A Chronological History of my Music Library

A day after my last release and a little over two years since "Origin Of Symmetry", Muse released their third album "Absolution" on September 15, 2003. This album went to #1 on the charts in both the U.S. and U.K. and spawned six singles. Muse worked with new producer Rich Costey (who worked with Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave) and he helped to give Muse a much grander and epic sound. Let's see what the latest from Muse has to offer! The album begins with a 22 second "Intro" that sets up the first of the album's six singles (and four in a row), titled "Apocalypse Please". Matthew Bellamy plays some intense and pretty cool piano to drive this song and he holds plenty of great long notes in his spectacular-as-always voice. Dominic Howard's drums are solid as well and it's a very epic main riff indeed! Bellamy hits all kinds of super high notes with seemingly relative ease and he even adds a bit of guitar to the mix midway t...

Five days after my last release a new band briefly joins my library when Jet released their debut album "Get Born" on September 14, 2003. But who is Jet? They are a four-piece rock band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of bassist Mark Wilson, guitarist Cameron Muncey, drummer Chris Cester and his brother Nic Cester (lead vocals, guitar). I'm not a big Jet fan by any means and although this album was very successful and spawned five singles, I only have their most popular song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", and boy is it a catchy one! They build it up very nicely and it's a super bouncy and catchy main guitar riff with both guitarists syncing up. Nic has a pretty solid rock voice and he leads a pretty damn catchy verse, and probably an even better chorus with a couple nice long yells. This song is unbelievably catchy and it's hard not to get into the cool stop-and-start verse. How could you not clap along once they get to that part and there's a pret...

A week after my last release and a year since his debut album "The Creek Drank The Cradle", Iron & Wine released their first EP "The Sea & The Rhythm" on September 9, 2003. It's still just Sam Beam and his guitar and he's still playing the same style of acoustic folk music. Let's check out the latest! The EP begins with "Beneath The Balcony" and things sound very much the same style as the first album as Beam leads the way with a pretty catchy, slightly twang-y acoustic guitar riff and he sings a soft verse that matches the mood pretty well. After a couple light rounds we get treated to a little acoustic solo, and it's pretty cool as Beam definitely spices things up with some faster guitar. How come he doesn't solo in every song, I thought it was a really welcome addition to things! Up next is "The Sea And The Rhythm" and it's driven by a very slow and pretty sappy-sounding guitar riff as Beam sings a soft, slow ve...

It's a double release day! A little over three years after "Brave New World" Iron Maiden released their thirteenth album "Dance Of Death" on September 2, 2003. Maiden continue as a six-piece and continue to play lots of longer songs just like last album. Let's see what the latest from these metal hall of famers has to offer! The album begins with "Wildest Dreams" and they jump right into a pretty typical Maiden main riff which is of course led by some decent guitars. Bruce Dickinson still sounds pretty solid singing a typical verse and with three guitarists I have no idea who is playing what but there's some solid harmonized guitars. Dickinson sings a decently catchy chorus overtop a fairly simple riff. After a couple rounds one guitarist nicely segues things to a new part, but the solo/payoff is pretty disappointing honestly. A decent song overall but a bit of a weak opener. Up next is "Rainmaker" and there's a pretty epic and co...

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when Ion Dissonance released their debut album "Breathing Is Irrelevant" on September 2, 2003. But who is Ion Dissonance? They are a five-piece mathcore band from Montreal, Quebec consisting of lead singer Gabriel McCaughry, guitarists Antoine Lussier and Sébastien Chaput, bassist Miguel Valade and drummer Jean-Francois Richard. Ion Dissonance play a very technical, extremely heavy style of metal that is unlike anything else in my library. They take the craziest parts of a band like The Dillinger Escape Plan, but there are no clean vocals at all and all kinds of offbeat, unpredictable riffs. They also have some unusual song titles... let's see what Ion Dissonance is all about! The album begins with "Substantial Guilt Vs. The Irony Of Enjoying" and words are instantly failing me as it's very difficult to describe their erratic style. McCaughry is belting out some unbelievably high screams right from the...

A week after my last release and two years since "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet", Avenged Sevenfold released their second album "Waking The Fallen" on August 26, 2003. Bassist Justin Sane is no longer with the band and he is replaced by new bassist Johnny Christ. Avenged also become a five-piece as Zacky Vengeance shifts to just rhythm guitar and Synyster Gates joins the band as their new lead guitarist. Vengeance proved he was a pretty great guitarist last album so the fact that he's taking a back seat to newcomer Gates must mean the guitars are getting somehow even better?! Let's listen to the latest! The album begins with the title track "Waking The Fallen" and it's a short intro song that slowly builds up, but there's honestly not a lot happening. Eventually things slam nicely into the next track "Unholy Confessions" and Gates and Vengeance give us our first (of many) tastes of the two of them syncing up for some pretty epic ha...