Once again, time and the summer heat have nearly gotten the best of me, but I've been able to squeeze in time for some modern releases! I've got a bit of everything this time, as I'm trying to catch up with what's come out this year (I'm so far behind!). In any case, here's what I've been jamming out to lately!
This guy certainly has something going with Frontiers Records, this being his third album in five years. (And that doesn't include all the other projects he's doing, like Black Swan!) I enjoyed the first one a lot, but was underwhelmed with the second album, and this new one seems to fall in between.
The album starts off pretty rough, as the first few tracks feel oddly stiff. There's some interesting riffs, but nothing feels particularly alive. Then, in the middle, there's suddenly a shift and they pick up some Whitesnake-style energy with "Crazy," "Let It Go," and "Wonder of the World." At that point, it's like the album loosens up, and they start having fun. The rest of the tracks are some decent AOR, but not as strong as those songs in the middle. "Wonder of the World" is easily the highlight of the album. Still, it was an interesting journey, and maybe this album will grow on me with more listens, but overall, it's a bit off-kilter. It's always hard to know how these label-driven projects can turn out after a couple of albums, but at least Robin has a place to really let his voice soar, as it's aging pretty dang well.
After enjoying their last album so much that it squeezed into my Top 5 for that year, I figured I should keep my eye on them for what they do next after the solid Wall of Skulls. While they do have a new bassist for this one, it's pretty much business as usual as they pound out another enjoyable slab of heavy/power metal.
Based on the album cover, one would expect songs based on the Hindu religion and its lore, and there are a few songs that do that, but this is not a concept album. As things go on, the songs shift to other themes, like darkness, redemption, and memories. Still, the handful of songs that do have that Indian theme are interesting, featuring some folky instruments and melodies. Otherwise, the band sticks to what they do best, which is crunchy riffs from Milan Loncaric and Torsten Ihlenfeld, pounding rhythms from Dieter Bernert, and the gritty, soaring vocals of Andy B. Franck.
Overall, it's another pretty solid album, though I do think the standout tracks are the faster ones, like "Beyond Enemy Lines," "False Memories," and "Masquerade Conspiracy." The Indian themes provide a bit of an interesting twist, but it feels underused, as the band gets back to business as usual as the album progresses. I don't know if this is quite as good as Wall of Skulls, but the consistent quality of Plague of Rats might help it squeeze into my Top 5 once again. We'll see when I get to that at the end of the year.
After enjoying a handful of their albums, I figured I should check out their latest in melancholic prog. With the same lineup they've had for the past 14 years, IQ have provided another introspective suite of synth-heavy rock with tons of spacey ambience.
Things start off big with a 22-minute epic titled "The Unknown Door." It starts off rather somber, with some symphonic elements that add a cinematic tone to things. However, once the song reaches Part 2, the band really gets going with some interesting transitions between the somber and upbeat sections. After that, the rest of the album generally maintains the synth-driven sound. "One of Us" is really the only track without any dynamics, probably because it's so short (relatively speaking). It's a nice piece of folky introspection before the rest of the album carries the listener on a journey. While I don't think this is a concept album, the lyrics generally focus on abstract concepts, like dreams, fate, ambition, companionship, choices, and consequences. I admit the lyrics were a little harder to follow on this one, but they never felt out of place with the music, which the band plays with confidence.
This one is going to take a few listens before I can decide how I really feel about it. There isn't as much rock as I've heard on previous albums, focusing instead on a lot of synthy atmosphere, and such albums need time to really soak into them. While I like most of what I heard, with "Far From Here" being the standout, I did wonder if the synths dominated the mix a little too much, giving the songs a bit of a post-rock vibe. Still, it's definitely more IQ, and their iconic introspective sound continues to drift between low and high energy with ease, perhaps with a softer touch this time around.
