Here we are! The very last Anniversary Article! It's been a long five years, but it's been fun writing them all, even if I ended up just reviewing some albums for some of them. And while this one will be more reviews, this one is a little different. The blog has technically existed since 2017, but I really didn't start in earnest until late 2018, so 2019 is kind of the first major year for reviewing rock and metal. As a consequence, this Anniversary Article will be a bit of a catch up on a handful of albums I didn't have a chance to listen to, or discovered to have come out this year.
I featured a song from this album in one of my video articles, and while I've always liked it, I'm ashamed that it's taken this long to listen to the rest of the album. Heavy/doom metal inspired by classic fantasy fiction is right up my alley, and while the album doesn't do anything original, it rolls along well enough.
Clearly I need to listen to epic doom metal more often, as the style's sense of storytelling and atmosphere really is unique. As for Smoulder, they're par for the course, but they execute their ideas well and know how to mix it up by bringing in some faster tempos here and there. Honestly, this sounds like if Dio-era Sabbath had a female vocalist and leaned more into Candlemass-style epicness. Speaking of which, Sarah Ann's vocals are peak melodrama (in a good way), eager to share stories and battles of yore with a flair of haunted and ancient glory. The production does feel very analog and dry, and I'm not sure if that was deliberate, or just a consequence of what was available to them. Either way, it makes the songs feel like they came straight out of the 80s to be played along-side a classic AD&D campaign.
I don't know if there are any real standout moments, as the album is generally pretty consistent. I do kind of wish the production was a little cleaner, but that's really just a nitpick. While I don't know if this would have cracked the Top 5 for the year, I really should have listened to this back then when I first became aware of them, as it's quite a solid release.
Here's another one I should have listened to back then as I was checking out the videos for this album. Building upon what they established on their first album, Anette Olzon and Jani Liimatainen have worked out the kinks and leaned a little harder into gothic melodrama, making for quite a solid chunk of symphonic metal.
Right off, the songs may not seem all that much different from the previous album, or any other symphonic metal project, but I feel like the songwriting is stronger all around. The trance-like elements are still around, but I think they're used better here, weaving them into the wall of sound as another part of the orchestrations. I admit I'm not able to put my finger on a reason why, maybe it was just the mood I was in when I was listening to it, but I really do think this album is an improvement across the board. The songs have a bit more variety as well, with some drifting into AOR or pop territory, while others get rather dark and somber, but they're all generally a good listen. The only track that feels out of place is the closer "I Have to Go," which has this bluesy noir jazz tone, like a movie from the 1940s. It's not bad on its own, but it is a weird way to end a symphonic metal album.
"Not Your Monster," the title track, and "The Pallbearer Walks Alone" are the best tracks (and coincidentally the ones I linked above), but the rest of the album is solid, telling their tales of failed romance and tragedy well. With such a strong album, I'm surprised they haven't done anything more in the last five years, but I guess Anette and Jani have separately been working on other projects. However, should they decide to come back together for a third album, I'll definitely check it out, especially if it's going to be more of this!
While their last album drifted into some very loose and fun blues rock, their third brings back the 70s metal sound of their debut, channeling Thin Lizzy and early Judas Priest. Naturally, it's another set of solid rock/metal tunes dedicated to themes based on Dungeons & Dragons (in case if the band name didn't tip you off).
Despite the short length of the album, it's chock full of upbeat, rocking songs that feature plenty of tasty guitar solos and harmonies, once again provided by Bryant Throckmorton with newcomer Wes Wilson. Once again, your mileage may vary, considering the overlap of classic rock and fantasy tropes, but fans of both should find something to enjoy on here. Things start well with the opener "Light Bender," "Mirror Image" has more of a 70s rock song with some great guitar work, and "Spell Shaker" rocks with good energy and catchy melodies, but that describes the whole album really. The title track which closes the album also throws in some very tight, epic vocal harmonies.
However, in the time since I last reviewed them, it seems they have broken up (at least according to the Metal Archives), which is a bit of a shame. I understand that what Gygax was doing wasn't particularly original, but they had a fun blend of ideas. I can't decide if I like High Fantasy more than their first album Critical Hits, but all three albums are worth checking out, especially for all the excellent guitar playing, as long as you can respect their tongue-in-cheek approach!
While I enjoyed their second album, I haven't gotten to their self-titled debut until now. When finally listening to it, I was surprised to hear Yannis Papadopoulos (of Beast in Black fame) as the vocalist! I did like most of Daniel Heiman's vocals on the second album, but I think Papadopoulos brings out a more Maiden-style epicness here.
Much of what I heard from their other album I'm hearing here: heavy/power metal melodrama, with occasional shifts in tone and tempo to make the songs more narrative and epic. Many of the melodies, especially the basslines, make me think of Iron Maiden and Yannis is often channeling Bruce Dickinson himself. However, the songs are quite a bit longer on this album, and unfortunately feel kinda repetitive, as sometimes they don't make use of the space well other than to riff around more. That's not always a bad thing, but when it's on every song, it makes the album seem bloated. Ending on two long, acoustic-heavy ballads doesn't really help things, either.
Overall, it's a decent album, but not really great. The stand outs were "A Sinnersworld," which had a very 80s feel, like Pretty Maids, "Fight For Your Life," which is full-on energetic power metal, and the epic "The Path of the Warrior" has some interesting ideas, but is just too long for its own good. I like Papadopoulos's vocals, but I think the songwriting is tighter on The Mad King, making it a slightly better album. It's weird that there hasn't been anything from them since 2021, as this group has a very interesting style. (And it seems they aren't on Spotify anymore, which isn't a good sign.)
