5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With #18: Metal Noise Edition!

“The Caitiff Choir” by It Dies Today – “Classic 2003 era Gothenburg sound inspired American Metalcore album that just refuses to get old. I must have listened to this one a thousand times over the past 20 odd years. It just has everything you could want. Nick Brooks vocals are immense, his musings on heartbreak, loneliness and death resonate and then you have the guitars. Leads, breakdowns, attitude. Their debut EP “Forever Scorned” is a ferocious beast but this album has better balance vocally, there is no slowdown for the clean sung moments so it doesn’t lose any of its energy. My only regret is that I missed seeing them live back in the day.”

“Cover Your Tracks” by Bury Your Dead – “Metallic Hardcore at its finest, track titles named after Tom Cruise movies, an absolute must for two steppers and breakdown junkies. So good in fact that the band put out a live DVD (remember those?!) filmed at the iconic Chain Reaction in Anaheim California called “Buried Alive”. Does it get more anthemic than “The Color Of Money”? the music video for that track is sheer class as well. Another band that I’ve followed pretty much since their inception but the stars didn’t align to seeing them live. What’s great about this record is that it has a real edge to it in the guitars and of course you can scream along with Mat Bruso with ease.”

“In Waves” by Trivium – “This album will always have a special place in my heart. Not only is it a classic Metal record with slick riffs and solos but it has a fantastic flow and drum sound and I fell in love with it from the first listen. Of all the Trivium records, I think that it arguably finds Matt Heafy at his finest vocally. Watching them play the title track as an encore to their Twentieth Anniversary of Ascendancy set and joining a sold out O2 Arena singing along was a real moment! It was on blasting in my car on the way to the hospital when I got the news my father had passed and it kept me sane for the journey.”

“Alien” by Strapping Young Lad – “I got into the world of Devin Townsend when someone gave me a copy of “For All Those Aboot To Rock – Live at The Commodore Theatre” on DVD and it blew my tiny mind back in 2005. After that I went out and snapped up a copy of “Alien” as soon as it dropped. The chaos of “Shitstorm” followed by the groove of “Love?” makes it absolutely electric and honestly, while the other records are fabulous, this one is the one that I keep going back to. The combination of Death, Thrash and Industrial Metal never gets old but the humour of Townsends lyrics is the icing on the cake.”

“Burn My Eyes” by Machine Head – “There have been highs and lows in the career of Machine Head but their debut album remains one that gets returned to regularly because it has so many Groove Thrash classics on it. Is there a better opening pair than “Davidian” and “Old” back to back in the bands discography? The Hardcore influences bleed out as you get deeper into it and that is something that always appealed to me, especially as I have a love for Biohazard. Colin Richardson delivers a masterclass in how to make bands sound great with this one, nailing Chris Kontos drum sound and making everything crisp and clear. Lyrical dives into social issues, street culture and drugs went over my head when I was young but they have since come to the forefront of what this is all about and I love it!”