Retro Reviews - December 2025!

So I'm definitely cutting it fine, but I've had some busy weeks.  However, I think I'll be able to squeeze in a few more articles before the end of the year.  Let's get things rolling with a handful from 2015 in anticipation of my Top 5 article for that year.  I don't know if any of these are guaranteed make it, but I think they all have a decent chance.

Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - Kingdom of Rock

After listening to his work in Primal Fear, The Ferryman, and his previous Free Fall album, I'm getting a pretty good idea of what to expect from Magnus now.  His follow up here is honestly more of the same symphonic rock and metal, featuring another great line up of guest singers.

As always, the production is the real star here.  All of these songs are very lush, layering the guitars and synthesized strings very well to sound like an epic orchestra, with plenty of slick guitar licks and solos throughout.  Once again, I feel like the songs are hampered by some generic lyrics, but Magnus and his guests are game, giving good performances, making the songs pleasant to listen to, making the album feel more like a showcase for the singers, most of which are on Frontiers Records as well.  There are times where I wish the song would push a little further or shift into some kind of power metal, but most of the time, the songs are often content to stick with mid-tempo rhythms, likely to give the layers and guitars space to breath.  "Another Life" does mix things up a little, starting with a nearly folky vibe before shifting into some bluesy metal, but otherwise it's pretty similar stuff across the board.

This is by no means a bad album, but it is kind of a forgettable one.  Things start of well with Jorn Lande singing the title track, and I did like "When the Sky Falls" with Tony Martin for being a little more Dio-like.  Of the albums more AOR-styled songs, "Never Look Away" stood out, featuring Tony Harnell of TNT.  While I enjoyed what I heard, with all the songs getting me to headbang along, but in the end, I can't shake the feeling I've heard all this before.  Fans of Karlsson's guitar work (and symphonic metal) will find plenty to like, but don't expect this to blow your mind.

Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden

After enjoying their most recent album, I thought I'd dig back into their catalog and check out their debut, as these Top 5 articles gave me the ideal opportunity to do so.  Here, the band is definitely more basic in their doom metal style, sticking to sounds like Dio-era Sabbath and early Candlemass, but fortunately the execution makes the difference here.

To be honest, there isn't anything here that hasn't been done before, but like I said, the quality of how they play it is what matters.  Once again Brooks Wilson wails and croons, and the rest of the band backs him up with some solid atmosphere.  Enrique Sagarnaga pounds the crap out of his drums, even getting a little jazzy here and there with his fills and rhythms.  The lyrics are more Biblical in nature, but never feel preachy, instead often going for this haunted, wandering tone, like a journey to seek answers that never really ends.  

There are a few shake ups, mostly with tempo changes.  "Heavy Riders" really goes back and forth with its tempo, leaning more Dio-Sabbath, while "Into the Holy of Holies" reaches a classic metal tempo and has some very shreddy solos.  Otherwise, it's just some well-played doom with solid atmosphere, plenty of decent riffs, and a good, introspective tone that's reaching for more.  I don't know if it necessarily stands out in its genre, but remains a good foundation as a debut album and certainly worth the listen.

Find Me - Dark Angel

Once again, I'm filling in another 2015 gap with this one.  I've enjoyed this band in the past and this album really is more of the same, solid, slick early 80s melodic rock with modern production.  Things start off well with "Nowhere to Hide," bring that slick AOR energy right off the bat, and the album doesn't really deviate from it.  Another stand out is "Bleed in the Rain," which has more of a pop vibe, like it came from an 80s movie, and the last two tracks "Did You Feel Any Love" and "I'm Free" close things out with some good upbeat rock.  As usual, it's hard to really say much about the music when it's doing exactly what it needs to.  I don't know if this will blow anyone's mind, but those looking for another chunk of quality melodic rock will find plenty to like here.  

Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross

Here's another slab of doom metal!  Despite having started in the 80s, this 2015 release would be Sorcerer's first full length album, as the band had recorded a few demos, then went on a massive hiatus.  After enjoying their other three albums, I went into this one with some decently high expectations and they were well met!

This is probably the closest album to Lamenting of the Innocent in terms of being more on the doom metal side rather than the classic metal side.  Plodding tempos, thick riffs, Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren lightning-style shredding, and Anders Engberg's soaring vocals are all here, establishing a solid atmosphere throughout the album.  "Sumerian Script" and "Lake of the Lost Souls" are a solid pair of slow-churning doom metal, but then "Exorcise the Demon" and "The Gates of Hell" shake things up with some very NWOBHM-style uptempo energy, full of neat guitar licks and noodles.  After that, it's back to some excellent doom, with "Prayers for a King" really standing out!

It's not quite as strong as Lamenting (though it comes quite close), but between the solid, clean production, the excellent songwriting, and the great story-telling in the lyrics, this will place pretty high on the Top 5 article I'm working on after this.  While the Crypt Sermon album was decent enough, what Sorcerer does here is my idea of what good epic doom is like.  Candlemass may have been doing it longer, but these guys are right up there with them in quality, in my opinion.

Atomic Symphony - Redemption

For the last one of this article, I'm reaching back once again to a debut album of a band I've enjoyed before.  Their two later albums were some pretty impressive, if moody, symphonic prog metal, powered by the iconic alto voice of Jasmin Baggenstos, and it seems their debut is where they started their particular sound.

The first thing I noticed was that the production was a little clunky, but as this was an independent release, that can be forgiven, and it's not really a deal breaker, once you get into the album.  The songs themselves have a strong story-telling focus, as each one has a tale to tell.  In fact, a reference to Nemesis makes wonder if some of the songs are part of the bigger concept they used for their other two albums (which I never did figure out).  There's plenty of proggy elements, which sections featuring some mixed meter or noodly riffs and transitions, but I get the feeling the songs aren't as complex here as they are on other albums.  Jasmin sounds great, though, and guitarist Roberto Barlocci really gives his fretboard a work out with plenty of shredding solos and complex neo-classical runs.

It's pretty much the same as their later albums, but with a bit less polish.  "Abyss" shows their unique blend of prog and symphonic metal, and "Breathing Rage" really works those neo-classical elements.  "Fate of the Gods" is their most chaotic song, the instrumental track "Delusive Dreams" as an interesting jam, mixing in some rockin' energy with their orchestrations and noodling, and the 9-minute "Shattered" makes for a decent closer.  I can see more hardcore progheads finding this album a little underwhelming, but overall, I enjoyed most of it, and see it as a solid start to what I think is a pretty unique band in the prog metal space.

Anniversary Series - 2013!

While I was able to do a good summary for 2008, I'm back to doing reviews for 2013.  Sadly, I don't have much to share for the year in my playlist below; it's a gap I plan to fill as I carry on with this blog.  However, I do want to draw special attention to Dimensionaut by Sound of Contact.  It's a fascinating sci-fi prog rock concept album that was a highlight.  While its the group's only album, members of it would go on to form groups like In Continuum and eMolecule, both of which I've featured before.  Now, onto some reviews!

Find Me - Wings of Love

After enjoying one of their albums in the past, I knew I needed to at least give their debut a shot when the opportunity came around, and this article certainly provided one.  Unsurprisingly, it's another solid block of melodic rock a la Journey or Asia, with typical modern production.

Right off, singer Robbie LaBlanc dominates the mix, coming front and center.  However, he has a great voice for this kind of music, singing the sentimental lyrics with confidence and ease.  While the guitars do a good job of holding down the rhythms, its the keyboards by Daniel Flores that really provide the 80s ambience and energy, providing all kinds of reverby synths to augment the emotions behind the songs.  That being said, there are some decent guitar solos through out.  It's no wonder Frontiers Records has hung on to this band for all their albums, as it's exactly the kind of stuff the specialize in.

The album starts with some good rockers in "Road to Nowhere" and "Another World," before dipping a little in energy, with "Eternally" filling the ballad slot on the album.  Things pick up again with "One Soul" and "Bottom of My Heart," and it carries through to the end of the album.  I know that AOR like this is pretty straight-forward, without any surprises, but this album is a high quality example of what the genre can provide.  

Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - Free Fall

Magnus Karlsson has been in the business since the late 90s, and quickly got picked up to work on a variety of projects for Frontier's Records, playing, composing, and producing all kinds of albums.  He also joined Primal Fear in the late 2000s and has been with them ever since.  However, this is the only project that bears his name, and the debut album falls in nicely for this article.  Drawing upon a quite the list of vocal talent, it shifts back and forth between symphonic rock and metal.

My first thought listening to these is the Allan / Lande project he worked on for Frontiers, going for full sentimental lyrics, with melodic hooks, symphonic arrangements, and providing sonic platforms for the vocalists to soar over.  Speaking of which, this is quite the lineup, drawing from hard rock and AOR to power metal and more.  Magnus does sing a few as well, and he's not bad, showing that there's more to him than just shredding guitars and bombastic arrangements.  If there is a problem, it's the lyrics, as they go for a lot of vague empowerment and drama, sometimes making the songs feel a little inter-changeable.

Still, that could be just nit-picking.  Anyone interested in rock and metal backed by lush arrangements and an incredible lineup of singers will be satisfied.  The standout songs for me include "Higher" (sounding very Primal Fear with Ralf on the mic), "Our Time Has Come" with Mark Boals, "Last Tribe," and "Dreamers & Hunters," with singer Michael Andersson sounding a bit like Jorn Lande!  Perhaps not anything earth-shattering, but it's a fun collection of songs showcasing Magnus Karlsson's abilities as a songwriter and producer.

Haken - The Mountain

So after checking out the first two Haken albums in previous Anniversary Articles, I had to carry on with their third album.  While it's not as much of a concept album as the others, it does focus on the theme of overcoming obstacles and personal challenges, as well as the dangers of greed and ambition.  However, they have definitely retained their peculiar blend of prog metal and quirky jazz.

While at first, it certainly feels like more of the same, but there are some subtle differences that does set this one apart.  Reading up on the album, the band mentioned how this one was a much more collaborative effort, and I think it really shows.  The playing is especially tight, and every song feels pretty meaningful and distinct.  This definitely feels like a band really coming together to make music.  There also is a lot more overlapping vocal parts, with different voices singing different lines.  However, the wild riffing and spontaneous transitions remain very intact, letting the band flex their technical muscles without the songs feeling too long or flashy.

This album got Haken a ton of attention, putting them on the progheads radar and helping them become one of the higher profile prog metal bands out there.  While the whole album does flow well, "Atlas Stone" and "Falling Back To Earth" do stand out as well thought out tracks, with "Cockroach King" being quite the mix of prog self-seriousness and downright zaniness!  I do think this is an improvement, taking what they've done before and distilling it down a little to get a group of songs that solidify their sound.  

New Videos - September 2020!

So I started putting this article together last month, but when I ended up listening to a bunch of albums, this got pushed off, so it gets to start September.  This time, we've got a bit of everything: AOR, symphonic metal, heavy/doom, prog metal.  Let's go!

Starting off with more nostalgic AOR.  Again, like Arctic Rain last time, this has the warm-n-fuzzy 80s vibe.  Nothing particularly strong or spectacular, but great to have on while you're working on things or just want to rock out from the comfort of your armchair.

So this band is listed as doom metal wherever I look, but this is way too uptempo, based on what I know for the genre.  This is creeping into heavy/US power territory, with some pretty technical riffs.  Still, it's crunchy and epic in an old-school sort of way, which works for me!

Dark, brooding symphonic metal, very much in the vein of classic Nightwish.  Dramatic and huge, with some solid crunching guitars and massive choirs, all centered around Elina Siirala's operatic vocals, it all makes for a great piece of epic metal.
  

Yup, DGM again.  This album is sounding like it's going to be as good as the last one, and the last one was very good!  The Italians just seem to have the touch: anthemic, melodic, broad, epic, just really great prog metal, as far as I'm concerned.

I know Magnus Karlsson mostly for his work in Primal Fear, but he's also in over a dozen other projects, and I guess this is the one he puts his own name on.  This one is an interesting fusion of AOR and symphonic metal, with a dash of shred for good measure.

I don't know if this band could sound more like Iron Maiden if they tried!  The singer Artur Almeida is clearly imitating Bruce Dickinson's dramatic style of singing, but he does it qutie well, and the band has some pretty solid chops to back it up.