21 defied the modest commercial expectations of her independent record label, XL. A sleeper hit, it topped record charts in more than 30 countries and became the world's best-selling album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, helping to revitalise the lagging sales of the global music industry. It is the best-selling album of the 21st century and the third best-selling album in the UK, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, it is the best-performing Billboard 200 album of all time, holding the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history.

The early German thrash has a special kind of appeal, largely due to its rawness and unrelenting approach, and of the Teutonic thrashers, Kreator were ahead of the rest in rawness and extremity by some way. This album in particular has gained a reputation for being one of the most ferocious assaults in thrash metal, while also drawing criticism because of its single-minded nature. I am not especially partial to all-out musical destruction, but I must say that Pleasure to Kill is one of the best examples of its kind, almost certainly better than that other 1986 all-out thrash album.

Пока не совсем зрелый, что ли, но уже демонстрирующий потенциал Slayer релиз. Потенциал создавать потрясающие, цельные, богатые и при этом, как это ни парадоксально, аскетичные песни. Отнюдь не идеал, но черновик, заготовка для многих, многих шедевров...
Такая музыка не стареет. Ее просто слегка припорошило пеплом душ, сгоревших в топке персонального Slayer'овского крематория. Но этот пепел легко сдувается звуковой волной первых аккордов "Angel of Death", которую гонят динамики, и прах этот уносится в неизвестном направлении на встречу с забвением и долгожданным покоем.

I'm sure "Terrible Certainty" may have some fans divided. This is Kreator's equivalent to "South of heaven", not because of musical similarities, but they had the awkward task of following up "Pleasure to kill" hailed by just as many as "Reign in blood." They were never going to top the sheer intensity of this album's predecessor, but this album sounds more stable, with plenty of catchy thrash riffs that will stay in the memory for years to come. If the mission was to release an album that was slightly more disciplined without sounding far too refrained, then the mission was surely accomplished. I'm not going to denounce anybody who prefers other Kreator albums over this one, because Kreator have released many a classic, I am just going to tell you why this album has a permanent place in my collection, and why I like it so much. Although I love this album, I can come to terms with why some might carefully tread around it, because it isn't a masterpiece either. The riffs are good which is a given considering it is a Kreator album from the 1980's, but I genuinely find the lyrics more interesting this time around. "Blind faith" is about Romans feeding Christian heretics to the lions in an arena, "Behind the mirror" is about a man who is having trouble facing the reality of the world, hiding behind his thoughts and the imaginary barriers he has set for himself. I find the good lyrics accompanied by catchy riffs, will have most bobbing their head to the lyric sheet.

Обязательно к ознакомлению считающими себя блэк-металлистами и не слышавшими эту запись.Уж на что я считаю Sodom прекрасной группой, но всё равно чаще всего возвращаюсь именно к этой безумной пластинке. Примитивность на грани гениальности - вот что такое In the Sign of Evil!

Alright peoples, Extreme Aggression, my favorite Kreator album. Yes, I said it, this is my favorite Kreator album. The so-called weak point in Kreator's early career that is sandwiched between the technical yet vicious monster Terrible Certainty and the completely fuckin' godly Coma of Souls that outshines almost every thrash album ever. I just, you know, like this one more. Extreme Aggression was where Kreator started polishing their blade a little bit; they started out hacking people to death with a jagged, blood-stained battle axe but around Terrible Certainty and this one, they began introducing more streamlined songwriting elements, better crafted and catchier riffs, and an overall smarter approach to the thrash.

Bring out the bottles and obsess over sad memories because My Dying Bride has returned with their thirteenth album, Feel the Misery. For 25 years, they have been the measuring stick in depressive doom metal, releasing one great album after another and influencing countless bands in both death/doom and gothic/doom genres along the way. And this new album continues this legacy and cements My Dying Bride's position at the top of their craft. D.O. played a very special sold out show, accompanied by a German navy orchestra (Marinemusikkorps Nordsee). The symphonic sound of the orchestra and the choir merged with the songs of U.D.O. and made the evening a unique unforgettable.

На мой взгляд, это лучший альбом группы, более зрелый, чем ранние работы и не такой коммерческий, как поздние. Каждая вещь на нем – вершина композиторского мастерства, а прекрасные мелодии из тех, что запоминаются на всю жизнь, западают в душу и заставляют по-настоящему наслаждаться музыкой. Вокал Тарьи бесподобен, как и всегда, а замысловатые гитарные партии постоянно приковывают внимание к музыке. Впрочем, профессионализм остальных участников группы тоже не подлежит сомнению. Великолепно звучат клавишные, создавая возвышенную оперную атмосферу, живо напоминая концерты в консерватории. Отличное сведение материала не может не радовать слух, как, впрочем, и качество записи. Оригинальное сочетание скоростных и медленных моментов наполнено гармонией и по-настоящему талантливо.

Theatre of Pain - третий студийный альбом американской хэви-метал-группы Mötley Crüe. Японская версия альбома выпущена WEA International Inc. в 1989.

Genesis is the seventh full-length album by the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ. The release showed some return to the group's more aggressive early days as a black metal band, featuring fast, percussive tempos and raw vocals, as well as some gothic and doom elements from middle releases. It was produced by Andy Classen in Germany at the Stage-One-Studio, also used by Krisiun, Belphegor and Callenish Circle.