5 – The album is excellent, it could also be considered perfect or near perfect. There may be a few glitches or setbacks, but they are not detrimental.

4 – The album is very good. There aren’t too many glitches or setbacks but the ones that are present keep the album from being excellent.

3 – The album is mediocre. While the album is alright, there isn’t anything that makes it stand out above other albums. Some of it is good, and some of it needs work.

2 – The album is bad. Many things have gone wrong, and unless it happens to be within your personal favorite genre, chances are it’s not even worth your time. The band has a lot to work on.

1 – The album is terrible. The album isn’t worth your time, no exceptions.

Note: Be aware that in November 2004 the grading scale was revised to how it is shown above in order to maintain more consistences between our reviewers. Many of the reviews in our Archive may include ½ marks and ¼ marks and please be aware that the ratings at that time were also more open to our reviewers’ interpretations of the rating scale, as opposed to this now absolute grading scale which our reviewers are responsible to follow in their rating procedures.


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Brainstorm - Downburst - added - January 26th, 2008
Reviewer: Sixxswine

5/5

I used to be a huge fan of the 80’s martial arts films as a teen, specifically the ninja movies like the American Ninja series. The cover of the new Brainstorm album Downburst features a ninja in white. As he slashes away, blood sprays along the movement of his mighty sword. Great artwork -- I can look at this for hours. Brainstorm is the second band from Symphorce singer Andy B. Franck. While Symphorce went the modern route over their last couple of albums, Brainstorm stays true to their progressive power metal thrash roots. There are no surprises on Downburst in terms of sound. The music is profound, heavy, and harmonious. There isn’t a bad apple in this cart. In fact, Downburst is a good example of keeping only the best material on an album. Nothing wrong with 10 tracks on an album. It’s old school and keeps the album moving with a good flow and ends on a high note. One thing about Brainstorm is that they have never overplayed. They know when enough is enough, and that’s what sets them apart from the Dream Theaters, Dragonforces, and the Rising Forces of the world. This is highly recommended listening. If you didn’t like the last album from Symphorce, Become Death, rest assured the Brainstorm blueprint remains untouched, and that’s a wonderful thing. The standout tracks are “Frozen,” where Franck delivers one of the most potent performances of his career, and “Falling Spiral Down,” which has a great chorus. It’s infectious.

 

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