They Came Back (2004) Robin Campillo, Géraldine Pailhas, Jonathan Zaccaï, Frédéric Pierrot

The '90s and 2000s have also seen a wave of Nordic death metal bands that are highly melodic, and Finland's Insomnium is part of that trend. The most extreme thing about Since the Day It All Came Down is the vocal style; lead singer/bassist Niilo Sevänen sings in a deep, guttural, demonic-sounding growl that exemplifies the stereotypical image of death metal singing. But other than that, this 2004 release isn't so extreme. Musically, Insomnium owes a lot to '80s power metal favorites like Queensrÿche, Iron Maiden, Savatage, and King Diamond - like those headbangers, Insomnium provides metal that is forceful yet musical and intricate - and early thrash is an influence as well. If Sevänen favored a more conventional vocal style, this CD would probably be considered power metal or thrash instead of death metal/black metal…

On his first studio outing in eight years, the mythical Okie troubadour turns in a solid set of his trademark dusty blues tunes. What is not so typical, as with Travel Log from 1990, is that Cale steeps himself in technology and evokes the moods and frameworks of music that intersect with the blues or stand in opposition to them. The keyboards, drum loops, and horns on this record are as pervasive as the guitars. Needless to say, this requires an attitude adjustment on the part of the listener. This is not to say there aren't plenty of live musicians here; there are. It's just that the sheeny beats and clean synth lines feel odd when juxtaposed against the murky lyrics and Cale's wispy, smoke-weathered voice.

Guitarist extraordinaire Robin Trower has reassembled the core of his late-'80s band, once again joining forces with Dave Bronze (bass), Davey Pattison (vocals), and Pete Thompson (drums). On 2004's Living Out of Time, they equal (if not best) their work on 1987's Passion and 1988's Take What You Need with 11 sides that reconfirm Trower's breathtaking instrumental capacity, as well as his knack for writing heavy rockers that don't come off as trite or excessive…

Angela Hewitt has applied the same intense study to Chopin's Nocturnes and Impromptus as she does to any composer's keyboard works. The result is a set of pieces lovingly played and appreciated, with personally felt emotion. The most outwardly emotional displays, as in the Nocturnes, Op. 15, are never wildly loud and always return to an introverted state afterward. In the Nocturnes she uses little touches of rubato so frequently as to almost stretch the melodies out of shape, as in Op. 9/1, but she plays many of the Nocturnes a tick faster than other pianists so that they stand up to that kind of manipulation better, and she never slows down to fit in ornaments. Her ornaments always fit right into the melody, both in her timing and her phrasing, and are feathery soft.

A vocalist and guitarist that writes and produces most of his own music, Jonathan Butler has had successes over his twenty-five year recording career in pop, R&B, smooth jazz and adult formats. Self-produced, the songs on The Worship Project reflect the heart of a man who feels that he is in the best place he has been in personally in over a decade. The album is incredibly soulful and the messages are deeply spiritual. Butler's nylon guitar, smooth piano and jazzy vocals intertwine with shuffling percussion rhythms to create this 12-song gospel marvel.

Pink Floyd have surprised fans with the release of a dozen live albums documenting some of their gigs from the early ’70s.