three albums i never thought i'd like

i just gave these to j.a. for christmas.

system of a down: toxicity, static x: wisconsin death trip, and cradle of filth: bitter suites to succubi.

truthfully, i've been digging s.o.a.d. and static x since their latest videos came out. seeing system on the "pledge" tour didn't hurt.

cradle of filth is an entirely different story. i've hated them for seemingly no reason as long as i can remember. recently j.a. and i saw a video for "born in a burial gown", and i couldn't stop laughing. i think i realized that these guys don't take themselves nearly as seriously as i thought they did.

anyhow, of the three, i have to say that "toxicity" is the most ambitious.

it's possibly one of the best albums i've heard in a while. it transitions from absurd to haunting to hard as hell, and manages not to sound like a clusterfuck.