For well over 30 years and 15 albums now, Sevendust has been a consistent force in rock music. There is no denying the impact they’ve had on so many bands that came after them. By mixing heavy riffs, hard charging rhythms, melody and soul, Sevendust truly carved their own niche in the rock music world. What’s even more interesting is how much the creative juices flow with this band. It’s currently 2026 and Sevendust just released their 15th studio album and it’s a very welcome return to form that made them the titans they are. With that all in mind now, here’s the Audieclectica Definitive Album Rank for Sevendust.
For well over thirty years now, Deftones have cemented themselves as one of rock and alternative music’s most influential and inspiring bands. Throughout their career, they’ve always pushed the boundaries of genres and constantly found new elements to add into their ten studio albums. When you listen to a band like Deftones, it can be a bit polarizing in that you expect one thing and get something else. Not every album in a band’s catalog is going to be amazing. Some right away will be “That One,” while others might take a bit to grow on the listener. And sometimes, you just have a dud. It all happens. Even a dud, albeit as a whole might not be good, there are still some moments or songs that give it a glimmer of a bright spot. RAnking albums is never easy especially when you tackle a catalog such as Deftones. And with that here’s the Audioeclectica Updated Album Rank.
Ever since Deftones released their new album Private Music a couple months back, it’s been in constant rotation. It’s a really good album. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should! It’s the album that should’ve come after Koi No Yokan. If you want to read more about Private Music, you can check out my review here. Earlier this week, while in the beginning stages of putting together an Ultimate Set List for Deftones, I realized how many great songs they have that don’t get played live. And there are a bunch. One track in particular that I’ve always gravitated to is the final song on their 2003 self titled album, “Moana.” According to setlist.fm, this song has only been played live twice and both happened in 2004. That must change (no pun intended)! “Moana” is one of those signature Deftones songs with the ambience, heavy guitars, pulsating rhythms and those oh so sweet vocals! So, I’m putting it out in the universe that “Moana” needs to start getting it’s time to shine!!
The other day when I put together my Those 80’s Songs post, I had another song pop in my head but I couldn’t think of who it was. While out and about with my friend and podcast co-host Justin yesterday, the song and artist revealed itself to me. The band was Collective Soul and the song is “December.” You might very well recognize this songs as it was all over the radio in 1995. So much so that it reached number 21 on Top 40 radio too. You can find this song on the bands second album which is often referred to as their Blue Album. Another hit of theirs is found on this album, “The World I Know.” If you look into the history of Collective Soul, it’s quite interesting. From the amount of songs they’ve released as singles that we all know to even some deep cuts that have been in TV and Film. Collective Soul are definitely one of those 90’s bands that make you remember those times!
This is a fun one for you all. Back in 1996 on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Omaha’s own 311, made their national television debut with a performance of their hit song “Down.” This was the year that 311 broke and everyone knew the song “Down.” It was and still is infectious. To this day, anytime I hear this song it takes me back and I can’t help but turn it up loud! 311’s self titled album or the “blue album” as some refer to it as, still holds up quite well to this day! If it were ever announced that the band would do a full play through of this album, I’d definitely go! In the meantime, enjoy this classic performance of 311’s “Down.”
311- Down (Live on Late Night with Conan O’Brien/ 1996):
It’s been way too long but, now the day has arrived. Mudvayne are officially back! It was announced today that the band would be reuniting for a series of festival shows including, Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Welcome To Rockville and Inkcareration. After 12 years, it’s very refreshing to have them back. I have to say too, I’m glad they are doing this. I couldn’t stand Hellyeah. Mudvayne has always been a live favorite of mine. Hell I even spent my 21st birthday at a Mudvayne concert (with Life Of Agony, American Head Charge, and the awesome Bloodsimple). Their debut album, LD 50 is one hell of an album to this day, 20 years after it’s release. I was also quite fond of the follow up, The End Of All Things To Come. Their 3rd album, Lost and Found is a pretty rocking album with some choice cuts on it like “All That You Are.” The New Game was ok. Their final album, 2009’s self titled was actually a nice sort of return, though it was more a return to Lost and Found than LD 50. Either way with their catalog of songs and intense live shows, this reunion hopefully will be long lasting.
Lamb Of God have been at this for over two decades now and have solidified their place in the heavy music community. Throughout their time, they’ve released two albums that have become classics in the metal world (As The Palaces Burn and Ashes Of The Wake). Now, in 2020, Lamb Of God have released a new album with a renewed sense of energy that hasn’t been heard from them in a long while. That’s not to say that this sounds like a different band, it’s still Lamb through and through. Longtime drummer Chris Adler is no longer in the fold and has been replaced with the very accomplished Art Cruz (formerly of Winds Of Plague and Prong).
This album definitely seems to pick up where their previous one, VII Sturm Und Drang left off. There’s plenty of intricate parts, thrashy elements and metal to go around as well as a new groove that seems to have energized all the members to pick it up a bit more. Album opener “Memento Mori” has some very cool vibes that show that this is more than just a run of the mill song. The clean vocals from Randy Blythe actually fit in really well on this track. “Checkmate” lyrically is hard charging but, musically it does sound a bit familiar. “Gears” offers a bit more of that new groove I mentioned. I have a feeling this song live would be crowd favorite. My favorite song on the new album is “Reality Bath.” This one shows off a lot of diversity in what this band can do. The arrangement on this song along with “that groove” makes this one a stand out. “New Colossal Hate” is straight up Lamb Of God. This song needs to be added to their set list. It definitely has a bit of an Ashes vibe to it as well. “Resurrection Man” is a pretty fun song in that it has a bit of a Pantera-ish vibe mixed with a bit a sort of prog element too. This would be an interesting one to hear live. “Poison Dream” features Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta. This song is another very Lamb sounding song. Jamey’s vocals do tend to get lost in the shuffle on this track. It would have been cooler if there was a badass breakdown and he was unleashed. “Routes” is a very introspective song lyrically about Randy’s time spent protesting at the Dakota Access Pipeline. Testament’s Chuck Billy guests on this track in a passionate way. “Bloodshot Eyes” is a song that musically could have fit very easily on guitarist Mark Morton’s solo album. The inclusion of mostly clean vocals on this one is sure to separate some fans but, it’s definitely a welcome change. “Off The Hook” closes out the album and this one is pretty hard charging.
This album is Lamb Of God doing what they do. It’s not reinventing the wheel. It does have a bit of a different vibe since Chris Adler is no longer involved but, it was needed change. Art Cruz, like I mentioned before, has brought a new energy and groove to the band. That groove he learned from playing in Prong, definitely shows through. Mark Morton and Willie Adler have really become quite the guitar duo over the years and on this album it really comes to light a bit more. John Campbell is a seriously underrated bass player. His style along with Art’s are super in sync and it allows for the right amount of breath to be let out on these songs. Randy Blythe’s vocals have really taken shape in interesting ways. He’s still ferocious and gritty but, being able to expand upon the dynamics of the songs with clean parts give these songs something more than just a run of the mill vibe. Overall, this album is solid and a great place to start anew. I can definitely see a few of these songs becoming live staples for a good amount of time. Also, I can really see Art Cruz finding his own place in this band and helping to push the boundaries of what this band can do.
Ever since Slipknot’s new album, We Are Not Your Kind came out, I’ve been hooked on it. We Are Not Your Kind is one hell of an album. In my opinion it’s the best album they’ve released since Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses. This new one has some of the darkest/heaviest lyrics since Iowa and musically it’s got a really interesting balance of Volume 3 and the self titled debut. With all that in mind, I thought a new ranking of Slipknot’s albums would be quite fitting.
The Cult have long been one of the best and most consistent rock bands in the world. I’d even go as far as saying they are one of the best rock bands of all time. They’ve released some of the best rock albums and continue to make it known that they are still a force to be reckoned with. With that in mind, take a delve into their catalog and see why they are one of the best!
Last week Slipknot released a new song from their upcoming new album, which is due out in 2019. Naturally, I went on a kick of listening to them for a few days. While having my own personal listening party, I started to think about all the b-sides they have from their albums. Well now, here they are.
From Slipknot:
Get This:
Snap:
Despise:
Interloper:
Me Inside:
Purity:
From Volume 3- The Subliminal Verses:
Don’t Get Close:
