You know, it's been only a little while since my regular column has stopped for the summer and I've probably accumulated about 30 CDs. There's so much to talk about, so I'll get to the point with a little blurb about a few releases.

Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain

The metal master is back after a five-year album break and totally delivers with Black Rain. This type of CD is one of my favourites because you can listen to it front to back without skipping a song and press play again to have a second round right after you're finished. Zak Wylde gets away from his horrid Black Label Society to play the guitar (and tour) on this disc and it's great to hear him play some great riffs without ruining them with his voice. The ballads on this disc may bring some listeners down, but all in all, I'm giving this Ozzy release 9 out of 10.

Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien

If you like Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Dillenger Escape Plan and Dying Fetus, then this CD is an instant purchase. Yes, I got the lead for this little rant from the CD package, but it couldn't be more accurate. This band takes extreme death metal to the next level. If you thought the band couldn't top the incredible Anomalies, then you're in for a treat.

The band's riffing, time signatures and overall composition get bumped up another notch. Some have said that the songs aren't as catchy, but how catchy can your death metal be? You want extreme? This is extreme. Minus the six-or-so minute hidden “doom” track and the end that goes nowhere, this CD easily gets another 9 out of 10.

Megadeth - United Abominations

After seeing them at the JLC, I've been so pumped for this new Megadeth release. It's very solid, but there are some songs on here that just aren't up to par with Dave and Co.'s last effort, The System Has Failed. The disc starts off strong with “Sleepwalker” and “Washington Is Next,” but then dies down for a while.

The controversy with Dave's political lyrics and re-release of “A Tout La Mode” have had some fans up in arms, but if you're not into lyrics bothering you or a decent new approach to an old song, you shouldn't worry. The one song that really irks me on this CD is “Gears of War.” Just hearing Dave repeat that phrase makes me envision him selling the “Gears of War” video game on TV. Not a bad disc, but I wanted just a little more. 7.5 out of 10.