5 Albums That Every Rock/Metal Fan Must Have

Let me preface this by saying the albums I am talking about here are most likely impossible to get your hands on right now unless you scour the interweb on Ebay or some other place where they have managed to get a few copies.

 Red Square Black- Square (1994)

I actually came across this band by accident. A friend of mine had been given this EP for free and as we were hanging out at his place he knew I was into rock/metal (he was more of a mainstream alternative rock fan) and decided that he didn’t care for this EP all that much so he gave it to me. I immediately fell in love with it from the word go with the opening track “Violent Pause” and the rest is history. Even my best friend fell in love with the record, so much so that he impatiently waited until I could cut him a copy of the disc for himself. I had seen this EP once many years ago in Record and Tape Traders but didn’t think to pick up that copy as well not knowing how rare it actually was.

The most notable names on this EP are guitarist John 5 (Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie) and drummer Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osbourne). The EP consists of 5 songs that feature a multitude of various influences from experimental rock, to pop, and even touches of metal all within them. Each song brings a different feel and arrangement yet cohesively entwine with each other perfectly. There is a fantastic solo for “I Lost My…” and “Just Another Day” features some very cool vocal arrangements by Mark Binder. This EP has a little bit of everything involved and its really unfortunate the band dissolved shortly aftwards as I would loved to see what they could of done with a full length.

Geezer- Plastic Planet (1995)

Having already been a big Fear Factory fan because of “Soul of a New Machine” and “Demanufacture” I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up and saw that Bell had made vocal contributions to it. I immediately got excited and fell in love with the songs “Catatonic Eclipse”, “Drive Boy, Shooting”, “The Invisible”, “Séance Fiction”, and “Detective 27”. The amazing part of about this record is that it doesn’t sound anything like Fear Factory. No, you can hear Bell’s unique vocals and overall vibe of them but the arrangements that Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) has set up on this record utilizes Burton’s vocals much differently here and it’s a refreshing and awe inspiring take. The vocals shine best for me on “Séance Fiction” and give me goosebumps on how good they are applied here.

Thinking back its hard to imagine that this record did not receive more attention than it actually got and somehow over the years has gotten lost in all the rubble. This record is a very in your face record and has still stood the test of time in my opinion. In fact, despite the fact that Fear Factory has still been going on over the years none of their recent records can really compare to this particular one. Plastic Planet showcases a truly unique take on how Bell’s vocals could have been used with Fear Factory in so many different ways instead of consistently sticking with a tired formula. So if you are looking to pull an album out of the dust bin and find a refreshing take with a more variant sound than pick this release up. 

Snake River Conspiracy- Sonic Jihad (2000)

Sonic Jihad is an alternative/industrial pop/post grunge record created by Jason Slater (Third Eye Blind) and vocalist Tobey Torres. The album features 3 covers from The Smiths, The Cure, and T-Ride. From a technical standpoint this album will not blow anyone away. However, the songs are well arranged and the album flows flawlessly from one song to the next. Even on songs like “Vulcan” which turns up the aggression both in musical arrangement as well with Torres angry vocals showcases another avenue the band possessed. Some songs such as “Breed” feature a bassline taken from the original “Planet of the Apes” (which I found out some time later when viewing it one night and immediately started laughing to myself).

Then songs like “Strangled” have a very cool James Bond anthem like musical theme about it and could of easily been used as a theme song perfectly if ever given the chance. Obviously the rock portion of this record is on the down low as it has more of a pop and somewhat dance feel about the record. Not a happy dance but more gothic romance styled dance beat. But the rock vibe is definitely there in the underlying foundation of the music itself. Some believe the album doesn’t hold up very well but I disagree as I often find myself going back to it even with all its generic simplicity. Much like most of these records I am listing here today SRC never did another record despite still being listed as active. 

Driveset- Force of Habit (2005)

Taking some inspiration from Helmet and a little bit vocally from Disturbed this is a band I discovered locally when meeting their drummer online one fateful evening back in 2005. While the style presented on this record really doesn’t hold up because of the ever constant change of the music scene Force of Habit does present the listener with a more unique perspective of the type of nu-metal/hard rock approach of the mid-late 90’s and mid-2000’s nu-metal popularity. The great thing about this record is relies less on the nu-metal aspect and more on the alternative rock inspired portion to deliver its appeal.

Songs like “Edge of Sanity”, “Alone”, “20 to Life”, and “Trust in Me” showcase and highlight the catchiness and grungy hooks that are being delivered. Since this record the members have all gone on to do different projects but this record stands alone as a record that simply could not gain the attention it so richly deserved in the sea of countless bands who didn’t possess the same interesting take on the genre at the time. If you are a big fan of the alternative rock era specifically with bands like Helmet and the similar sound you will want this record. 

Detachment- Suspended in Stone (2000)

Like most of my days as an album rater/reviewer I constantly am on the lookout for records that bring a fresh and unique take on their desired musical approach. Back in 2000 I had come across this band at the height of the napster/limewire craze when I heard a pair of tracks “Open Your Heart” and “Incarnate Solvent Abuse” (Carcass Cover). Suspended in Stone is a mixture of technical/progressive death metal in the vein of later era Death, Carcass, and a little bit of Atheist. The albums most notable track for me is “Bloodmirror” where at the mid point the band breaks into a jazz/blues inspired solo that is one of the best I have ever heard within a death metal song.

While the album can contain some over usage of keyboards layered throughout it the keyboards do provide an interesting take on their Carcass cover (which I thought made the song a little better). While this album really doesn’t stand the test of time because of other technical death metal bands doing the same thing and much better at this point this record still has a lot to offer for fans of this specific genre. Its still a very solid record and a lot of fun to go back to on occasion and is consistently good throughout the entire record. Even songs like “Septic Reality” or “Severed From the Flesh” which are a little more straight forward provide endless headbanging material for the listener to enjoy. At the end of the day despite some of its flaws this record deserves to be in your collection.