One of the greatest concerts I've seen hands down was this concert by one of my favorite if not favorite bands Metallica who continue to play some of the best heavy metal music in the world and in my opinion rule the world as of this moment in rock music. The band was promoting there latest album Death Magnetic which you saw me review awhile ago which I said it was just as good if not better than there previous work. The stage set up was interesting I ecspacally liked when these huge crosses that look similar to the ones on the Death Magnetic album were hanging down from the top of the ceiling and lowering everytime Metallica was playing some of there songs. The laser light show they put on was amazing which saw these green,purple and red lights going off everywhere which made the experience that much more awesome and the concert experience one of the best I've been to. There was also these cool fire effects that saw these colored fames of fire coming out of the stage which would shoot out for a couple of there songs I ecspacally liked durning the song one seeing these effects as it really added to the atmosphere and really went hand and hand with the lyrics and the epic nature of the song.  Speaking of atmosphere the crowd made it so much better with people around me pumping there fists and screaming at the top of there lungs as while as singing every lyric to almost every song was just so cool to see and made the experience that much better also I cant forget standing in the middle of my section I was at and seeing a mosh pit on the floor right next to the stage which I never got to see that up close. Every song they played was great but the ones that I felt were the absolute best seeing and hearing live were one,sad but true,master of puppets and enter sandman all songs that got me to love and enjoy each of these songs even more after seeing them on the big stage. Also I cant forget how good live all of the members of the band were ecspacally the guitar work by Kirk Hammett who continues to put his stamp in my opinion as the greatest guitar player plaing right now and James Hetfield also continues to be one of the greatest lead singers to hit the high notes for some of the best heavy metal music you will hear. So no questions asked one of the best experiences and concerts I've ever seen and one I will never forget for the rest of my life and something I defiantly plan on doing again real soon. 

- EXCELLENT - JOHN KALTER

Here's a band for as long as they've put out albums I've always enjoyed and seemed to like more with every new album they put out and could do no wrong in my opinion until this album which I will say is bad and my least and most disappointing album they have come out with since they started.

One of the things I was disappointed with is that the band had Daughtry from American idol help with a song on this record that quite frankly in my opinion wasn't good and took from away from the sevendust sound I'm used to and makes it have more of a pop rock vibe that I don't like instead of a heavier sound that I'm more comfortable with. I also wasn't impressed with the ballads this band did since it just didn't sound or feel right from the start because that is not what I want to see from this band and it also just took away from the great music I'm used to hearing from a great heavy rock band like this. And I noticed with this album they  went into another direction with there music by experimenting with like I mentioned earlier a more softer Poppy sound which is not something in my opinion you just do after countless albums with a very hard rock sound that your core audience knows and loves you by and like me has followed you every step of the way to just almost change your sound completely and turn away allot of your fans who have loved every previous album. The songs themselves are not very memorable and bring nothing I liked about there previous songs with to much softer melodies and gentle guitar work and not enough heavy vocals and blistering guitar work I got with every other album that this band put out and   you used to get with every single song. If I had to pick something that I like which is very hard and not easy at all it would be that there is some guitar work that was impressive and kinded almost made it sound like there previous stuff I heard and also the lead singer dose show some signs of why I liked him so much on there previous work which is that very brooding and aggressive sound which is what this album really needed more of. So please if you want to hear great Sevendust work go and buy there earlier work like home, seasons and next all much better albums to listen to then this and my only hope is with there next album though go back strictly to there previous sound which I enjoyed.
- JOHN KALTER

I am going to go a little ways back for my next music review after I have just listened to so many great rock songs recently again that are on this one album and that's from one of my  all time favorite classic rock bands Led Zeppelin. The band as everyone knows are rock gods and have stood the test of time for many decades with there groundbreaking hard rock sound and heavy guitar riffs. It features one of the best leads in music in Robert plant and in my top three of greatest guitar players of all time in jimmy page in what for me after listing to this album is there very best and greatest work they have accomplished in there long history. It features so many classic rock tunes that are loved by so many still today and are milestones in perfecting that hard rock sound that I will just name three that I think are the top of the list which are whole lotta of love,ramble on and finally heartbreaker all songs that you will enjoy as I have time and time again and never get tired of them. The one though I want to touch on more is Ramble On which is such great hard rock song and one that many people might not know deals with in it's lyrics about the lord of the rings books which was very surprising when I found this out though still with one of Robert plants best vocals ever and great acoustic guitar work by the always wonderful Jimmy Page this would have to be my number one of the three I just mentioned. The album is so legendary it has been noted by every major music magazine as one of the very best and so influential to artists like Van Halen,Aerosmith and Gun's and Roses in perfecting there sound and putting out albums for everyone to listen to. I will also go on record as saying this is by far one of the best guitar albums I have ever listened to with tracks that are so mindblowing you just will never stop listing to them and the riffs them self's ecpacally on a whole lotta love are so heavy and fast that I myself wanted to pick up a guitar and try it out because I never heard anything like it before and it was so cool to hear. This band has  made so many great album's with every album they've made being diff rent  but if I had to pick one everyone should go out and buy and listen to it would be this album for sure as it has become one of my all time favorites.
- JOHN KALTER

In what has to be a milestone this band one  of my absolute favorites released there fifteenth album which not many rock and roll bands can say they have done is really amazing as they are continuing to put out new material for there rock fans to here all across the world and also garner newer fans who may of never heard of these rock legends before. In what was a really long gap between this album and there last one it was really great to hear finally something new material and the wait I believe was justified because this album has some really great solid tracks and sounds like your normal heavy sounding ACDC record. Some songs I like on it particular that you should here before any other songs are Rock and Roll Train,Spoilin for a Fight, and Big Jack which have all the ingredients for me of what a great ACDC song should sound like which are great guitar riffs by the legendary Angus Young, howling loud vocals coming from the great lead singer Brian Johnson as while as some of the best rock lyrics that will here to get those devil horns up and you banging your head from one side to the other. The album I have noticed to has been greatly promoted for people to know about this album by having it used for the popular Rock Band videogame which Walmart were the front runners having stored it in a very large storage place to celebrate the release which had never been done before and was a monster success having everyone coming to buy this and to hear there new songs. The title I found to be really interesting and saw that the lead guitarist Angus Young is the one who came up with it by referencing the gigs they would play in Scotland durning the winter were he grew up and also reminded him of radio gigs he would do up north of black ice which is found there. The album is one of there most successful to date which I found out by becoming the second highest selling album of 2008 and was number one in 29 diff rent countries which just shows the overwhelming popularity for this band plus having been the second fastest one week sales doesn't hurt either. What more could you ask for from one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time which continues to rock with the very best of them by putting what maybe the best rock album to come out last year so do yourself a favor and get to listing to this album which continues the tradition of great ACDC records. - JOHN KALTER

This fourth album by the band Slipknot continues this amazing streak of records that this band has come out with and will sure to please all of the bands followers. Lyrically I noticed that this band used themes like from most metal bands of anger,disaffection and obsession particularly about the music industry which also seems to be common with there previous work also. This band also continues there vicious streak when it comes to there music like their brutal edge towards how they play there songs and also some great heavy sounding guitar solos as well. One song I like in particularly on this album is psychosocial which for me is very reminiscent of there song before i forget and has a very fun good tempo and hard rocking sound ecspacally with the guitar/drum breakdown that will have you floored and sound like nothing you ever heard from this band before. One thing I also love about this album is that it continues the bands dark and ominous tone of there previous work which I liked so much and is also at the same time weird and experimental which I also love. It was also nice to see that this was a really well received album from most music critics who praised it across the board and seeing as how most critics don't appreciate heavy metal or hard rock records it was a nice surprise to see. And I couldn't be happier then to see that the band reached the billboard 200 for the first time seeing how they continue to make great rock records and never really had this mainstream of success. I would really like to say finally to that the album is so heavy and aggressive that it reminds me of my favorite band Metallica's earlier work like Master of Puppets or Ride the Lighting which is huge praise considering that I think the world of Metallica and also consider them to be the best heavy metal band ever. So in closing if your looking for album that will really rock your socks off and get you headbanging like crazy I suggest you go and try out this album because you wont be disappointed.
- JOHN KALTER

This fourth album from the great heavy metal band Disturbed is there most darkest and heaviest album to date witch features some good songs but isn't my favorite album of there's that honor go's to there first album however it still a good listen to and will make allot of heavy metal fans happy. The playlist of songs on this album range for me to good to just ok with my favorite songs being Inside The Fire,Indestructible,Haunted and Perfect Insanity which all are songs that I really enjoyed and are some of the bands heaviest on this album. The songs reflect the way the band felt at the time of making this album suicide,bad relationships and even a motorcycle accident with the lead singer David Draiman telling the band use this to create a more darker and textural sound which you see in the album. The title of the album is interesting because it basically telling how the band is still here and is still making music regardless of what is happening around them and continuing to make great music for us  fans to listen to. The album cover for this album I have to mention is one of this bands coolest and symbolizes really the darker tone they went with and also reminds me of something you would see from a heavy metal band from the 80's like Iron Madden or Judas Priest. The guitar on this album is really heavy and also has Avery dark brooding epic feel like what the band was trying to accomplish with this album making it sound much different then there previous albums and it has some of the best guitar solos like on songs The Night,Perfect Insanity and the Divide that harken back for me to some 80's heavy metal music. The vocals by the lead singer continue the great vocals that he had with the previous albums and make him still one of the better singers in heavy metal music. This album is good and will make every fan of Disturbed a happy person and continues what I already knew and that this band is here to stay for the long haul and continue to make great albums for it's fans to enjoy. - JOHN KALTER

This is no question my favorite Ozzy album and one that is constantly played by me everytime because of the great catalog of songs that never seem to get boring and always keep me headbanging. To me it's one of those true gold standards in heavy metal music that everyone should listen to because of truly how amazing the vocals and guitar is on this album and also how influential this album was to so many heavy metal bands to follow taking all the notes they could to have a album like this in there future. When it comes to great guitarists like I mentioned you can't go any further than mentioning Randy Rhodes who was truly revolutionary in how he played as while as his great work with Ozzy throughout this album and also his short but great career that continues to be discovered by future guitarists who want what randy had in heavy metal music. Ozzy for me maybe the most important face to grace the heavy metal music scene for what he did with Black Sabbath to with this album which was his first solo record were he just broke down barriers for heavy metal artists to mainstream media were before he arrived never seemed to get the respect or airtime like other artists because the music wasn't consisderd popular. But having this album come out truly showed the world what heavy metal music is all about and how big of a audience there is out there for this kind of music so I like to thank Ozzy for how important he was ecspacally with this album for getting this kind of music out there so that people like me can here it today. The songs on this album are filled with heavy metal classics that are being played as we speak on radio stations around the world from the masterpiece that is Crazy Train witch includes one of the greatest guitar solos in history to also Mr Crowley and Suicide Solution and bunch of other songs that would make any Heavy Metal fan happy. I don't think I need to tell you just how massive this album was on the charts but all tell you anyway that it's Ozzy's biggest selling album to date with over 4 million copies and also was on billboard's list of the greatest selling albums of the 80's reaching number 21 even without the benefit of having a top 40 hit. Also you know how influential your album is when you see it used in the popular guitar hero games everyone plays and also being cited in many guitar magazines as one of the best guitar albums all thanks to Randy Rhodes of course. It is and for ever should be known as a truly great heavy metal album that every heavy metal fan should listen to to see were heavy metal got started and were it got it's roots and also how just by listing to this you can see were most bands got there music influence from. - JOHN KALTER

From one of the most successful bands to come out in the past ten years this album has to be on the top of any list for favorite and memorable albums including mine because it had that great aggressive sounding nu metal sound as while as the playability were you could listen to the album again and again and never get tired of it. I don't think there is a song on the album I hate because all of the them are sung and played so well ecpacally on the tracks one step closer,crawling,in the end and points of authority which all get you to put your fists in the air and rock out losing your vocal chords because your screaming so loud while singing along to the songs. Some people may not know but all those songs I mentioned along with the rest of the  songs on the album are based and influenced from the lead singer Chester Bennington childhood which included constant drug and alcohol abuse and the divorce of his parents which ultimately got him to vent his frustration all of this through song and making this album. I loved the blend which was still new at the time of rap and rock which has been now known as nu metal because it for me when I heard it was so new at the time it just blew me away hearing these two different styles of music get put together and have it sound so great and still have that hard rock sound which I always loved along with the rap influence as while. The album as has now gone down as one of the greatest albums to come out in this decade for it's new sound and and lyrics that reflect the frustration of life from also selling more than ten million copies and being the second best selling album of the 21st century which are honors that any band would love to have. This album is one of the few I believe to come out in the past decade that is a absolute must have for all hard rock fans and brought also a new sound in rock music that hasn't been touched since. - JOHN KALTER

 One of the first metal albums I can remember getting was this album which blew me away when I heard it because it was nothing like what I was hearing at the time on the radio and it was a fresh sound coming from the heavy metal scene which I liked. This album has some of my favorite rock songs on it like Stupify,Voices,Down with the Sickness as while as a cover song of shout all songs making me want to put my fists in the air every time I hear them and just completely rock out and scream my head off. The lead singer of the band David Draiman has one of the heaviest and loudest voices I've heard from a singer in a heavy metal band in quite some time and I  would put him at the top of the list of greater heavy metal band singers to come out within the past couple of years because of his sound being so raw and loud and also packed with so much aggression. The cover for the album to me has to have one of the cooler images in heavy metal of recent years displaying the birth of a monster which to me perfects the album and the band that much more. I would compare there style of music to that of old school classic metal like Metallica,Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Pantera with such great guitar riffs as while as very good vocals that make them closer to what those great bands did and pay tribute to them at the same time. This album to as of write know is there most successful and popular with over 4 million albums sold in the united states as while as countless songs on this album being played still on mainstream rock radio like crazy because people love the songs so much and want to hear them constantly. What I think is there most heavy to date is a must listen if you like really great metal music and want to listen to some truly great songs that you'll  want to hear over and over again and at the same time become a fan of this band right away if your not already one I guarantee it.
- JOHN KALTER

To me this album is one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time from possibly the greatest band of all time Black Sabbath. This for me was one of the first albums I heard that just completely blew me away with such a dark loud heavy sound like something I never heard before in rock music. And it's hard to argue in my opinion how great the songs on this album are with such great classics like iron man,war pigs and my personal favorite paranoid. And hearing that it's there biggest selling album in there history with over four million copies doesn't surprise me given  the legacy this band has brought to the mainstream public and ecspcally to all those long time heavy metal fans like myself. This album has been featured on many great rock lists like rolling stone ranking it number 130 on there greatest albums of all time as while as guitar world putting it number 6 on it's greatest guitar albums of all time. And to me it's without any discussion that Ozzy Osbourne is the greatest lead singer in heavy metal history and makes Black Sabbath's music sound like something you would never here before because his voice is so different and not like everyone Else's and brings with his voice that heavy sound that fits so perfectly with heavy metal music. And the guitar sound which is so perfected by one of the greatest guitar players in the world Toni Iommi who make every song on this album rock harder and louder because of his work makes this album all of that much better than if he had no part of it and creates some of the most iconic riffs you will ever here in heavy metal music that will literally bleed your ears dry until you cant here any more. So do yourself a favor and get this album which is a classic in every sense of the world and will forever be known as one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time with some of the greatest sounding music you will ever here. 
- John Kalter

- John Kalter

 One album I have recently listened to and really liked was this album which I found to have a really hard sound  and some great songs of which have become some of my favorites.  To me it's no wonder it is the bands best selling album selling more than 1,000,000 copies worldwide and storming up the charts on every hard rock station out there. For me the songs on the album I have enjoyed the most and have listened to everyday are fake it,breakdown and my favorite of there new album rise above this which gets me in a good mood everytime I listen to it. There songs have reached the billboard charts for more than 10 straight weeks which is the most for any album they have had come out. The cover for there album is different and something you would not see on most rock album covers as it has a picture of a ghost called Candice which was designed by Chinese artist David Ho which would explain why she is a Chinese girl. The album was dedicated to the lead vocals younger brother who committed suicide by falling of the 10Th floor window of the hotel that the band was staying at. The song I mentioned was my favorite rise above this was actually written for the lead vocals younger brother to keep him out of depression which was written before he committed suicide. So in closing this was for me was a very enjoyable hard rock record that really surprised me and kept me rocking all the way to the last song and makes me look forward to the bands next album. 

- John Kalter

After talking about how much I really loved Metallica's black album this album for me is right up there with that one and brings Metallica back to there heavy metal greatness.  This album after the dissapoiment that was st.anger really brings all fans back like myself to prasing there great music after not having that much to enjoy and listen to with there most recent albums. The album got some of the best reviews Metallica has gotten in awhile from Rolling Stone naming it the ninth best album of 2008 and saying it's Metallica's best album since the black album to  Allmusic saying it makes Metallica sound like Metallica again. It did amazing record sales with Billbord Magazine saying the album sold more than 490,000 copies in just three days and it was the fifth consective album from them to debut at muber one making them the first and only band to have most consective albums to debut at number one. Listning to there songs you here them go back to there roots with a very heavy sound and some really great guitar riffs that take you back to the good ol days when every Metallica song you heard you were completely blown away with and want to hear again and again. This band has for me have taken there spot back as the greatest heavy metal band alive with this album and shows what true rock legends they have become and that they will continue to put great music out for generations of heavy metal fans like myself for a along time.

- John Kalter

 For me the black album is in my opinion one of the best heavy metal records I've ever heard. To me it's know surprise that it's metallica's best selling album to date selling way over 15 million copies and loved by so many heavy metal fans young and old. For the most part this album was praised by all critics including rolling stone magazine who called it destined to be a hard rock classic as while as putting it on there 500 greatest albums list listing it number 252 out of 500. One of the most amazing things about this album is the tour that they did to promote the album and get to there fans which lasted a record three years long which is remarkable considering most band's just spend a year to a few months. The songs on the album are some of the best hard rock song's I've heard  everything from enter sandman there most heavy song on there album and most popular to even the more ballad type of song but still heavy  unforgiven. Even the cover for the album add's to the greatness of the album which is basically all black and has a snake on it which makes it that much cooler and adds the sense of this being the most heavy sounding rock record you will ever here. If I had a list of greatest rock albums this would probably be in my top five of all time just for the amount of songs that I can constantly listen to and never get bored with as while as how heavy this album is for me making my ear's bleed every time I here it. 

- John Kalter