New Videos - September 2021 Part Two!

I know I'm cutting it close, but here's one more for September before we dive deeper into the stacked autumn season.  Definitely got a good variety here, so there's sure to be something for everyone. 

Between Worlds is another Frontiers Records project, this time revolving around Ronny Munroe, a metal singer who has been kicking around for a few decades, with well-known stints in Metal Church and TSO.  Here it seems to be leaning into a symphonic rock/metal project that has some decent crunch and some potential, along with a catchy chorus.  I'll have to keep an eye on this one.

Kissin' Dynamite is always good for a fun song, and this is no different.  Finding a nice groove between 80s rock and metal, it's not surprising that it's uplifting and anthemic.  Surprisingly, this is for an album not coming out until January, which seems a little early, but I suppose it will serve as a good start for 2022.

Carrying on with more 80s cheese, Crazy Lixx is back with more Def-Leppard-style pop metal.  After enjoying their last album so much, I'm definitely interested in more from them.  While "Anthem for America" was a little weird, this one is much more straight-forward, with a mid-tempo rocking vibe that feels nice and laid back.

It's been a while since I've listened to Ronnie Romero.  I kinda forgot this was one of his bands as well.  The music is some pretty straight-forward melodic metal with some dramatic heft, but it's Romero who really shines with his iconic vocals.  Overall, a satisfying track.

I clearly need to get caught up on Tremonti's solo band, as this stuff is really solid.  It does wander into alternative metal territory with that very crunchy opening riff, which isn't necessarily outside of Mark's wheelhouse (I still remember "Bullets"), but the chorus falls back into classic post-grunge, allowing for some decent juxtaposition that doesn't feel too jarring.

Wow, this has massive Stratovarius vibes!  This makes me think of classics like Visions and Destiny.  Even vocalist Guilherme Hirose is reminding me a lot of Timo Kotipelto.  High speed riffing with nice neo-classical touches throughout, this is power metal done well!

Last Played - September 2021!

Time for some album reviews!  I'm finally catching up to some new releases, and this time, it's all power metal!!  There's been some solid stuff released this year, and it's great to hear that this style still has a lot going on in it.  Here's what I've listened to lately!

Paladine - Entering the Abyss

Well, I said was going to get this one, and here we are!  Just as a recap, Paladine are a power metal band that focus their songs on the D&D Dragonlance setting, which is what got my attention in first place.  Right off, there really isn't much that's different than the last album, but the production is definitely better, as things are more balanced between the performers.

Once again, we're back into tracks that are kinda crunchy, kinda melodic, kinda epic.  Blind Guardian and classic Dream Evil feel like the main reference points, especially with Protonotarios's grittier vocal delivery.  However, these songs are pretty straight-forward power metal, providing a lot of the same vibes multiple times, I feel.

Overall, it's not bad, as it is all generally solid, but the only real stand-out tracks for me are "Entering the Abyss" and the speedy "Hourglass in the Sky."  Still, fans of the D&D franchise will find plenty to enjoy, and I'm sure power metal fans will dig the solid atmosphere and slick guitar leads.

Helloween - Helloween

I've been a fan of Helloween for a while, but I haven't really caught up with their more recent releases (I've listened to everything up through Better Than Raw).  Combined with the fact that they've brought back both Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske, after touring so successfully together, I wasn't sure quite what to expect.  I should have figured that it would feel a lot of classic Helloween, which made me pretty happy.

Sure, some of the songs are on the longer side, due to some intros and prog-lite shifts, but otherwise, anything that one could expect from a Helloween album is all here.  The riffs are catchy and melodic, the solos are absolutely spot on, and the double-kicking makes me think it's late-90s power metal all over again.  As for the vocals, everyone is on point, though Kai doesn't take too many leads, focusing more on his guitar work.  However, they do this one section together on "Fear of the Fallen" where they trade words, and it's amazing!

The album is pretty solid power metal from top to bottom.  "Fear of the Fallen" is an incredible track that goes back and forth between high-tempo shredding and more mellow parts.  "Mass Pollution" is very anthemic.  "Indestructible" has a solid, traditional metal vibe.  And "Skyfall" is a great epic like "Halloween" all over again, with a dash of Bowie's "Space Oddity" for good measure.  The rest of the tracks are decent as well, without ever getting tedious or monotonous.  This might be the best album I've heard this year, so far!

Antti Martikainen - Carmina Gloria

I'm not quite sure when it happened, but I discovered Antti when I came across a track or two of his Northern Steel album on YouTube, I instantly loved it.  Epic folk metal that really felt like it was made for his homeland of Finland.  Nearly 2 hours of solid awesome.  So when I discovered he was busting out his guitars again for another album, I knew I had to give it a listen.

Much of what made Northern Steel so great is here as well, though the folky elements are mostly gone, replaced for a more straight-forward symphonic metal approach, with a few dashes of power metal.  However, given the theme of crusaders, there are a few middle-eastern style sections with exotic ouds to expand the soundscape, allowing for a bit of variety as well giving the music even more lush layers to work with.  Meanwhile, the guitars are on point, with some huge riffs and leads that are very melodic and tasty.  And its hard to go wrong with track names like "Metal Crusade" and "Claymore in the Face"!

If there is a problem is that it insists a certainly level of intensity throughout.  While it does have dynamics from section to section, it maintains its epic tone from beginning to end, so it might be a bit much for some folks, especially with the longer tracks.  However, I enjoy it quite a bit.  I don't know if this will hit my Top 5, but it's a lot of fun to listen to and have on in the background.

Hammer King - Hammer King

When I first heard "Hammerschlag," I knew this would be an album I couldn't ignore.  Featuring solid mix of heavy and power metal, this album actually has more going on than one might assume from the album art and power metal name.

First off, I'm just going to say it: they sound like HammerFall, and I mean that in a good way.  However, it's definitely an older HammerFall style, making me think of albums like Glory to the Brave and Legacy of Kings, where the leads were more noodly and the songwriting more expansive.  Fortunately, these guys are not just a clone, as they bring in a few other influences, like the Iron Maiden-like leads on "Into the Storm," the Manowar-esque epicness on "King of Kings," and the Savatage/TSO vocal rounds at the end "Atlantis (Epilogue)."  There's also a good variety in tempo and tone, helping to break things up.

This stuff is really up my alley, as HammerFall is the band that got me into metal.  I'm not sure of the acoustic outro "Holy" was really necessary, though, as "King of Kings" was a solid closer.  My favorites from this album are the solid opener in "Awaken the Thunder" and of course the memorable, anthemic "Hammerschlag," and the rest of the album keeps it pretty classic.  It's a solid effort, one that makes me think I should dig into their back catalog.  If I do, you'll be sure I'll review it!

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Well, that gets a few off my plate, but there are certainly others, including a few still to come out this year, like Dream Theater and Yes.  Hopefully, I can get caught up on all the ones that I want to hear before the end.  However, that will make the Top 5 for this year harder to choose!  A good problem to have, I suppose.  Well, until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 2006!

While these anniversary articles are fun to do, they also reveal the gaps in my musical awareness, and it turns out 2006 is a pretty sparse year for me.  Looking it over, I mostly had a handful of power metal albums, Daughtry's debut album, and of course Twisted Sister's iconic Christmas album.  So I thought I'd repeat a tactic I used last year and instead treat it like a Last Played article with the focus on 2006 stuff specifically.  Here we go!

Seventh Wonder - Waiting in the Wings

After checking out their debut album last year, I listened to their second for this article.  Right off, the production is definitely better, and we get their iconic singer Tommy Karevik for the first time (he would later go on to be Kamelot's current singer as well).  Overall, this album is a big step forward for the band.

Seventh Wonder's sound here really locks in on the spot between the technical chops of Symphony X with the melancholy of Evergrey or Darkwater's Human.  Johan Liefvendahl really gives his fingers a workout on his guitar frets, and Andreas Söderin is right with him on the keys as they trade solos a la Stratovarius.  And with Karevik on vocals, they really do have the melodic prog soundscape down.  The songwriting has also improved from their first album, though they do still fall into the trap of adding more sections to their songs for their own sake, but I suppose that's to be expected with this kind of metal.

Still, there is a lot to like on this one.  The songs themselves are quite dynamic, often telling little stories of their own, with plenty of opportunities for the band to show their talents.  I quite liked the title track as well as "Taint the Sky" and "Banish the Wicked."  Honestly, fans of melodic and dynamic prog metal will enjoy this album quite a bit, if they haven't found it already.

Jorn - The Duke

My first experience with Jorn was from the Allan/Lande project popping on a power metal station I had made on Pandora radio (remember when that was a big way to discover new artists?), and that first album became a quick favorite.  Over the years, I'd hear him pop up again here and there, with bands like Masterplan and Avantasia.  However, in more recent years, I've come to realize just how good of a singer he is.  He really has a classic kind of rock voice, sitting somewhere between David Coverdale and Ronnie James Dio.  So when I was looking over what to cover for this 2006 article and saw that Jorn had an album for this year, I decided it was time I gave his solo stuff a shot.

What I got was pretty much a mix of Whitesnake and Dio, with a heavier chug in the guitars.  Most of the songs are slower, at a mid-tempo pace, but that just gives Jorn more space to croon his way through it all, and he certainly makes the most of it.  Honestly, it's a pretty solid collection of straight-forward metal, without any surprises, really.  The riffs and solos were decent, and the lyrics are pure 80s metal cheese, but in a good way.  The songs that stood out to me are "Blacksong," with its interesting melodramatic bridge that changes things, and "Stormcrow" which was more on the energetic side.  The Japanese version of the album features a cover of the song "Noose" from Jorn's previous band Ark, which I thought was one of the better tracks as well.  Overall, it just provides more proof that Jorn is one of the best in the business, even if what he's doing isn't breaking the mold at all.  Sometimes, you just need someone keeping it classic.

Dragonland - Astromony

Back in early 2019, I started relistening to Dragonland, reviewing their first three albums in quick succession.  I had planned on carrying through, but I guess other bands grabbed my attention instead.  However, when I decided to write up a few reviews, I realized that Dragonland's fourth landed on 2006, giving me an opportunity to pick them up again.  I really do think the band has matured by this point, resulting in some solid symphonic power metal.

Right off, the production really stands out.  The guitars really crunch, letting the symphonic flourishes stand out and keep things together.  At this point, their progressive and power metal styles have really merged together, keeping the melodic stylings of the latter, but allowing for good shifts in mood and tempo of the former.  Jonas Heidgert's vocals remain powerful, but he gets a few interesting duets with guest singers Jake E from Dreamland and Elize Ryd of Amaranthe.  They even bring in Jimmie Strimmell for some harsh growling on a few tracks, and it fits.

"Contact" was actually the first Dragonland song I heard and it really blew me away.  It's been a favorite of mine ever since.  Other solid tracks include the symphonic opener "Supernova" and the melodramatic and neo-classical "Beethoven's Nightmare."  It is a bit weird that they end with a three-part instrumental epic, with large symphony-only sections and sound effects.  It's not bad, but definitely goes all over place, like a movie soundtrack, making it hard to follow.  Still, the rest of the album is pretty solid, and shows a band really exploring their sound and improving their songwriting.  

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Well, that should cover 2006 decently enough.  As always, check out the playlist below and let me know if you think I've missed anything.  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - September 2021!

Let's kick off September with some new videos, though I'm glad it's getting cooler.  Definitely a mix of different things here, with some prog rock, as well as traditional and power metal.  I swear, the end of this year is stacked with so much good music!  Anyways, check these videos out!

So I guess Victory has been around since the 80s, though I admit this is the first I've heard of them.  Still, this is some pretty solid, double-kicking straight-forward metal, and oh look, that's Herman Frank on guitars.  I guess he's been with the band near since it's inception (more or less).  No wonder I like it! 

More new Yes!  While the first single had a strong Asia vibe, this one seems to be sitting somewhere between Keystudio and Magnification, especially with the symphonic flourishes.  Still, both this one and "The Ice Bridge" show more energy and creativity than anything that was on Heaven & Earth.  Definitely feeling some promise for this new album.

Meanwhile, Vega just keeps killing it.  Some nice crunch in the guitars while Nick Workman's great vocals soar over it all.  Here's another album coming out that I should give attention to, as I've liked most of the singles from it.

Good grief, this Brainstorm album is going to be massive.  Another solid heavy/power offering that hits hard without losing any of its melodic power.  That Halford-esque scream at the beginning is particularly good, and the rhythms are quite tight.  Great stuff!

Spirit Adrift keep pushing on, still doing their particular blend of doom, stoner, and heavy metal, with a dash of 70s-style shred.  This song is really quite the ride, having a nice stompy tempo at first, then going into a softer section, before turning it back up again with a "Crazy Train" style rhythm.

While I know Iron Maiden just released a new album, Attick Demons are here to relive the iconic band's past.  However, as I've said before, this band definitely has the chops, and Almeida has the voice, so for those who want to go back to the days of Piece of Mind and Powerslave, this is some solid Maiden-worship.