I think I'm going to end up spending a lot of this holiday season catching up on this year's releases. I know there are a lot of albums I want to get to, but I'm also starting to wonder how on earth I'm going to decide my Top 5. While I don't know if I've heard any obvious winners, there has been a good chunk of great music this year, and this article is gonna go over some of them. Here's what I've been checking out lately!
After the band stumbled with The Astonishing, they set out to recenter themselves with Distance Over Time, and largely succeeded. I felt that the album was adequate, with not much really standing out to me. Now we have their follow up with this album, and their stated intentions to start exploring again, this time with some heavier, 8-string guitars, which I think helped their songs sound very dramatic and broad in their scope.
Of course, Dream Theater going for heavy isn't necessarily anything new (Train of Thought comes to mind), but I think goal here was to expand their dynamics and tones, which has mostly worked. Right off, the album starts with some very chunky metal riffs, with "The Alien" and "Answering the Call," setting the tone for the rest of the album, with later tracks adding some interesting symphonic elements. "Transcending Time" is a curious outlier, surprisingly having a lot of AOR rock energy, and I can't deny that I rather liked it. However, the center piece is clear the 20 minute epic at the end of the album that has the band really flexing their songwriting muscles. They really explore a lot of moods on that one, shifting from fast to slow, heavy to light, and back again. (Par for the course, really.)
Overall, I think this is slightly better than their last one. The heaviness seems to have brought some energy along with it, and the band do some interesting balancing between heavier and lighter sections. "Answering the Call" and "Awaken the Master" are probably the best tracks, as I feel they make great use of the heaviness without letting the songs go off the rails too much. That being said, this is still very Dream Theater, and will likely not appeal to anyone who isn't already a fan. I admit I'm not a huge fan of them, myself, so take my words with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, it's a solid showing, proving that this band still have a lot of creative energy in the tank.
After enjoying their first two albums, I was pretty keen on hearing what Beast in Black had in store this year. When the singles landed, the clear switch to a very 80s cyberpunk aesthetic was a bit of a surprise, as they dived deeper into their sonic inspirations. However, the result is clearly more of the same, for better or worse.
The album has a great opener in "Blade Runner," with some great energy and crunchy riffs. However, from there, it starts to feel like a repeat of previous efforts. Some songs are poppy, some are more metal, but all stay within the range the band has covered before. "One Night in Tokyo" is one of the better ones on the poppy side, "To the Last Drop of Blood" is probably the one that balances the two styles the best, and "Revengeance Machine" has a great "Painkiller" vibe that's kinda ruined by some awkward, profanity-laden narration at the start. There's a general shift toward more mature, suggestive lyrics as well, so your mileage may vary with that. The band continues to maintain their solid production and tight performances, however, with Yannis Papadopoulos flexing his dynamic vocals once again. He gets plenty of opportunities to shift between his lighter and aggressive styles. Oh, and that Manowar cover is pretty fun.
While it's easy to criticize this as being more of the same, I'm reluctant to do so, as I feel this band is still the best as this fusion of 80s pop and heavy metal (which I have dubbed "synth metal"). I know I certainly don't want them to stop. However, I do think this is a bit of a step down from the previous albums. In their attempt to shift the content from fantasy to sci-fi, they tried to be more sophisticated with their lyrics and presentation, with mixed results. While it's nice to have some epic cyberpunk anthems, it's hard to feel like the band is really stretching themselves. In the end, it's a decent album, with a few great songs, but not as engaging as their previous efforts.
So this is a bit of catchup before I do their 2021 release, as I wanted to go into NorthTale's new album with some context of what they had done here. Honestly, I loved what I had heard from the singles, but then the band just kinda fell off my radar somehow. To be honest, I feel bad about it, as it's clearly the kind of power metal I love, being very influenced by the styles of Helloween and Stratovarius.
Right off, we start with some high speed, double-kicking power metal, and it doesn't really let up. Oh, sure, there are power ballads in the middle with "Way of the Light" and at the end with "Even When," but they're kinda forgettable (which is also quite like Stratovarius; I love that band, but I could never get into their ballads). "Everyone's a Star" is also a bit different, a kind of satirical piece of pop metal.
But everything else is excellent power metal. I loved hearing a bunch of the singles again, like "Higher," "Shape Your Reality," "Siren's Fall," and "Bring Down the Mountain." As for rest, "Follow Me," "Time to Rise," and "If Angels Are Real" stood out to me. Vocalist Christian Eriksson is quite good, providing some epic held-notes, and making me think of Jonas Heidgert of Dragonland. The guitar solos are incredible, with Bill Hudson throwing in some neo-classical chops here and there, and the keyboards by Jimmy Pitts are right there with him, noodling along like Jens Johansson.
Honestly, this could have been a Top 5 contender for 2019. This is the kind of power metal that bands should be making more of, in my opinion. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but I know it's not the over-the-top style of DragonForce nor the heavier power metal of Iron Savior or Primal Fear. It's that middle ground where Helloween, Freedom Call, and Stratovarius live, and now we have NorthTale representing the style, and doing it very well! Great stuff!
Hey, remember these guys? I was digging a lot of their singles earlier in the year, and I've finally taken the time to listen to their new album. While a lot of retro rock bands lean on the styles of Zeppelin or Sabbath, these guys are going for more of an Aerosmith vibe, and do it well!
This album has three things going for it: First, is the meaty riffs. Clearly leaning on 70s rock clichés, the production gives them a good amount of heft and power. They also have a good balance of being catchy and simple. They won't win any shredding awards, but with hooks this good, my head was bobbing all the way through this record. Second, their vocalist John Drake really lets it all hang out. He's got a great, straight-forward rock sound, with just the right amount of grit. He's as subtle as a brick and it's perfect! Third, these songs have a ton of energy! Even though it's mostly settled in a nice, mid-tempo rock groove, these are not passive tunes. I can see them jumping around all over the stage in my mind as they play these songs.
Basically, I'm saying that I really like this album. I was a little afraid it would get repetitive, but it really doesn't. They know how to shake it up a little with some different moods, with things shifting even during the song sometimes. "Breakdown" is a really good example of this, starting at a mid-tempo groove before going full-on hard rock at the end. Other stand outs include "Limbo Man," the anthemic "Dream Alright," "Best Believe It," and that super heavy riff on "I've Been Waiting." Overall, it's a plain straight-up rocking album from start to finish, with no brakes to slow things down.
Well, that was certainly a fun mix of music! I have one more article coming before the end of the month, and it's gonna be a bunch of videos, so keep a look out for that. I don't have much else to say, so until then, rock on! \m/
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