Few bands in the history of rock have warranted the "either you love them or hate them" tag as much as Dream Theater, as fanatics consider them musical geniuses, while detractors sneer at their bombast. Either way, there's no arguing that the group has built a large and loyal following over the years by doing things their way, and with little to no help from radio or MTV. And on their tenth full-length overall (and first for their new label, Roadrunner), 2007's Systematic Chaos, the quintet sticks to the prog metal game plan that they've followed since their inception. In true Dream Theater fashion, the gentlemen are not ashamed to show off their chops -- as evidenced by the album opener, "In the Presence of Enemies, Pt. 1," in which James LaBrie's vocals do not kick in until after the five-minute mark. Elsewhere, "Forsaken" proves wrong those who say that Dream Theater is all about instrumental gymnastics and not songwriting, at least momentarily, while "The Dark Eternal Light" features some nifty Pantera-esque riffing from John Petrucci. Additionally, "Repentance" is one of the album's four ten-minute-plus, mid-paced epics, and features a prerequisite of countless extended prog suites and spoken word passages. Unlike other veteran rock acts that attempted to update their sound with the times (and failed miserably), Dream Theater has admirably stuck to its guns through thick and thin -- much to the delight of their legion of admirers -- and they continue to do so on Systematic Chaos. And for that, we salute you with a flurry of flawlessly sweep-picked arpeggios. [The 2007 CD/DVD edition features the entire album remixed for 5.1 Surround on an included bonus DVD.]© Greg Prato /TiVo

Despite a long career dedicated to the black death cause that began in 1991, it took time for the Polish band’s tenth album, The Satanist (2014), to be considered a must-have extreme metal album (a genre was born from this music, which sounded as extreme as it did deep, and possessed true melodic darkness). Its successor, I Loved You at Your Darkest (2018), presented a bold Behemoth eager to mark its return by making music that was both better orchestrated and better produced. This was done at the expense of losing some of their signature sound, which cut them off from a portion of their original fanbase, who accused them of betraying their origins… You can't please everyone. Nonetheless, despite this desire for greatness, the band (led by singer and guitarist Nergal) didn’t seem to express everything they wanted to say on this record.Opvs Contra Natvram shares the same passion for excess as its predecessor, but this time, the band push further, determined to reach the goal they set themselves four years earlier. In terms of orchestration and set-up, this album delivers a finely-tuned sound with powerful production, making Behemoth's songs more accessible, even if that means occasionally over-diluting their content with invasive symphonic arrangements. However, this by no means renders the incredible compositional work unenjoyable, especially on tracks such as the imposing ‘The Deathless Sun’ and its stunning twirling guitar, or the brutal ‘Neo-Spartacvs’ that could be the best black death metal the band has produced so far. The same is true of the excellent ‘Once Upon A Pale Horse’, which proves that black metal and groove can come together in one song.The path the band started walking with I Loved You at Your Darkest is still clearly marked out on Opvs Contra Natvram, though some will prefer the rougher side of the first albums. However, there’s very little chance that the band will return to their old sound after producing a work like this one. This evolution and experimentation goes to show how important it is to shake up your habits if you want to keep making progress. Their decision to keep moving onward makes Behemoth a natural leader of the black death scene. And this album was worth the risk. © Chief Brody/Qobuz

The tenth studio long-player from the venerable Swedish melodic death metal unit featuring ex-members of Carcass, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Armageddon, Eucharist, and Spiritual Beggars, War Eternal is the first outing to feature the talents of new vocalist Alissa White-Gutz, formerly of the Canadian extreme metal outfit Agonist, who joined the group after the amicable departure of longtime Arch Enemy crooner Angela Gossow. The self-produced Century Media-issued, 14-track collection of new music was preceded by the singles "No More Regrets," "You Will Know My Name," and the blistering title cut.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

The fifth studio long-player from the Gothenburg-based Swedish melodic death metal veterans, At War with Reality is also the first outing from the group since 1995's Slaughter of the Soul, a record that for all intents and purposes was to be their last. After reuniting in 2008 for a series of reunion shows, the band brushed off rumors of a potential return to the studio, but by 2012, frontman Tomas Lindberg began hinting at the possibility of new material. Released just two years later, the resulting Century Media-issued At War with Reality is a largely story-driven album built around the concepts of magical realism.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

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