New Releases - July 2025!

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!

Robin McAuley - Soulbound

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.

Brainstorm - Plague of Rats

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.

IQ - Dominion

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.

Top 5 of 2021!!

After listening to so many albums last year, coming up with a Top 5 was pretty difficult.  I got to listen to a lot of really great stuff, and it's been very difficult to determine what really was the best from this year.  I had to cut some solid albums just to get this down to five.

I do want to give a few honorable mentions, namely Eternal Flame by NorthTale and Mojo Skyline by The Dust Coda.  Both had a lot of great material, but didn't quite have the same level of quality that the following five did.  However, it was certainly close, and I had to find some pretty small reasons to justify why the following albums were better.  It just goes to show how good this past year was for rock and metal music!

Anyway, here's my Top 5 for 2021!

5. Brainstorm - Wall of Skulls

This almost didn't make the list, but I decided that it edged out the other albums out of sheer consistency.  While other bands may have had better individual songs, Brainstorm provided a crunchy power metal album that rocks from start to finish.

4. W.E.T. - Retransmission

It was tough deciding where this one should go, and how it measured up to the competition, not only from classic artists like Robin McAuley, but also from this band's guitarist Magnus Henriksson's main project Eclipse.  Once again, I think it came down to simply having the complete package; an album of songs that really nailed that classic 80s sound while still feeling fresh and powerful.

3. Hammer King - Hammer King

The moment I heard their lead single "Hammerschlag," I know I was in for something special.  Even if they wear their influences on their sleeve, this band evoked my love for classic HammerFall like nothing had before, and I loved every minute it.  It's always a good sign if an album makes you smile the whole time you're listening to it.

2. Helloween - Helloween

I don't suppose you could really call this a comeback, as the band had been pretty busy in the last six years, but it's hard to not to feel like this album isn't a culmination of everything the band has been across its entire history.  Between the classic sounding tracks and the great vocal harmonies between Deris, Kiske, and Hansen, this was a power metal fan's dream.  

1. Antti Martikainen - Carmina Gloria

As the year went on, I had a sneaking suspicion that this might end up as my #1.  It may be a bit of sacrilege to put this over Helloween, but I can't deny that what Antti has done is create an incredibly solid and consistent album of symphonic metal.  For all of its bombast and epicness, it doesn't wear out its welcome, containing clever shifts and changes within the songs, as if representing the ebb and flow of massive battles.  After enjoying Northern Steel for the past four years, I'm glad I was able to catch this one as well.  Who knew a Finnish epic trailer music composer could provide such incredible metal?!

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I've got one more videos article I'm putting together to wrap up 2021, so keep an eye out for that, as it should be out pretty soon. 

Once that's finally finished, I can look ahead to 2022.  Already, some interesting things are lining up.  Not only do we get new HammerFall and Sabaton albums here pretty soon, but down the road, there's Megadeth, Alter Bridge, and maybe even a new Metallica.  And who knows what new bands I'll discover in the upcoming year as well.  Even if it's not the most popular music anymore, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of melodic rock and metal bands out there making great music!

Until then, let's get into 2022 and rock on!

Last Played - December 2021 Part Two!

Round two of 2021 catch-up!  Some of these bands I haven't really talked about much this year, but some have definitely been lighting up my New Video articles.  With a good split of epic power metal and 80s hard rock, it's been a lot of fun to listen to these!  Here's what I've checked out this time.

Rhapsody of Fire - Glory for Salvation

While I did check out the singles for this album, none of them really excited me enough to share them in my articles.  However, I'm always intrigued by a story, and this band is continuing on with their Nephilim's Empire Saga from their last album.  They also continue their well-established style of symphonic power metal, full of bombast and epicness.

The story picks up with Kreel, a thrall of the evil gods known as the Nephilim, going about doing their bidding and maintaining their tyranny.  After killing a holy prophet and falling in love with his next target, a desert enchantress, he decides to defy his evil lord, but the lord kills the enchantress in retaliation, inspiring Kreel to start fighting back.  I'm assuming the next album will focus on the epic showdown as Kreel takes on his former master.  It's not much of a story, but as always with these things, it's an opportunity to hang some power metal on all the angst and melodrama.

As for the music, it's pretty typical stuff for Rhapsody of Fire.  Plenty of orchestrations to back up Giacomo Voli's vocals and the noodly guitars.  The album does start with some darker, heavier material, culminating with the 10-minute "Abyss of Pain II," before switching to a more upbeat tone for the rest of the songs, which matches the story.  While I've always kind of struggled with Rhapsody of Fire's style, I did feel this one was more on the accessible side than some of their others.  As for stand out tracks, "Terial the Hawk" moves into folk metal territory, "Son of Vengeance" and "Chains of Destiny" were solid power metal songs, and "Abyss of Pain II" is certainly epic, if a bit too long.  Fans of the band will find plenty to like, but outside of that, it's standard story-driven power metal.

Night Ranger - ATBPO

With all these new bands playing in older styles, it's nice to see some of the originals still kicking it.  Night Ranger has always been one of those bands that I consider pretty solid from the 80s, but I've never dug too deep into their catalog.  I did enjoy their last album, though, and here they are back with another set of decent, if predictable, melodic hard rock.

Fans will probably find this to be more of the same from a band who's style was set nearly from the get-go.  The album itself has an interesting flow, as it starts with a lot of energy, gets a little slower in the middle with those ballads, and then finishes with some bigger sounding songs.  Overall, there are some solid rock riffs, nice melodies, decent guitar solos, and a great vocal performance from Jack Blades.  I liked "Coming for You" and "Breakout," as they start the album well.  "Monkey" was a curious stand-out as well, with a bit of a heavier riff than the rest of the tracks.

It's always tough for some of these bands, as it can feel like their best years are behind them.  Rarely, a band can put out a great album later in their career, long after the spotlight has moved on from their style of music.  As a result, some of these later albums, such as this one, come across as a little safe.  Maybe they'll play a song or two when they tour, but otherwise, a lot of this might be forgotten.  That doesn't mean this album is necessarily bad; I definitely like what I heard.  But in the end, this is probably not one many will come back to frequently.

Eclipse - Wired

Speaking of those newer bands playing older styles, Eclipse hit my radar with their last album Paradigm.  I had heard a few singles and liked what I heard, but it wasn't until I heard the album that I was really impressed by them.  Just solid hard rock from beginning to end.  So when I saw more singles from them announcing a new album, I was definitely excited.  Now that I've finally sat down for this one, I can say that it's a solid follow-up, if not quite as strong.

The basics are certainly still here.  The riffs really rock, and the vocals really soar, making for a lot of anthemic stompers and ensuring that the album retains much of the energy and fun of the previous album.  Even the ballads get into it, often starting in somber, acoustic guitar territory before hitting with a big distorted riff out of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playbook.  However, some of the tracks do feel a little pedestrian at times, and the album doesn't really move much from a mid-tempo pace.

That being said, those are pretty small nitpicks, and any one looking for some solid, wall-of-sound hard rock will find plenty to like.  "Roses on Your Grave" has a bit of a classic Def Leppard vibe, "Saturday Night (Hallelujah)" is a party by itself, "Twilight" is very epic with its added touch of Beethoven, and "Bite the Bullet" has some great, crunchy riffs and an interesting, ominous slide-guitar solo that builds to some more epicness.  I think some of my excitement for this band has been tempered by this album, but I feel I can continue to expect great things from these Swedes.  I should probably dig into their back catalog as well, as I know they've got plenty of albums behind them!

Brainstorm - Wall of Skulls

Brainstorm is a band I was somewhat aware of.  I had listened to their 2011 album On the Spur of the Moment and found it to be some decent heavy/power metal that's typical from Germany.  However, as 2021 got going, Brainstorm suddenly hit with a number of singles that really got my attention!  Now that I'm catching up, this was an album I was definitely looking forward to!

Once the instrumental intro builds up, the album kicks off with tons of power and the rest of the songs do a decent job of maintaining that level of intensity.  The riffs are heavy, but they're also pretty catchy, and the solos are very tight and melodic.  However, the drumming by Dieter Bernert really nails the driving, epic vibe with his fierce double-kicking power.  Overall, this is some pretty gritty power metal, much in the vein of bands like Primal Fear, Metalium, and Bloodbound.

Not every track is a winner, as a few just seem to jog in place, but they're still decent.  Nothing really brings the album down.  The songwriting is especially tight, with no real frills or extensions, just straight-forward power metal.  "Where Ravens Fly" is a great high flying starter, "Escape the Silence" has some seriously pounding drumming, and "My Dystopia" is another fast one that really stood out to me as above the pack.  As for the mid-tempo songs, "Turn Off the Light" and "Glory Disappears" were pretty enjoyable to hear again.  "Stigmatized (Shadows Fall)" had an unexpected bit of groove, surrounded by some interesting 12/8 riffing.

The end of the album kinda tapers off in energy, but doesn't completely lose its steam.  To be honest, this album might be in my Top 5 for this year.  I knew it will be tough to decide what those five will be, and this album has definitely made it tougher!  This is some solid, crunchy, epic music and worth a look from any power metal fan who likes it on the heavy side but somehow hasn't picked this up.

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Alright, I think I've got one more article to pull together before I'm caught up with all I want to hear.  I'm certain that I've listen listened to more current-year albums this year than I have ever before!  Still, when it's all this solid, I can't complain, or at least I shouldn't, right?  Well, onto the last batch!  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.

New Videos - July 2021 Part Two!

Squeezing this one in before the month ends!  I've got a few artists coming back, plus some new names, and a new single from my favorite band: Yes!!  Here's the latest videos I've been jamming to.

I don't think I've missed any of the singles from these guys.  Starting off with an acoustic intro, it goes into some aggressive riffing, making me think of the melodic prog from Italy, but the chorus eases up for some anthemic pop metal sounds.  These guys really have an interesting approach to songwriting, but it still results in some awesome rock music!

Here's another band that I've been liking a lot lately!  This is more of a mid-tempo anthemic stomper.  The chorus gets pretty somber, but that only makes the chorus all the more epic.  Sometimes a power metal band player slower song can be a bit of a crapshot, but this is quite solid.

Now this is just plain fun.  Sabaton doing a Manowar cover is not really that surprising, as both bands excel at epic mid-tempo metal, but it's a solid rendering, and a loving homage to a band that is clearly a major inspiration for them.

New Yes will always get my attention, but I wouldn't be posting it here if I didn't think it was also good.  While I don't know if it's amazing, it has been growing on me quite a bit.  It definitely has more energy than the sluggish Heaven & Earth, which is a good sign for this new album.  Hopefully, the rest will be as good.

Mark certainly knows how to make crunch songs!  This is from his solo group Tremonti, and it's a great piece of mid-tempo hard rock.  You'd think that between this, Creed, and Alter Bridge, it would all blend together, but somehow he makes each one sound a little different, and here, it's just straight up post-grunge crunch, and I love it!

Let's finish with some proggy power metal from Costa Rica!  This one is on the dense side, making me think of the styles of Kamelot and Symphony X.  The vocalist sounds more than a little like Russell Allen, actually.  The keyboard runs also make this some pretty epic stuff.  

New Videos - July 2021!

Sorry for the delay on more articles.  I guess the heat (along with a bunch of smoky haze) really ruined my motivation to get these done.  Still, I was eventually able to find some pretty awesome stuff, pulling this collection of great songs together!

Despite being a big post-grunge fan, Tantric isn't a band I'm very familiar with.  However, they seem to be carrying on pretty well, if this solid track is anything to go by.  Kind of standard for the genre, but it crunchy and has a solid chorus.

After listening to their last album, Paradigm, these guys are at the top of my AOR/Hard Rock watchlist now, and it looks like they have a new album coming soon.  This single is more of the same: straight-forward anthemic rock, with tons of energy.  Definitely looking forward to this!

Here's another barn-burner from Brainstorm.  I know I've listened to this band before, but I remember thinking they were just okay, but stuff is great!  Full of epicness and high speed crunch, their upcoming album is starting to sound like a must-hear for 2021!

Vega is just so good!  Their music always seems to have a lot of energy, and this one is no different.  Just another great, stomping straight-ahead rock song.  I mostly can't believe they're putting out another album already.  I feel like I can barely keep up with these guys!

Despite the ridiculous name, this is another side project that involves a few Yes folks, with singer/guitarist Craig Maher (who I've never heard of before).  They released one single before this one, which I found lackluster, but this one is definitely better, featuring a lot of Yes-isms, if you will.  There's certainly some promise here, but we'll have to see if a full album comes out of this (no announcements from them yet).

I admit I don't know anything about Flostam and Jetsam beyond the fact that's where Metallica got Jason Newstead, and I'm wondering if I've missed an interesting band.  This is some melodic thrash, much in the vein of Metal Church, but much more uptempo, as they really tear this one up!

New Videos - June 2021!

Still dealing with the heat, but I'm catching up on the latest videos.  This one is a bit back and forth between rock and metal, but it's all great, I promise!  These songs really demand to be turned up all the way!

Starting off with another great rocker from Big City.  This one is a little darker, a little more dramatic, and features some slide-guitar for one of the bridges (and the other solo is pretty tasty, as well).  While it's still within the pop metal wheelhouse, this one shows that the band has more than just good anthemic songs.

Another band I've heard a lot about, but never gotten around to.  Galneryus has been doing neo-classical power metal for quite a while now, and it sounds like they haven't slowed down in the slightest!  The song does bounce back-and-forth between Japanese and English, but the Malmsteen style solos are universal as far as I'm concerned!

I know I've called The Treatment a more melodic AC/DC, but this song seems to wander into more Def Leppard or Dokken territory, with a distinct pop metal vibe.  Still, it's quite enjoyable, and has some interesting little guitar licks.  Kinda wish the solo was a little longer, though.

Another awesome track from Hammer King!  Very much sitting between the sounds of HammerFall and Gamma Ray, this is some epic, chest-pounding metal.  I need to make their new album a higher priority for me!!

This new Styx album is sounding more and more peculiar.  While I recognize Tommy's voice, the song has this acoustic 6/8 groove, with some 70s synths laid on top.  It's a decent song, but I don't know if it really sounds like Styx.  I suppose I'll find out when I listen to the new album.

Finishing this article off with some gritty German power metal, Brainstorm has a great, double-kicking speed fest here.  Along with a catchy chorus and those crunchy guitars, it's one of the better songs in this style I've heard in a while!