Devour

If it's an unpopular opinion to state the guy who single-handedly wrote When the Wild Wind Blows, The Red and the Black, and Hell on Earth from the last three albums is still the best, then I'm glad to be controversial. I certainly don't want to be in The Writing on the Wall camp. ;) Edited (after reading J2112YYZ's post under this): If we're considering their entire career, Harris is imo the best writer in the band without argument no matter how you slice it. Hallowed Be Thy Name, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Alexander the Great, etc.

Uh no, Harris to this day is still the best songwriter in the band.

They deserve all the credit in the world for being great for this long and there's nothing terrible (or even bad) on Senjutsu like Virtual XI, except for Writing on the Wall. That said, the thing that struck me the most is the lack of vitality. I also believe throat cancer took its toll on Bruce's voice to some degree. I've listened to it three times and nothing stood out to me. It really shouldn't be this much of a chore to listen to a band as fun as IM. As they tend to do, they saved their best for last. Hell on Earth is the only track I'll be playing off this release. For me it's their weakest entry since the dire 90s and I'm surprised at all the critic acclaim it's receiving, albeit I'm happy for them even so. Like it or not, perhaps they should have gone out on Empire of the Clouds. It's about the most grandiose statement they could make and pushed the band into new territory more than all of Senjutsu combined.

Tool: 1. Ænima 2. Fear Inoculum 3. Lateralus 4. 10,000 Days 5. Undertow Love them all though.

By far the highlight for me came in at the end of the decade, which was Fear Inoculum. Honorable mentions: Other records featuring Maynard. Steven Wilson was prolific as usual and released a ton of incredible music, but no albums on the level of the succession he released from 99-02 with PT.

The world lost a bright star, yet just think of how long that light burned. The majority of creative talents lose their edge (or mojo) at a tender age, but Rush released some of their edgiest and most fascinatingly ominous material towards the latter part. Three integral components that kept the creative spark ablaze for four decades. Truly a towering achievement among achievements. http://www.egodeath.com/images/redstar.jpg

Easily one of if not the most underrated guitarists of all time. I find that folks who are overly impressed by showy playing tend to not be musicians themselves. Technically he's well beyond the point where a competent musician needs to be at. Most importantly his sense for musicality is about as keen as it gets. He's the rare kind of highly capable rock guitarist that knows when and how to be sparse. His atmospheric playing is truly some of the best around. Plus he has a unique way of voicing that's distinctly his own. Drums are my main instrument and everyone always goes on about Neil ... Don't get me wrong, he's a monster talent, but Alex is the key component that draws me in the most.