Revenge is very, very sweet...
'Two CDs. One low price. Over two and a half hours of the newest, biggest and baddest hard rock and metal.' Headbangers Ball: The Revenge does exactly what it says on the box.
All the big names are here; disk one kicks off with the anthemic call to arms of Slipknot's 'Before I Forget' followed swiftly by the relentless hardcore brutality of Hatebreed's 'To The Threshold', before the majestic metal of Trivium's 'Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation' gives your ear drums another pummeling until the more emotive gothic melodies of Italian Metallers Lacuna Coil (with their new track, 'Our Truth') step in to soothe your pain. And unlike so many compilations, disk two is equally as varied and exciting, hitting back just as hard with Bullet For My Vallentine's catchy metal sing-a-long, 'Suffocating Under Words Of Sorrow (What Can I Do), Arch Enemy's terrifying 'Nemesis' and God Forbid's 'End Of The World'.
While loyal metal fans may already own a lot of these tracks, there are some new treats in store for them too, in the form of impressive live tracks from Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage, as well as previously unreleased tracks from Hatebreed, Slipknot and 36 Crazy Fists. Even more tempting is the Kingdom of Sorrow number, 'Buried In Black' (a track exclusive to this album), which brings the collection to a satisfying close with its brutal, militant metal sound, dark winding riffs and guttural vocals courtesy of members of Hatebreed, Crowbar, Down and Seemless.
Everything on this compilation has been carefully selected to create an exhausting and comprehensive collection of hard rock and metal, with everything from the catchy, singable choruses of Still Remains' 'The Worst Is Yet To Come', to utterly ferocious tracks from Chimaira and Throwdown which encompass a vast variety of metal sub-genres to cover all moods. The whiskey-soaked Southern rock sound of Black Label Society's tribute to Dimebag Darrell, 'In This River' seems particularly poignant when placed alongside the pounding hardcore of Bleeding Through's 'Kill To Believe', just as Opeth's grand progressive metal elegance sits surprisingly well next to Norma Jean's incongruous screeching in 'Liarsnic'.
It's been a long time since I've seen or heard such an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable compilation album; Headbangers Ball: The Revenge must certainly reassure all of the long-suffering metal fans out there that there is life beyond 'Now 63', 'Love Motown' and 'Hits From The Chick Flicks Volume 3'.