Found The Used through a good friend. We’re not friends any more, but the Used and I have formed a productive relationship! I listen, they bring out new albums for me… Well, that’s what I like to think. That said, The Used’s style has changed greatly due to the internal turmoil of the band, and I’m liking their sounds more and more. I’m not going to go into that though, the entry on Wikipedia is quite useful if you want to know more about their history. The band’s website is appalling, very infrequently updated and not well set out, but don’t hold it against them.

Current members

Bert McCracken – Lead Vocals, Piano (2001-present)
Quinn Allman – Guitar, Backup Vocals (2001-present)
Jeph Howard – Bass, Backup Vocals (2001-present)
Dan Whitesides – Drums (2007-present)

Former members

Branden Steineckert – Drums, Backup Vocals – Kicked out of the band in August 2006.[22] (2001-2006)

Greg Bester – Guitar – Played with the band on tour in early 2000s. (2001-2002)

Dean Butterworth – Drums – Recorded the drums for Lies for the Liars to fill in after Branden was kicked out. (2006-2007)

Genre

I would call The Used’s style rock. Many of their songs could also come under the category of Emo.

Replayabillity

Over and Over and Over again! Be careful though, some of the songs may have you singing or humming to yourself for the rest of the day. Not that’s a bad thing, but I don’t think it would be appreciated at work!

Albums

The Used, Maybe Memories, In Love and Death, Lies for the Liars

Best Song

Hospital or I’m a Fake. Totally personal preference here, others may find these songs offensive.

Download or Buy?

Download. Their music is good, but it’s not that good. Also, it is very easy to find their songs, as everyone has them.

Conclusion

8/10 for the newest album (Lies for the Liar) and 7/10 for the older albums. That’s only because I have a liking for the Emo genre at the moment, and their new album seems to be leaning that way.

Nightwish is a Finnish band. Their style is a cross between Opera and Rock. They are my favourite band EVER! Highly recommended. What more to say? They recently took on a new vocalist (Anette), for their album “Dark Passion Play”. I feel that her voice is not as suited to the style (not powerful enough) as the old vocalist (Tarja). However, that said, Nightwish has a number of older albums which feature Tarja and overall, their music is worth listening to.

Current Members

Anette Vocals

Tuomas Keyboards

Emppu Guitars

Marco Bass & Vocals

Julius Drums

Tarja Turunen Vocals Member from 1996-2005

Sami Vänskä Bass Member from 1998-2001

Genre

I would call Nightwish’s style a cross between Rock and Opera, leaning more towards the rock side of things. This is a band which is different, and interesting.

Replayabillity

You can play this music over and over and not get sick of it. The number of songs is not too limited, so by the time you have heard the first one on your playlist again, you will have forgotten all the nuances.

Albums

Century Child, End of An Era, Angels Fall First, Dark Passion Play, Once, Over the Hills and Far Away, Highest Hopes, Ocean Born, Sleeping Sun

Best Song

Nemo

Download or Buy?

Definitely buy. Although since Nightwish is such an eclectic band, I might advise downloading a couple of songs first to make sure you like the style.

Conclusion

9/10 for the newest album (Dark Passion Play) and 10/10 for the older albums. Nightwish is definitely worth a try, and I would highly recommend listening to their older albums first.