Top 5 of 2022!!

Yup, it's that time of year again.  I've been relistening to everything from the past year that I reviewed, and I have to admit that it was a pretty solid year.  However, as I was comparing and sifting these albums, these are the five that stood out the most to me.  Putting them in order from fifth to first was quite the challenge as well, as they're all pretty good.

Of course, some pretty good stuff had to get dropped.  While HammerFall and Hammer King put up good efforts, they didn't quite make the cut, as I think there were better power metal performances this year.  Beriedir was another close one, but it couldn't make its way in.  It's just my opinion, but I really do think these five are the ones that edged out everything else, so here's my Top 5 of 2022!

5. Birth - Born

While this band may have come from the remains of Astra, they have carried on their classic, spacy prog rock sound.  Filled with great 70s atmosphere and neat little guitar noodles, it's a great album for letting music just surround you so that you can soak in it.  

4. Iron Allies - Blood In Blood Out

This is probably the first surprise of my list.  While this list did have some solid competition, I couldn't deny that Herman Frank, David Reece, and company had really put together a solid classic metal album.  With so much classic metal experience on board, perhaps it was inevitable, but it was never a guarantee it would be this good.

3. Borealis - Illusions

In terms of prog metal, there were some splendid music, but I think Borealis stood out more than the others.  Between the songwriting and the production, this album is lush and layered in a way that really brings out the emotions.  Very bombastic and cinematic, I knew this one was going to be in my top 5 when I first heard it.

2. Blind Guardian - The God Machine

I admit I'm still pretty new, relatively speaking, to these German legends of power metal, but with their latest album, it's quite clear that they aren't all just whimsical fantasy ballads.  They really brought the heavy but they didn't lose an ounce of their epicness, making for one of the best power metal albums of the year, and I know I'm not alone in that.

1. New Horizon - Gate of the Gods

Better than HammerFall?  Better than Sabaton?  Better than Blind Guardian?  Yes, I really do think so.  For a debut album, these guys do a lot of things right, making me think of the classic 90s sound of Helloween and Gamma Ray, and as such, it hits all the right notes for me.  While I know the two guys on the project have other bands to work in, if they decide to make a follow up to this, it will definitely get my attention!

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Well, that was certainly not easy, and now that there's a new year upon us, I have to do it all over again!  Seriously, though, it's been fun doing this year after year, giving me an opportunity to check out what's new and to champion what I think is the best!

Looking ahead, things are already feeling pretty stacked.  Twilight Force, Arctic Rain, Lovebites, Rick Wakeman, Kamelot, and of course Metallica, there is plenty more to look forward to.  It's starting to feel like I don't have enough time to really give them all justice!!  However, I plan on continuing to plug along, so I'll get to them when I can.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - September 2022!

Well, the heat hasn't quite faded off yet, so I still have plenty of reasons to stay indoors and jam to some new albums (among the several other reasons/excuses I use).  In any case, got a trio of some pretty solid stuff here: two power metal epics sandwiching a really fascinating collection of psychedelic rock.  Here's what I've been listening to lately!

Blind Guardian - The God Machine

While I've been working my way through Blind Guardian's discography, I admit I'm pretty ignorant of what the band has been doing lately.  However, based on remarks around the web, this album seems to be a return to the 90s albums, so maybe I'm listening to this at the right time!

Once again, the bards are here to tells a bunch of stories, drawing inspiration from the Witcher and Stormlight Archives to Battlestar Galactica and the origins of the universe.  As for the music, they retain much of the foundation the band has established, focusing on interesting riffs, quirky song structures, layered arrangements, and Kürsch's iconic vocals.  However, I will say that much of this album definitely feels darker than most of what I've heard from the band.  There doesn't seem to be any of the folksy whimsy that gave their sound that extra dash of fantasy, instead focusing on darker, heavier themes and moods.

That's not to say the album is bad by any means.  There's plenty of great guitar work here, especially with the aggressive riffing on "Violent Secrets," "Architects of Doom," and "Blood of the Elves."  However, I was quite surprised by the atmospheric "Life Beyond the Spheres" and how dynamic it was.  Overall, it's a solid album from Blind Guardian, but I do think I need to listen to it some more to really dig into everything that's here.

Birth - Born

I admit that my knowledge of psychedelic rock is pretty limited, outside of classic Pink Floyd or bands that sound like them, of course.  So reviewing this might be a little out of my expertise, but I won't grow if I don't try, right?  In any case, this band is something of a successor to another band called Astra, which I admit I haven't gotten to either.  However, when Birth's debut album started popping up in my circles, and I heard some of it, I knew I had to make it a priority to listen to it!

With those big Hammond organs, comparisons to Pink Floyd are pretty easy to make, but I feel like they have dashes of early Yes (circa The Yes Album), Emerson Lake & Palmer, and even Deep Purple in here.  "Descending Us" made me think of "Child of Time" in particular.  However, I don't think the band leans on their influences too much, instead seeing them as an inspiration for the layering, songwriting, and production of their songs.  "Born" starts things well, with lively organ and guitar playing.  "For Yesterday," the longest track on the album, is definitely a fascinating journey through all kinds of layers and musicality.  The bassist Trevor Mast is also on point with some very catchy, jazzy grooves, notably on "Born" and "Cosmic Tears."  This is a very nice, rich set of jams that don't feel any need to rush things. 

This style of retro rock is definitely aiming for a specific audience, and there's a good chance that most of that crowd has already heard this and written their own reviews.  I think what sets this album apart from some of the others (like, say, Seven Planets or Monkey3) is a greater emphasis on lush prog rock orchestrations, and they work very well, taking the listener on a wild but familiar journey.  I can definitely imagine this music would be great to hear live as the band and the audience just kind of vibe together.  If those Astra albums are anything like this, I've clearly been missing out!

Hammer King - Kingdemonium

I'm quickly realizing that Hammer King is a band that, like Sabaton or their weapon compatriots HammerFall, you know what you're getting when you start a new album.  Once again we are in the realm of hammers and kings and the combination thereof, and while I really enjoyed their self-titled last album, I was hoping their next offering would be just as good.  Unfortunately, despite some solid songs, Kingdemonium doesn't have quite same level of energy.

There's still plenty here to recommend, though.  The lyrics are completely cheesy, but they're delivered with gusto by Titan Fox V, as always.  The guitar tone is pretty solid, with plenty of leads and riffs, though I do think the solos are a little less interesting.  However, the bass playing of Günt von Schratenau really comes out on this album, which is nice to hear.  I quite liked "Pariah Is My Name," "Kingdemonium," and "Guardians of the Realm,' as I felt they retained much of what worked last time.  Most of the other songs generally stay at a mid-tempo pace.  They're not bad, but don't quite retain my attention as much.  The closing epic "Age of Urizen" with its 12/8 gallop ends the album pretty well, though.

Saying "It's more of the same" often comes across as a criticism, but sometimes it can be a good thing, and Hammer King clearly have something worked out, as their style still feels very fun and fresh.  It's also pretty consistent in quality, so fans of the band and of power metal in general will find plenty to like.  However, Kingdemonium doesn't have the same momentum as last year's album, so I do feel a little bit let down, overall.

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Despite having heard more than a handful of albums for 2022, I don't know if I've got a clear #1 contender yet.  There's been a bunch of solid stuff though, so I expect my Top 5 is going to be tough again, this year.  I suppose that's not a bad thing, though.

Coming up, I've got another Anniversary Series article for 2007, which will mainly be reviewing another group of albums, as I haven't listened to much from that year, and the 2012 article will be the same, I'm afraid.  Still, plenty to look forward to.  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - June 2022!

The end of the month means it's time to catch up on some new videos!  Plenty of power metal with this one, but I got a few rock tracks in there for good measure.  I'm getting pretty excited for a lot of these albums showing up later this year.  Turn these up!

Let's start with something fast and crunchy!  Between this and "Violent Shadows," Blind Guardian have definitely been getting back to their older, speed metal days, but I'm here for it.  This is some epic shredding and once again Kürsch's vocals bring the heft to bring the song alive.

To be honest, I kind of expected The Secret to be Alan Parsons's last album, based on some of the themes there, but I guess he's got more ideas to share.  Tapping into Tommy Shaw is an interesting choice, though it's still a solid performance.  A bit of a hard rock vibe, though, making it a curious listen that might be a sign of whatever the legendary engineer has in mind for the future.

Birth is definitely tapping into that classic psychedelic rock style, providing this 9 minute single that sort of meanders about, but in a good way.  It largely made me think of Pink Floyd's more laidback, folkier songs, like on Obscured By Clouds.  A solid jam, with good atmosphere.

Dragonland are back after ten years!  Instead of continuing their fantasy story, they're doing a sci-fi concept album, but they retain much of their symphonic power metal style, specifically the stuff they did on their album Contact, which had some sci-fi stuff on it as well.  It's like they haven't missed a beat!

Wow!  I had no idea HammerKing would be coming back so quickly!  I guess they had a bunch more HammerFall-flavored power metal to share.  Not that I'm complaining!  Their last album easily made to Top 5 for last year, and if it's going to be more of the same, I'm very much on board!

I saw this group pop up earlier in the year, but I thought they would be more folky or black metal, so when I discovered that they were symphonic power metal, I did a bit of a double take.  I'm not quite sure if I have a solid feel for the band from this song alone, as it veers between Rhapsody of Fire orchestral bombast and Iron Maiden-style hooks, but I can tell this has some interesting potential.