Things are definitely getting cold now! However, I'm still keeping on with new releases, as well as an old classic, for this article of Last Played. Impressive stuff, to be sure. Here's what I've listened to lately.
I have to admit I should be thankful to Frontiers Records for finding these AOR bands across the world and bringing them to the world's attention. I really do feel like they bring back a lot of the fun for rock music, and Arctic Rain is another solid entry in their catalog.
Hailing from Sweden, this band provides a mix of early 80s AOR with some of the shinier pop metal of the same decade. Think Night Ranger or Def Leppard mixed with some synths you'd expect from Journey or Asia. While the vocals do take center stage (Tobias Jonsson gets tons of space to shine), there really is some solid crunchy riffing from guitarist Magnus Berglund, which I wasn't expecting honestly. Made the album rock a little harder than most of the AOR I've heard.
That being said, there aren't any real surprises, but the album holds together pretty well. I quite liked the uptempo tracks, such as "Breakout," "Lift Me Up," and "Take Me To Your Heart," but there are also some great anthemic tracks, like "Lost," and "Madeleine." Overall, it's a solid album that's consistent in keeping the energy high all the way through.
While I am trying to catch up on 2020 releases, I still get the hankering for something classic. This time, I threw on some more AC/DC, partially in anticipation of their new album, and partially because it's hard to go wrong with the boys from Australia.
Of course, like I said in the past, reviewing AC/DC is probably pretty pointless. We already know what to expect, so instead, I'll just focus on what I think stood out on what is my first listen of this record. Once again, I've listened to the international version, which has a slightly shorter version of "Problem Child" instead of "Crapsody in Blue." (I'll have to dig up that track later somewhere.)
The big songs here are "Let There Be Rock," with Bon Scott evangelizing the origins of rock music and a bunch solid solos from Angus; and "Whole Lotta Rosie," a song that really speaks for itself, honestly. Additionally, I felt "Dog Eat Dog" was pretty solid, and could probably fit right in on Back in Black. "Problem Child" is good again, though I don't know if it really helps this album. The rest is pretty standard stuff. I don't think this album is as strong as some of their others. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was probably better overall, I think. Still, it's got some classics and certainly doesn't hurt their catalog by any means.
After enjoying the three tracks they released in the past three months, I knew this album would have to be a priority for me this year. I admit I've only listened The Passage from them before this one, but these Italian prog metalers really know how to balance technical chops with melodic epicness, centered around Mark Basile's emotional and dramatic vocals.
The talent this band has is on full display. Basile is laying it all out there, sounding massive all the way through. Simone Mularoni's guitar riffs are technical and chunky, as usual. I don't know if they're the most memorable riffs, but they are amazing to listen to in the moment. Of course, this being prog metal, there's also tons of layers: keyboards, strings, guitar harmonies, it's all here, and the production ensures that it sounds amazing.
If there are any problems, it's that the band pretty much sticks to one tone all the way through. "Surrender" breaks things up a little by having more of a rock vibe, and "Curtain" is an instrumental closer that's nearly just cinematic ambience. Still, if this kind of melodic prog metal is your thing, DGM has it in spades. From the great opener "Flesh and Blood," this album has tons of great songs. Other stand outs are the title track, "Stranded," and "Silence." Just solid epicness from beginning to end, and highly recommendable.
I think I'm going to try and get at least two more of these articles before the end of the year. That should give me plenty to consider for my Top 5 article, though that DGM album is a strong contender already! Of course, it will have to compete with what Lovebites and Rick Wakeman released earlier, and we still have AC/DC and Iron Savior coming up! I don't know if I've heard a clear winner like Monkey3's Sphere from last year, but it should be an exciting list nonetheless. Until then, rock on! \m/
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