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Disc I
01. Clenching The Fists Of Dissent
02. Beautiful Mourning
03. Aesthetics Of Hate
04. Now I Lay Thee Down
05. Slanderous
06. Halo
07. Wolves
08. A Farewell To Arms
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden cover] [bonus]
10. Battery [Metallica cover] [bonus]
Disc II [Special Edition Bonus CD – B-Sides/Rarities 1994-2008]
01. Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden cover]
02. Alan’s On Fire [Poison Idea cover]
03. Negative Creep [Nirvana cover]
04. Seasons Wither
05. My Misery
06. House Of Suffering [Bad Brains cover]
07. The Possibility Of Life’s Destruction [Discharge cover]
08. Ten Ton Hammer (Extended Original Mix)
09. Hole In The Sky [Black Sabbath cover]
10. Colors [Ice-T cover]
11. Hard Times [Cro-Mags cover] [live]
12. Halo (I Want Your Soul) [demo 2005 version]
13. Aesthetics Of Hate (Thrash-terpiece) [demo 2005 version]
Disc III [Special Edition DVD]
01. Clenching The Fists Of Dissent [Live With Full Force 2008]
02. Now I Lay Thee Down [Live With Full Force 2008]
03. Halo [Live With Full Force 2008]
04. Aesthetics Of Hate [Live Rock In Rio 2008]
05. Davidian [Live Rock In Rio 2008]
06. Imperium [Live Download 2007]
07. Old [Live Download 2007]
08. A Thousand Lies [Live Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004]
09. The Rage To Overcome [Live Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004]
10. Death Church [Live Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004]
11. Blood For Blood [Live Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004]
+ Halo
+ Now I Lay Thee Down
+ Aesthetics Of Hate
+ Making Of Feature For Each Video
This album is beautiful and punishing at the same time. The grooving and crushing riffs mix with the furious drumming and roaring vocals of Robb Flynn (who along with Phil Demmel just kills it on guitar throughout the album), and there are calm and beautiful parts where Flynn’s incredible clean vocals soar. But the best part of the album is how they deliver important messages about the state of America or the world.
The songs are beautifully crafted, with mixes of heavy, grooving riffs, melodic interludes, soaring choruses, crushing breakdowns, and blistering solos. This album is a rarity, since it can both get your head banging and shed more light on an important topic while giving you goosebumps. Songs like “Clenching The Fists Of Dissent” and “A Farewell To Arms” have similar messages, but while “Clenching The Fists Of Dissent” is an angry war cry, “A Farewell To Arms” is an almost mournful track about how America has become a force of destruction instead of one of advancement. Many of the songs have powerful messages, and the way the band presents each message in the song is breathtaking.
Not only are the meanings behind the songs almost deep at times, the music in general is amazing. One track that particularly stood out to me was “Halo”, which has an adrenaline-pumping riff that evolves into an almost transcendental chorus. “Halo” has it all: a solid intro, a great main riff and verses, an unforgettable chorus, a crushing breakdown, and a really good solo. The part where Robb Flynn’s soft vocals singing “And I won’t pray for you” leads into one of the best final choruses I’ve ever heard gives me goosebumps and chills every time.
In conclusion, I heavily recommend this album to anyone who is interested in getting into metal, or anyone who is familiar with this kind of music. And while you listen, pay attention to the lyrics. Overall, this is an album that I will praise for the rest of my life.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 10 |
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.