Happy November! Wait…is November really that happy? Days get darker earlier, term assignments and exams approach and people start to get S.A.D. DAMN YOU, NOVEMBER! Hopefully some music will cheer us all up — this edition is going to be a double shot of CD fun.

Obituary — Frozen In Time
Florida death metal pioneers have come out of retirement to show some of the crappy bands nowadays what good metal should be about. Yes, Obituary hasn't strayed away from their classic formula too much, and you could have guessed that this CD was also released in the 90s and late 80s like their others, but that's the fun with Obituary.

You have to appreciate this band because they opened a lot of doors for metal bands and inspired many. John Tardy's vocal growls and metal style has never been imitated and the band's signature sludge sound is as familiar as the taste of a Big Mac (sorry, I'm getting hungry while I'm writing.)

10 excellent and classic sounding songs are available on this disc and I URGE you hard rock/metal fans to definitely check this one out. If you do like what you hear, you immediately have to go back to the music store and pick up their #1 release of all time, “The End Complete.”

Obituary fans are safe from great change once again but are presented with an excellent album. Thank goodness the boys are back. 9 out of 10.

Insane Clown Posse — The Calm
It's been well documented in the pages of this paper that I'm a fan of ICP. It's also been documented that as the years have passed, the scores I've given to their CDs have gotten lower and lower. It's unfortunate to say that from the last few years of releasing tunes, this disc is probably their lowest point.

This disc is supposed to be the calm before the storm where ICP will tackle a new theme, seeing how the Joker's Cards theme has been finished for a while now. I hope that their new direction is NOTHING like this disc. This is probably the worst line up of songs put out by the wicked clowns. All I have to say is once you sample it online, you won't touch it. I had to listen to the songs again because since my first spin, I put it away and I really shouldn't have dug it out again. Just listen to “Deadbeat Moms” and you'll cringe when you hear a baby crying. I don't need to hear that at the mall, at a restaurant and definitely not in my music. This gets a 2 out of 10.

Think the Clown Posse is still Insane? email Peter at popeyepopsolive@hotmail.com