'm sure as hell that it would go down in the annals of gaming as one of the most challenging and rewarding cult hits. Less than stellar graphics aside this is a magnificent game and certainly a must own of anybody who isn't easily put off by punishing difficulty in games.

Overall Rating: 9.4/10

Grand Theft Auto IV: Xbox 360 Review

So, after the *long* wait, I finally got hold of an Xbox 360 copy of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV); courtesy a colleague who just visited the US. For those of you who have been living under a rock, or those who think gaming is for "children", GTA IV is the latest installment in the blockbuter GTA series from Rockstar Games. The game has amassed a whopping $500 million in sales in the FIRST WEEK of it's release, which is a record for ANY entertainment launch, yes, that includes movies too! FYI, last year's highest grossing movie Pirates of The Caribbean AT World's End made $408 million in it's entire run. Even the previous record holder was a little video game called Halo 3 made by Bungie software for the Xbox 360. Now that we're through the prep, let's get on with the review.

First off, I have never been a fan of the GTA franchise and I've barely played one of these before GTA IV, that being San Andreas. With GTA IV however, I just couldn't resist to see what the hype was all about, and why most gaming publications and websites were giving it perfect 10's. The game stands tall at 98% at Metacritic as I write this review. In GTA IV, you take on the role of Niko Bellic, a Russian ex-soldier, who comes to Liberty City(New York) in the hope of making it big with the help of his cousin Roman Bellic.

The first thing you'll notice in-game is the sheer size! of Liberty City, and the creativity and craft that has gone into developing what is probably one of the greatest in-game worlds ever created. it actually feels alive, people driving, walking, cops chasing hoodlums, people eating hot dogs, shopping, clubs, bars, eating joints..almost every damn thing you can think of in a modern day city. Oh, and you can do all those things too!

So after having spent about 10 hours since I've had the game, here's what I felt. While the gargantuan Liberty City is nothing less than superb, the other aspects like eating, dining, drinking, socializing with friends is not why I play video games...and I assume it's the same for a lot of other people too. I enjoy doing those things in REAL life. The driving experience of the game is quite realistic and is fun to toy around with, for some time atleast, but even that grows old quite fast. Stopping at checkpoints on bridges to pay the toll, when 7 cop cars are chasing mad after you, while being realistic, is quite annoying. You can of course blow the damn hurdle, but that only means more cop cars after your a**.

The plot of the game is quite intriguing, but I shall not spoil it for you here. The game starts on a slow note when you're supposed to carry out some socializing missions. Slowly and steadily it picks up in pace and you're thrown into missions which involve high speed chases/getaways, carjacking, stealing and whacking or killing some people(you're playing a hardened criminal of course!). After the first 9-10 missions, you feel a sense of deja vu every single time you go on a mission. It's always find, chase, shoot, whack blah blah blah. Don't even get me started on the game mechanics; the cover and auto aiming system this game uses has got to be the worst I've seen in a game to date. In fact, you'll be better of using the free aim which is an arduous task in itself and requires you to precisely hold down the LT button on the Xbox 360 till the halfway. And what's with the need of having to hold/tap a button continuously to make the character run? I mean that's why we have analog sticks Rockstar!

Oh, and the game truly deserves it's Mature ESRB rating. Really, you'll hear the F word almost every 3 seconds along with a barrage of other expletives. You can hire a hooker for $20, $50 or $70 services(ahem!) and you can also visit strip clubs and get private lap dances(the strip club is pretty graphic, more than partial nudity I would say). The game should be kept away from children at all cost. While I have no problems with these things, I still get the feeling that Rockstar made a deliberate attempt here to be ultra cool and forgot to add fun gameplay elements in GTA IV. I maybe wrong though, as I've said, I was never heavily into any GTA game. Maybe this is what GTA is all about, maybe this is what people love and adore in the GTA games. But, as I said earlier too; why on earth would I enjoy a strip club in a GAME for pete's sakes!, why would I enjoy a game of bowling or darts or pool in a game? Oh, and before I forget...why the hell would I enjoy sitting in an internet cafe and surf the in-game internet!!!(yeah GTA IV has one of those too). The game does have tremendous voice performances though; all accents are spot on and tonality of every character's voice matches his/her personality. The explosions are also very nicely scripted, the smoke, the shattered glass/metal, every little detail is done perfectly.

To sum up, yes, the amount of detail in this game is tremendous!! The voice acting and cutscenes are brilliant. The graphics, while not at par with many nex gen titles already in the market, do hold out on their own. In fact, the graphics performance can also be called excellent, as the game engine has to render such a huge city so seamlessly in the game. Other than these technical achievements, and a few thrills here and there, I simply found GTA IV to be an average-to-good game. It is certainly nowhere near the 'best game in 10 years' that many critics seem to think. I don't wanna drive around for 5 minutes to get to my destination, If I wanted realism...I wouldn't be playing a damn video game now would I? First major disappointment of 2008 for me, waiting for Ninja Gaiden II, Fable 2 and Gears of War II now.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

In Flames--A Sense of Purpose Review

The Gotherburg kings are back after the solid Come Clarity in 2006. It hurts to say that one of my all time favourite bands have released such a generic and uninspired musical set. Yes, The Mirror's Truth is very catchy on the first listen and a couple of other songs do manage to almost hold your attention, but otherwise, it's all...uh...a big bore. I won't waste my breath on a song by song review here. If you're one of those who are still mesmerized by their Jester Race/Whoracle/Colony days...stay away from it! If you think Reouroute to Remain or STYE kicked ass, then pick this up, you'll love this even more! Anyway, this album is perhaps the most accessible In Flames album to date, and I'm pretty sure it will win them many new fans, but they just might lose some old time fans too. It's not a bad album per se, it's just not my type, actually it's not In Flames anymore.

Rating: 6/10

Death Angel - Killing Season: Review

Death Angel need no introduction, well, not to the Thrash fan atleast. Their 1987 album, The Ultra Violence is a bonafide classic of Thrash Metal. After The Ultra Violence though, they haven't been able to impress me very much, except for Act III which was a good album. Their last offering, The Art of Dying was very! disappointing. So what have these old school metallers done with the latest offering. Ummm...ok..to be honest, and quite over the top actually..I would say that with this album Death Angel have achieved the perfect balance between old school and new school. While Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Overkill are still putting out great material, the music always divides the users into two distinct can't look eye to eye groups. This album is brutal, it's got a modern sensibility, it has melody, it has groove, it has everything for everybody. Not since Kreator's Enemy of God in 2005 have I heard an album which mixes the old and the new with such dexterity.

Coming on to the music; with the acoustic intro of opener Lord of Hate Death Angel grab your attention, and before you can spell W O W, they bombard you with a barrage of riffs! The truth is; this album does not have a single filler. Every song in here is simply brilliant, and not just when Death Angel are going sonic with their monstrous riffs, but also in the breakdowns and the slow melodious pieces and interludes. The second track, Sonic Breakdown is a monster thrasher again and following it is personal favourite and possibly the album's best song, Dethroned. Acoutic parts, soaring solos, immaculate riffing; this song goes from slow to fast to slow again to hyperspeed again, and has one of the most catchy choruses I've heard in a long long time. Carnival Justice and Buried Alive provide some more vintage old school madness and groove. Then comes Soulless, another song which reminds you how good Metal used to sound in the eighties and early nineties; it has a very rock n' roll feel to it too(trust me, it's good!!). Noose follows with some more Thrash n' Roll madness, as does When Worlds Collide, which could have very well been on Anthrax's Spreading the Disease(again!!, I mean this in a good way). Then comes God Vs. God, which serves as the perfect example of how you can win over a Korn fanatic, but still Thrash!! I mean, this is absolutely mindblowing!! What the hell were these guys on while recording this? Oh! and check out the weirdly orgasmatic solo on this one....aah!, brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Steal the Crown brings things back to the old school Thrash n Roll way again; the bluesy main riff on this one is amazing! Closing the album is Resurrection Machine, which is my second most fav song in here.

So, do yourself a favour and get this album ASAP! It's catchy, it's melodious, it's got the riffs, it's got the solos...oh! and did I mention it's heavy as hell. Anyway, I've just wasted many precious minutes away from it and boring you guys....lemme go back and listen to it some more :)

Rating: 9.5/10

Atrophy: Violent By Nature

Sorry for the long break. I'm out of country for a month on an official trip, so haven't been getting the time to put up new posts. Anyway, last night I listened to this album after a long long time and it's only befitting that I review it here under the Undiscovered Gems of Thrash Metal category.

The music of Atrophy can be described as a crazy mix of Megadeth, Artillery, Anthrax style riffing with the ferocity of the likes of Nuclear Assault, Razor and the ilk. This is not to say that their music is generic or bland by any means, no!

So, as the album title says, this is really violent! by nature. Savage, bone crunching riffing,hyper speed picking, brutal vocals...you know the works. And it's not just the ferocity which stands out, the music is technically perfect too. Album opener Puppies and Friends bursts out of the speakers traveling at the speed of light and has a great solo to back it up. Next up is the title track which has a very Megadeth-ish feel to it, but it's a good song nonetheless and boasts of a very good solo again. In Their Eyes slows things down to a mid tempo but picks up things around the 1:10 mark and goes on to provide some great riffing and vocal moments. Around the 2:30 mark this song changes gears very abruptly and we get a scorching solo again. After the 3:30 mark, this song is just madness!!, pure Heavy Metal bliss.....solos galore, double bass ecstasy...aah! it seems like I'll only talk about this one song. Trust me though, In Your Eyes is one of the most compelling and boombastic listens in all of Speed/Thrash Metal, yes!!...I'm not exaggerating here. Next up is Too Late for Change which could very well have been on one of those Metallica demo tapes. I guess this was an old recording put on this album just for the heck of it. The musicianship is there of course, but it's nothing great. Atrophy come back to form with the next track Slipped Through The Cracks; another riff fest which will have you headbanging all over the place. At the 3:05 mark, Atrophy go for the abrupt change again and show you that they could have been as big as some of the well known names in Thrash if they had a slick sounding band name and charismatic/hunky musicians. Forgotten but Not Gone follows in much the same vein; more riffs!..riffs and riffs galore!! and they do the unthinkable again at around the 2:40 mark...ooh! absolutely beautiful soloing. Process of Elimination starts off great but loses some grip during the slow singing parts. But it picks up again around the 2:30 mark to provide more Thrash bliss. Right to Die is your typical 'bread and butter' Thrash song which has everything going for it...more riffs! and impeccable drumming. Things Change is a worthy album closer with great breakdowns and time changes; the solo at the 2:08 mark is again.....uh..GODLY!

So that was Violent by Nature for you. It's not another Reign in Blood, Rust in Peace or Ride The Lightning which you absolutely MUST! have. But, if you're a fan of Thrash, or you just love great riffing and guitar work in general, then you will not be disappointed with this...that I can assure you.

Rating: 8.5/10

Children of Bodom: Tie My Rope--New Single from Blooddrunk

Take a look(listen actually) at what these Finnish masters are upto. Man!! I just cannot wait for this. Do fiddle around with the MENU button for somemore Children of Bodom tracks.

Bullet for My Valentine--Scream, Aim, Fire: Review

Tracklist
1. Scream, Aim, Fire
2. Eye of the Storm
3. Hearts Burst Into Fire
4. Waking the Demon
5. Disappear
6. Deliver Us From Evil
7. Take it Out on Me
8. Say Goodbye
9. End of Days
10. Last to Know
11. Forever and Always





The UK(native) metallers are back with their second full length album in Scream, Aim, Fire. At the risk of spoiling this review in the beginning itself, I'll say that they scream, they aim, but they don't exactly fire(this doesn't mean it's not good though). One thing that deserves credit is that the overall tempo of this album is faster than their previous effort in The Poison(2005), which was way too screamo and syrupy at times. Now I know that The Poison was a relatively successful album and also had a couple of Top 20 singles in the US Rock charts, but I still wasn't impressed. Anyway, let's get on with reviewing the product at hand..

The album opener and title track is as good as Metalcore gets these days. Thrashy and fast paced riffing with double bass fills..this one has got it all; the perfect choice for opening the album. The rest of the album follows the tried and tested Metalcore formula for most of it's length; savage riffing for some parts, crunchy breakdowns and melodic choruses. The album also contains a ballad in Say Goodbye, which is almost hair/glam metal sounding. The song is good, that I have to admit; I'm not so sure about its repeat/recall value though. These are perhaps the only two outstanding tracks on the album, and the rest, as I've said, follow the same Metalcore formula which countless bands have been following since circa 2000-2001. Some bands like Killswitch Engage, As I lay Dying, Trivium and All That Remains(I might have missed a few, please don't scoff) manage to stand out while the others get lost in the crowd. In my opinion, Bullet For My Valentine, clearly belong in the latter group. I say this not because I think they are not talented, no, I say this because neither do they have a distinct sound nor do they have extraordinary music to their credit. This is where the likes of Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God have scored over the others, even Trivium to a lesser extent.

To sum up, if you're a sucker for above average Metalcore, then you'll most probably like this. It has everything you can ask for in a satisfying Metalcore album. Thrashy riffs, melodic breakdowns, plenty of hooks, double bass frenzy and soulful/melodic singing in some parts. It all boils down to your specific tastes actually; lovers of the Avenged Sevenfold, All That Remains kind of sound will lap this up immediately, and there's no reason not to. For people who like their Metal the old school way, there's always the new Warbringer CD.

Rating: 7.5/10

Almost Perfect!

Is there a discography in the world of Heavy Metal which can be called perfect or almost perfect? Well..let's discuss that, shall we? Before I begin my rant, let's set up some ground rules here. Bands with less than 5 full length studio recordings will not be included(no demos, no rare recordings,garage recordings, live recordings etc). Beside these ground rules, know that this is only a reflection of what I consider to be good; in no way does it reflect the popular opinion or the greatness of the bands and their respective discographies. So, please don't put me under the guillotine if I don't think too highly of Black Sabbath's discography. Ahh!.. there, I spoilt the fun already eh? Also remember that my evaluation of a band's discography is not indicative of my liking towards the band; I might rate Blind Guardian's discography as the best in all of Power Metal, but Helloween is still my favourite Power Metal band. I hope you get the picture now.

So, after much deliberation(lol), I shortlisted a few bands who have a discography with the least blemishes(again..IMO). Metallica is obviously out of the race as Load was blah, Re-Load was mediocre and St. Anger was utter crap. Anyway, there are so many of my favourite bands who just went haywire after a spree of great albums, so I'm not gonna go there.

Let's start with the oldest band to make this shortlist..Van Halen. Everything from 1978 to 1991 is pure gold...errmm...platinum actually(according to RIAA) . Nine albums during this period; and atleast four of these are all time classics--Van Halen, Van Halen II, Fair Warning and 1984 and the rest were excellent too. The last two studio albums in Balance and Van Halen III stop this band just short of having the perfect discography. It's almost there though, it's almost perfect!

The next band to make this shortlist is the almighty Slayer! 1983-1990 is their pinnacle, with a strong debut in Show No Mercy and following it up with all time classics in Hell Awaits, Reign In Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss is no small feat. There is one post Seasons album though which is utterly boring, yeah, I'm talking about Diabolous In Musica. C'mon..electronica and Slayer don't go together...naah! Divine Intervention was very good, God Hates Us All was ok and Christ Illusion was excellent! in my opinion. So there you have it...Slayer....another almost perfect discography.

Next band on the shortlist is Iron Maiden. Although they have about 3-4 albums which either suck or are just about mediocre, I still had to include them for the sheer number of great albums these guys have given us. Their self titled debut, Virtual XI and X-Factor were mediocre and Dance of Death was utter crap. But!, everything from Killers(1981) and Fear of The Dark(1992) was absolutely splendid, not to mention the three eternal classics in The Number of The Beast, Powerslave and Piece of Mind. Brave New World was good and the latest A Matter of Life and Death was also very good. So that was Iron Maiden for you, another almost perfect discography.

The next band to make this shortlist is In Flames. In Flames are not the originators of Melodic Death Metal; that title belongs to At The Gates(some might even say Carcass on their Heartwork album), but they surely are the band that defined, redefined and revolutionised this form of music. Everything from Lunar Strain(1994) to Clayman(2000) is pure bliss! and the sophomore release in The Jester Race is arguably the greatest Melodic Death release ever. Reroute to Remain was good and Soundtrack to Your Escape was plainly bland. Their 2006 release, Come Clarity, however, was an excellent release again. So that was In Flames...an almost perfect discography.

The next band to make this list is the super talented Dream Theater. Nothing much to say here..everything from When Dream and Day Unite(1989) to Train of Thought(2003) is pure progressive madness, it's just perfect! The last two albums in Octavarium, which was crap! and Systematic Chaos, which was good but not upto Dream Theater standards, are keeping this discography away from the perfect tag. If they had chosen to retire after Train Of Thought, this would be IT...the perfect discography.

The next band is Megadeth, one of my favourite bands. Everything from Killing is My Business to Countdown to Extinction was great. Yes, I thought So Far So Good was great too, sorry; and Peace Sells and Rust in Peace are metal classics. Countdown to Extinction was a little radio friendly but still an excellent album and Youthanasia was very good. Cryptic writings was excellent again, but the follow up in Risk was utter disappointment. Not only is Risk the worst from Megadeth but perhaps one of the worst pretend-metal albums ever! Word Needs a Hero was just about OK and The System Has Failed and United Abominations have been very good. Megadeth!...another almost almost perfect discography(no typos there, it was meant that way).

The next band to make this shortlist is Dark Tranquillity. Contemporaries of In Flames, and some might say, even better than them. They gave three excellent albums during 1993-1997, including the classic The Gallery. Too bad they followed it up with two very experimental albums in Projector and Haven, and that's what put them in this almost perfect slot, because after that they have given three back to back masterpieces in Damage Done, Character and Fiction again.

Next on the list are the German gods Kreator. Kreator are the European equivalent of Slayer, and boy! do they THRASH!! Ok, I'll be honest here, they have made this list purely on my bias. I love this band so much that I decided to totally ignore the four utterly forgettable albums between 1992-1999. Want names....uhh!...Renewal, Cause for Conflict, Outcast and Endorama; all these albums are disappointments. But the five preceding ones and the two succeeding ones are all masterpieces, yes, all of them!In fact, between Pleasure to Kill, Extreme Aggression, Coma of Souls and Enemy of God, I just cannot decide which is my favourite.

Next on the list are Children of Bodom. Other than Are You Dead Yet, which was good, Something Wild,Follow The Reaper,Hatebreeder and Hate Crew Deathroll are all excellent!! Nothing more to say, I hope Blooddrunk is as good as Children of Bodom have been all these years.

Next up is another German mammoth named Blind Guardian. Honestly speaking, the Blind Guardian discography does not have any blemishes as such, except for A Night At The Opera where they went a little overboard with their symphonic/operatic indulgence, that's it. Everything from their debut in Battalions of Fear to A Tiwst in The Myth ranges from very good to excellent to classic. The two classics being Imaginations from The Other Side and Nightfall in Middle Earth.

Next up are US Power Metal giants, Iced Earth. Well, I gotta admit, this is actually very close to being perfect. Ten studio albums, and not a single one which can be labeled average or mediocre, except for Tribute to The Gods perhaps, which was underwhelming for Iced Earth's standards. Night of The Sotrmrider, The Dark Saga, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Horror Show, The Glorious Burden..oh! how many masterpieces have these guys put out. Despite of constant lineup changes all these years, they still belt out excuisite and thrashy Power Metal. And, if I didn't mention it yet...Matt Barlow is a GODLY singer.

Hmm..we've talked about eleven bands till now, and not one of them has a perfect discography. Is there a band which does not have any mediocre album, which does not have any album that was disappointing? Fortunately, there is!!!....and that band is......

The brainchild of Chuck Schuldiner(RIP), also known as the father of Death Metal. Their debut Scream Bloody Gore is the first ever Death Metal album(yes, Seven Churches started the cookie-monster vocals, but this was real Death Metal). After shaking up the world and giving birth to a new genre with their debut, Death gave another thrashstastic headbanger in Leprosy. Followed Leprosy with the technically brilliant Spiritual Healing. In 1991, they released Human; an album which was to mark a progressive change in Death's sound and also a revolution in extreme music. They followed Human with Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic; two albums which EVERYBODY should listen to. It doesn't matter if you don't like Death Metal, heck!, it doesn't matter if you don't even like any kind of heavy music...you still got to listen to the musical wizardry contained in these two masterpieces. The Sound of Perseverance was Death's last studio album; this is also a work of art(although most people don't think too highly of it), absolutely brilliant! So that was Death...the discography of Death is not just perfect, it's GODLY! Take my word for it, you won't be disappointed.

Dismember--Dismember, 2008: Review

Dismember are back with their new self titled album. To be honest with you, I haven't been impressed by any Dismember offering since Indecent and Obscene, and sadly, the new album hasn't been able to change that. The music is still typical Dismember; brutal Death Metal with a hint of melody and some Gothenburg influences, specially in the solos. Anyway, the music contained within this album is mediocre at best, for most of the songs. The good thing, if you really HAVE to see a silver lining, is the tempo of the album. Most songs here are faster than what you heard on Massive Killing Capacity or The God That Never Was, and the groovy element has been done away with for the better part of the album.

A track by track review is not necessary here; the music is painfully generic. You can't really differentiate between the songs, except for Tide of Blood, which is the best track on this album IMO. To conclude, there is absolutely nothing outstanding on this album, generic riffs, utterly forgettable solos, and the worst part is that Dismember have done something weird with their guitar tone. It's fuzzy and almost dirty sounding, some sort of a muddy phaser effect it seems. This, clearly, does not go well with the Death Metal sound. A very very average album, which you could definitely stay away from, unless you're a Dismember fanatic of course.

Listenable tracks: Death Conquers All, Tide of Blood

Rating: 5/10