New Videos - 2021 Wrap-up!!

So I mentioned that I would try and do one last video article for 2021.  The main reason is that I ended up with quite the backlog of videos that I wanted to check out, but the year ended before I could get to them all.  While I was working on my Top 5 of 2021 this past month, I'd find time to also catch up on this backlog, and I did find another handful of videos I felt was worth sharing.  I've also included them as part of the Q4 playlist of last year, which you can see below.  Let's get into it!

Starting off, we have some interesting power metal, very much in the vein of the Blind Guardian and Judicator mold, but with a more direct sense of epicness (helped by the fact that this song is based on the Street Fighter character Akuma).  A pretty decent track from another band I hadn't heard of before.

So this is another AOR supergroup put together by Frontiers records, but I can't deny I like how this one sounds.  It's got that combined keyboard-and-guitar approach like Asia, and Steve Overland's vocals really fit the style well.  A solid piece of melodic rock.

Probably not the typical style for this place, but I found this to be a rather arresting piece of folky prog rock/post metal.  Sort of like Jethro Tull, but with a much heavier edge.  Gary Kelly's vocals in particular give the song a haunted feeling, while the rest of the band pushes plenty of rock groove. 

I admit I didn't get to this album, but Insania's videos did seem to tease a solid power metal offering.  This one particular makes me think of the classic stuff like Stratovarius or Sonata Arctica.  Maybe I'll get back to them in the future, as they seem to have a great sound.

Another band I don't know, but they seem to have a really solid progressive power metal style, making me think of Symphony X.  Very noodly guitar riffs and solos, but it never gets lost in the song, as it stays pretty grounded.  Interesting stuff, for sure.