New Releases - February 2025!

Well, this came out later than I was planning, though I did come down with some pretty serious colds.  Hopefully I'm over those now and can work on what looks to be a busy year.  I'm trying to get a better start on new releases this time, as there are some big ones right off, and because my retro listening is a bit different this time around.  In any case, here's a trio of interesting metal albums to get things kicked off!

Dream Theater - Parasomnia

While I have covered Dream Theater a few times in the past, this one gets the notable return of Mike Portnoy to the fold.  From there, they've crafted something of a thematic concept album, focused on various forms of sleep disorders (if the title wasn't a clue).  This gives the album a darker feel that's more about mood and atmosphere than heaviness, necessarily.  Still, all of the band members' skills remain on display, which I'm sure will delight their fans.

That darkness kicks in pretty quick with the opener "In the Arms of Morpheus," starting with some cinematic ambience before getting some ominous guitar picking, followed by some heavy riffing.  It's an interesting intro, testing the rest of the album.  From there, the darkness carries on, pretty much through the rest of the album.  "Night Terror" feels like a carry over of the heavy parts from their last album, while "A Broken Man" feels like a throwback to their 90s era.  "Dead Asleep" gets theatrical with the story telling, throwing in a blues-rocking jam for good measure, while "Midnight Messiah" gets thrashy, similar to Train of Thought (which I ought to review at some point).  "Are We Dreaming" is more of an ambient piece that flows into the ballad "Bend the Clock," which features a really nice Pink Floyd segment at the end, allowing Petrucci lean more into his legato style.  The album closes (once again) on a big number, "The Shadow Man Incident," which features the band's typical arrangement of styles and transitions, including a Latin rhythm section because why not?  It's all performed well, with Portnoy getting plenty of time for some rapid fire drum fills to remind folks he's back.

However, I have this sinking feeling that I've heard it all before.  Sure, they have an interesting theme that allows them to explore the darker side of their sound, but compared to the other albums I've listened to, it just feels like more of the same.  Fans will be delighted to get an album they've been waiting for more than a decade for, and I do think it's not a bad album, in fact I enjoyed most of it.  And yet, when it's over, very little stays with me.  Maybe I need to give it a few more spins to let it really sink in (and perhaps the rest of their albums as well), but from my point of view, it's just another (certainly decent) Dream Theater album, just like all the rest.

Grave Digger - Bone Collector

Grave Digger is another one of those bands where I've seen them around, and enjoyed a song or two, but never seriously checked them out until now.  I know they're a long standing German metal band that's had a weird history early on with name changes and break ups, but otherwise they seem to have been a pretty consistent band.  Built on the foundation of bands like Accept and Saxon, they add some speed and a lot of metal clichés, but honestly, I wasn't expecting anything else.

Anything you'd think of when you think of German traditional metal is all here: gruff vocals, chunky guitar riffs, and plenty of energy.  While I'm new to this band, I speculate this is all very much par-for-the-course for this band.  The album starts up with two speed metal songs that go almost too fast for the band.  It's a decent start, but then album drifts into more mid-tempo territory, with "Mirror of Hate" and "Riders of Doom" getting very stompy (in a good way).  The speed picks up towards the end, with "Forever Evil & Buried Alive" featuring some solid energy.  The album then closes on "Whispers of the Damned (The Banality of Evil)," which feels like a Metal Church style power ballad.

While this is all quite fun, the biggest issue is the production.  I know it may be a strange way to describe it, but the songs feel narrow, somehow.  Chris Boltendahl's vocals sometimes get buried (which is strange as he mixed and mastered the album himself).  The lyrics are also a bit on the generic side, which is interesting, as I understand this band has covered more interesting topics in the past.  Still, this is not a bad album by any means, as the riffing remains solid and chunky throughout.  This album definitely falls under the category of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and that's just fine.

Beriedir - Liminal Spaces

When I saw Beriedir had a new album, I was pretty intrigued.  I liked their last one, as it has a lot of lush layering and interesting ideas, though it wasn't perfect.  Still, I wanted to see what they would do this time around, only to discover that they had taken a pretty dramatic shift.

While much of their sound is still here, with the synths really filling a wall of sound not unlike other melodic prog metal bands, they have chosen to twist it up with a significant dose of classic Gothenburg melodic death metal.  The vocals have both clean and harsh varieties, and the riffing definitely takes a more chaotic turn, resulting in some haphazard songwriting.  I'm not sure what compelled them to add this to their sound, but they're clearly dedicated to it, as it shows up on nearly all the songs.  The lyrics have also taken a level in pretentiousness, making references to Old Testament prophets and German Renaissance artists, among other things.  The band is tight in their performances, even with some pretty jarring rhythms and time signature changes.  I can't imagine this stuff would be easy to play live.

What I will say is that it is definitely not a boring listen.  I may have been caught off guard by the inclusion of some extreme metal elements, but the songs were compelling nonetheless.  I think I'm going to need to listen to this one a few more times to really wrap my head around what they're doing.  Credit to them for at least throwing a wrench into their own sound just to see what they could do with it.  If anyone is interested in a fusion of Evergrey and Wintersun, this album is definitely worth a listen.

New Releases - 2024 Wrap-up!

Alright, one last chunk of reviews to wrap things up.  After this, it's time to listen to everything again to figure out what my Top 5 of the year is, and there certainly are some contenders in this article!  I've focused on melodic metal much more for this one, but they're all from bands I've enjoyed before, and they're carrying on without too much to slow them down!  Here's what I've decided to check out for the rest of 2024!

Lovebites - Lovebites EP II

So I admit I'm kinda confused by this title, as this is technically their fourth EP (going by Metal Archives, anyway).  Based on the cover art, it might just be a sequel to their first EP, but what that means, I honestly don't know.  I decided to relisten to their entire discography before getting into this, and it really is amazing to hear just how consistent these girls are in the quality of their songs.  While Electric Pentagram remains my favorite of theirs, all of their albums have highlights, and this remains true for this EP.

Things start high with the opener "Unchained," which is some typical (and by that I mean good) power metal from them.  "Soul Defender" follows up well, leaning into some US power metal feeling with the chuggy riffs.  Then next comes "Where's Identity," which is straight up Bay Area Thrash, and probably the best song on the album, wildly enough.  However, the last two tracks aren't quite as good.  "The Bell in the Jail" has this strange groove going through it, and seems to have been inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and "Someone's Dream" sounds like their attempt at a Helloween style song.  It's not bad, just not as strong as the earlier tracks.  Overall, though, they maintain their high standard by providing another handful of high energy metal, and as a big fan of this band now, I don't think I could ask for anything more (except maybe a full album next time).

DGM - Endless

Well, this was certainly a pleasant surprise!  While I definitely liked Tragic Separation when I heard it, subsequent listens have shown that it might not be as strong as I first thought, and when Life turned out to be mostly fine, if underwhelming, I was concerned that this band was starting to slip in quality.  So I was pleasantly surprised when they decided to dive deeper into prog!

And when I mean prog, I mean full on hammond organs and flute solos from the 70s.  It's like they decided to go back to their roots and influences, making for a very surprising and satisfying album.  Sonically, the album finds itself close to the melodic side of Dream Theater, with some keys from IQ, and an uplifting tone like Neal Morse's solo work.  While the band's lineup remains the same, they clearly made some changes to their approach compared to their last few records (which largely felt like a fusion of modern prog metal with AOR-style choruses).  This time, it's like they decided to throw out their templates and just explore what they felt good about, filling the album with songs full of energy and excitement!  Seriously, I was smiling through most of this album as I was listening to it for the first time!

Things start of very proggy with "Promises," mostly being an instrumental jam, before going full-on prog with the dynamics on "The Great Unknown."  Even when they bring back their usual sound on "Final Call," it's broken up with a rather moody digression that builds quite well.  "The Wake" brings in some darkness to shake things up, and the 14 minute closer "...Of Endless Echoes" is all of this wrapped together in a wonderful musical journey.  However, the highlight for me was "From Ashes," with it's energetic start and cheerful lyrics.  I couldn't help but smile the entire time it was on!  Overall, this was a delightful surprise, as the band seems to find new life by bringing in some classic prog ideas to freshen up their sound.  Top 5 contender for sure!!

Dream Evil - Metal Gods

After reviewing a few of their albums, I've decided to skip ahead to their newest one, squeezing it in between these other new releases.  However, they haven't changed much, drifting into a style that's more traditional metal than power metal, much like how HammerFall have been for the last decade or more.  While listening to it, I thought of both the Saxon and Judas Priest albums I heard early last year.  Still, for those who don't mind a layer of cheese with their metal will find themselves headbanging through the album.

While the band is solid (and there are some interesting guest guitar solos), most of their strength comes from their vocalist Niklas Isfeldt, who belts out these campy lyrics with authority.  I think he's aging well, sounding a lot like Biff Byford in most of these songs, giving them the right amount of drama to be fun without sounding like a parody.  The lyrics are pretty typical "overcome the challenge" stuff, with equal focus on horror and fantasy.  It may feel like they're sticking to their formula, but they execute it well.

The album starts well with the title track, a tribute to the classic metal that inspires them.  "Chosen Force" is a solid follow up, and things get more power metal with songs like "The Tyrant Dies at Dawn" and "Born in Hell," the latter of which neat riffing that makes me think of classic HammerFall.  The rest of the album is solid, but it's easy to let each track slip by as the album goes on.  As much as I like this band and their brand of fun, this year has some tough competition, so I don't know if will stand out enough to get into my upcoming Top 5 article at the end of the month.

Paragon - Metalation

Good grief, has it really been five years since their last album?  Where does the time go?  Controlled Demolition ended up being a sleeper hit for me back in 2019, and while I doubt they've been resting on their laurels since then, I have had to be patient in waiting to see what Paragon would do to follow up that massive, crushing slab of heavy/power metal.  They've got a new drummer on board, but they've clearly picked up right where they left off.

Because I haven't been doing the Videos articles anymore, I haven't taken the chance to check out any singles, so I went into this pretty blind.  Happily, I found plenty that reminded me of their previous album, but I admit I was looking forward to that.  As usual, the band is full of chunky riffs and rhythms, the solos by Christian and Bertram range all over the place from melodic to shreddy (and include a few from Piet Sielck of Iron Savior, who I guess has been working with this band for a very long time), and vocalist Andreas Babuschkin brings his gritty charm to the songs.  They continue their unique blend of styles, taking the grit and energy from Accept and giving it a bit of a power metal boost in epicness.

The songs themselves are pretty consistent, though "MarioNET" goes by in a blink, and the later songs "My Asylum" and the title track drop the energy for the sake of more anthemic songs.  They're not bad, aren't as strong as where they began, starting with the high energy "Fighting the Fire," which carries on with "Batallions."  Meanwhile, "Beyond the Horizon" goes for more of an epic doom approach, making me think of Sorcerer's work.  Overall, it's another decent chunk of metal, and while I don't know how much this one will grow on me, I know I'll be giving it more listens to see if it lands on my Top 5.

Anniversary Series - 1999!

This article should be better than the last one, even if it means I gush about power metal most of the time, but it was great year for that genre.  After HammerFall had opened the gates, tons of new bands got signed, making it a ripe year for fans of the style.  However, I promise I'll talk a little bit about other genres, and we'll kick things off with some hard rock.

The big album of the year was definitely Creed's Human Clay.  Between the Matrix cameras in the music video and the anthemic post-grunge sound, this was when Creed cracked into the mainstream and became a big name.  I remember hearing "Higher" on the radio and thinking I needed more of this band.  I ended up loving them so much, they ended up being my first band retrospective article three years ago (the fact that they had such a small discography certainly helped as well.)

Other rock highlights include a few bands coming back in one form or another.  Def Leppard got back to their classic sound with Euphoria, Styx tried to make another concept album for Brave New World, and Santana teamed-up with Rob Thomas to give us "Smooth."  Classic rock might not have been the charting success it once was, but they still had plenty of good ideas and fun music.

I've delayed it long enough, though.  Power metal was really strong this year, with plenty of options to pick up.  Primal Fear came back with Jaws of Death, Gamma Ray and Iron Savior carried on their space crusade (which I reviewed earlier this month), Kamelot went into their Fourth Legacy now with epic vocalist Roy Khan helping with the songwriting, Edguy criticized the Theater of Salvation., and Helloween pulled out a Metal Jukebox for some interesting covers.

There were some solid debuts.  Freedom Call started their happy style of metal with Stairway to Fairyland, Metalium rang in the year with Millennium Metal, and Sonata Arctica blew everyone away with their debut Ecliptica.  With magnificent songs like "Kingdom for a Heart" and "Unopened," it was clear they were poised to become a champion of the second wave of power metal.

Of course, prog was making good stuff as well.  Dream Theater would reach a creative peak with their psychodrama Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, Alan Parsons would check out The Time Machine, and Yes would blow my teenage mind away with The Ladder.  I've gushed about this album before.  Despite being 25 years old now, I still sing along to every word and note and beat whenever I put it on.  Honestly a modern prog rock masterpiece in my opinion.

So there's my thoughts on a pretty dang good year of rock and metal.  As always, check out the playlist below for more, recommend what I missed in the comments, and try to stay cool out there!  August is looking to be a hot and busy month for me, as I have a lot of album reviews planned, so keep an eye out for those.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1994!

This year is certainly a tough one to write about.  While there was plenty going on in rock and metal, it was mostly in genres I generally don't cover on this blog (like pop punk or death metal).  That being said, I think I've got enough to scrape a few paragraphs together to try and cover the year without resorting to a handful of reviews.

Naturally, grunge was still big.  Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden put out some reelases to their diehard fans, with Soundgarden in particular having a massive hit with "Black Hole Sun."  However, this year would also serve the biggest blow with the death of Kurt Cobain.  Almost acting like a turning point for the genre, more radio friendly bands like Bush and Our Lady Peace would move the genre into the post-grunge era.

Prog would end up having an interesting year as well.  Classic bands like Yes and ELP (among others) would put out albums, showing they still have what it takes, while Pink Floyd released Division Bell, marking the end of an era (as it was the last album for them for many years).  Progressive metal was picking up, however, with Dream Theater leading the charge with Awake, their celebrated follow-up to Images and Words.  With newcomers like Vanden Plas and Symphony X following in their wake, prog metal was clearly on the way up.

Meanwhile, power metal was starting to come together.  Stratovarius would be in a state of transition with Dreamspace, but the big story was the comeback of Helloween.  Picking up new singer Andi Deris, the band returned to their speedy, melodic roots with Master of the Rings, one of my favorite albums of theirs.  Finally getting past their experimental phase, they laid out epic tracks like "Sole Survivor" and "Where the Rain Grows," anticipating the explosion of power metal that would soon follow.

So it's not much, but it's something, and there's certainly more in the playlist below, so check that out.  If I've missed something, let me know in the comments below.  Meanwhile, I'll keep carrying on, putting out articles as often as time permits.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

New Videos - July 2023!

Wow, this summer is going faster than I expected!  I know it's been dang hot for everyone, but hopefully we can endure for another month or so.  In the meantime, I've got another handful of excellent new songs for you to check out.  

Despite enjoying some of Noveria's singles in the past, I never did get around to that album, and now they have another one coming out!  They've still got that technical riffing and epic sound, this time with a bit more of a symphonic flair.  Italian melodic prog metal really is a distinct and fascinating sound!

Yup.  Another Anthem single.  This one definitely aims for more of a Painkiller vibe with that double-kicking bass drum and driving chugs.  Also, that guitar solo is pretty solid.  I'm starting to think I need to get into this band sooner rather than later, as their singles are surprisingly consistent.

Is it bad that the most I knew about this band is that they were the reason Herman Li & Co. changed their name to DragonForce?  Well, it turns out they've got a solid heavy/power metal sound, much like Grave Digger.  With a catchy chorus and some solid guitar work, this single might inspire me to give them a shot now that they've got a new album coming out.

Yup.  More Primal Fear.  This one is definitely a mid-tempo stomper, getting to their classic metal roots.  So far, Ralf and company seem to be keeping their consistent quality with this one.  While it's definitely much like what they've done before, I'm still looking forward to their new album. 

So I guess earlier in the year, some of the guys from Vanden Plas started this side-project that's more of a hard rock/heavy metal group.  Finally catching up on it, I think they have a solid sound, though I think I could hear Andy Kuntz sing over just about anything.  In any case, it's got some crunchy riffs and decent melodies, with some synth layers behind it for good measure.  Check it out!

Last Played - July 2023!

After having a very busy June, I've finally got some time to catch up on some newer releases from earlier in the year and an older album that I admit is mostly just marking off an item on a checklist.  Still, it wasn't all bad, and the newer albums had some decent moments as well.  Here's what I've been listening to lately.

Big City - Sunwind Sails

This band blew me away a few years back with their curious blend of pop and prog metal, and when they announced their fourth album, I knew I had to give it a listen.  The first single showed that they have retained their particular style, and the rest of them album provides more of the same, but it struggles to really grab me.

The album has a lot of things going for it.  The production is big and anthemic, everyone's performances are solid, and they certainly don't rely on clichés for their ideas or lyrics, often dipping into science fiction elements.  The guitars provide a lot of noodly solos and crunchy riffs (Daniel Olaisen and Frank Ørland back again), and Jørgen Bergersen voice is huge and natural, their 80s rocking style ringing out with confidence.  The songwriting isn't afraid to mix it up at times either, throwing in a darker riff or a softer section, letting some songs drift in the five or six minute territory.  However, I can't deny that there seems to be something missing.  Maybe the melodic hooks aren't really working, making the songs less memorable, as they tend to pass delightfully in one ear and out the other.

I'm wondering if this is an album I'm gonna have to spend some time with in order to get a better idea of what these guys were going.  There certainly seems to be a push to make things more cinematic, taking their pop metal sound and boosting to a bigger scale, but I don't know if it's really making the music better.  I did like "I'm Somebody" as a solid opener, and "After the Raid" felt like it was inspired by Gamma Ray, but overall, initial impressions leave me lukewarm.  

Iron Maiden - Virtual XI

Yup, it's finally time to talk about the other Blaze Bayley album.  I was pretty underwhelmed by the first one, but from what I had heard, this one is just as bad, if not worse.  As it turns out, I think Virtual XI is actually an improvement, if only a minor one, as many of the problems from The X Factor return.

Primarily, the muddy production comes back, as well as the extended song lengths.  Honestly, many of these tracks feel long just for the sake of long, often repeating choruses over and over, as if they felt the need to pad them out for some reason.  "The Angel and the Gambler" is the biggest offender, as that song had maybe enough ideas for 4 minutes, but it goes on for 10!  The songwriting does have a few shake-ups, but most of the songs follow the same "Fear of the Dark" formula that the last album did.  

While I do think the band feel a little more energized, they still sound like they lack a lot of inspiration.  There are some solid guitar melodies and solos, the dynamics shift in ways that are pretty typical (though they are boosted by some synthesizers adding a few layers), and Blaze sounds decent, but it's hard to shake this sense that they're still in cruise control.  "Futureal" and "The Clansman" are probably the only songs that stand out, as the first has good energy, and the second does build to a decent level of epicness.  Overall, it's not awful, and not as sluggish as The X Factor was, but it's easy to see why most Maiden fans consider both of the Bayley albums to be so skippable.

Silver Bullet - Shadowfall

After stumbling into the band with a neat little power metal song about the Soul Reaver games, I decided to check out what else this band had to offer for 2023.  What I got was a set of songs that shift back and forth between AOR and heavy/power, like a mix of modern HammerFall and Eclipse, but with more symphonic keyboards.  

Maybe it was just the mood I was in, but the more metal songs stood out to me more.  "Shadow of the Curse" is a solid opener, really using the keyboards to add lush layers.  "Soul Reaver" was fun to hear again, and "Nighthunter" had a bit of a traditional metal vibe (at least until the choirs came in).  "The Ones to Fall" and "Creatures of the Night" were more on the AOR side, and "Falling Dawn" was a mix of both styles.  "Dusk of Dawn" gets doomy and dramatic with a slower riff and the massive orchestrations, only to get broken up with an uptempo section for the second half of the song, and "The Thirteen Nails" goes full-on symphonic metal.

Overall, it's a decent album, with a solid sense for dynamics and orchestrations, but otherwise it's pretty standard power metal.  It's also a little on the short side, at 45 minutes, but I think they were able to cover a good range of ideas in that time.  It's not particularly original (as most power metal fans will feel pretty comfortable with what Silver Bullet provides), but it's executed well.  While I had never heard of the band before, I'm curious to check out their older albums to see what they're like, if I can find the time.

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I don't know if I have much to say at the moment, other than that I'm trucking along.  My next article, which will be for 1998, is going to be a doozy, so I need to get started on that sooner rather than later (you'll see!).  I've been seeing some pretty high temperatures around, so I hope everyone is staying cool this summer.  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - February 2022!

Yup, it's time to get back into the videos again!  Certainly some interesting melodic metal right out of the gate, going from prog to power and back again.  Turn these up, as they certainly demand it!

This is an interesting piece of mid-tempo power metal.  It's got some good energy, making me think of some of the more anthemic Stratovarius songs like "Hunting High and Low."  Fabio is pretty over-the-top, but doesn't steal the spotlight, and his voice combines well with Giorgia Gueglio's.

Well, I suppose being from the same part of the world as Iron Maiden gives them a bit of authenticity!  This is definitely in the style of older Maiden, as it has a bit of a rock vibe, but the vocalist could easily be mistaken for Dickenson, which is probably intentional.  Still, a solid metal track.

I know the video has the hashtag for prog metal, but I get massive Yes vibes from this, mainly due to the vocalist Damian Wilson being right in Jon Anderson's range.  Getting the guitarist from DGM and the keyboardist from Dream Theater certainly helps lift the prog chops as well.  It's a neat little song, and I'll have to keep an eye out for more from these guys in the future!

Well, this is a solid piece of power metal.  Not really innovating anything, but it has good energy, and some interesting use of synthesizers, making me think of Twilightning, actually.  While this is just for an EP, I'll have to keep an eye on this band, going forward.

Now this sounds like classic HammerFall!  The extended guitar noodling makes me think of their early albums like Glory to the Brave and Legacy of Kings.  While "Hammer of Dawn" was decent, this one certainly has the band's various trademarks all at once!

Last Played - December 2021!

This is the first of a handful of Last Played articles, as I have a number of albums to try and catch up on.  There's just so much I want to listen to and talk about!  Of course, this is just gonna make my Top 5 harder to decide.  (I'm wondering if I should expand it to a Top 10!)  In any case, here's the latest handful I've listened to.

Big City - Testify X

Hailing from Norway, Big City was advertised as a pop metal or glam metal group, and based on the singles (which I quite enjoyed), that seemed to be the case.  Sure, there were a few noodly parts, and the synths added some layers, but it mainly made me think of bands like Winger or Europe.  Now that I've listened through this album, there's a lot more going on than I expected.

First of all, the production is very lush.  While there's generally a warmness associated with most 80s-styled rock and metal bands, Big City seems to be reaching for more.  I think they've double-tracked or even triple-tracked their guitars, and with the synths adding more atmosphere, giving me massive Asia vibes, if they were more metal.  As for the music itself, it's pretty solid.  Daniel Olaisen and Frank Ørland provide some great guitarwork, getting in plenty of good riffs and leads.  The solos are also pretty dynamic, with some going for intense noodley fretwork and others settling for some very nice melodies.  Jørgen Bergersen does well with the vocals, soaring over the wall of sound they have created.  I do think he tends to be a little static with his energy, though, as it feels like he's hitting the notes the same way song after song.

However, the big twist is how the song-writing shifts as the album progresses.  At first, it starts very much in late-80s pop metal territory, with maybe a few extra details to give the songs character (like the Winger comparison I've been making).  "Dark Rider" really stands out as a solid, anthemic rocker early on.  Then, as we get further on, the songwriting gets a little more complicated, with the last three tracks "Heart's Like a Lion," "Graveyard Love," and "How Dark Does It Get" suddenly shifting into more prog metal territory, making me think of bands like Vanden Plas and DGM.  The riffs get a little more technical, the rhythms get shaken up, and the tempos even kick it up a notch.  I admit I wasn't quite anticipating that, expecting this album to be solid 80s mid-tempo arena fillers all the way.

I admit I haven't heard their first two albums, so I don't know if this is standard for them, or if this album shows a shift towards more complex songwriting for them.  I know I liked a lot of it, but I think this one is gonna need a few more spins before I really wrap my head around everything I heard.  Still, great production, tight player, and plenty of solid guitarwork make this an interesting gem, and worth checking out, regardless of what genre it is.

FireForce - Rage of War

So this was a band I was aware of earlier in the year, and I checked out a few of their singles.  I thought they were alright, but not worth really adding to my video articles.  However, they released a video for the title track of this album recently, reminding me of them, and I decided to finally check them out.  What we have here is a band that really straddles the line between thrash and power metal!

Right off, the album starts with a double-kicking fury that rarely lets up across the entire album.  The guitars riff and shred with sheer aggression, but often have very melodic solos and leads, sometimes even having some harmonies.  As for their vocalist, this is their first album with Matt Asselberghs, but he fits in so comfortably, I would have guessed he had been with the band for several years.  Honestly, this very tight execution and production, with solid metal front-to-back.  Though this also ends up being a bit of a problem.  Because it maintains a certain level of intensity all the way through, the songs tend to feel a little samey after a while.  Even when they slow it down for "Forever in Time," it maintains the tension by sounding more doomy than being any kind of ballad.

However, I can't deny I enjoyed a lot of this.  The execution is top-notch, feeling like a mix of Sabaton's anthemic lyrics with Primal Fear's sense of melody, and the melodic thrash of bands like Annihilator, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Megadeth.  Mystic Prophecy comes to mind as well, naturally.  I liked the title track, "March or Die," "Firepanzer," "From Scout to Liberator," and "Tale of the Desert King."  This is definitely recommendable to those who like their power metal gritty or their thrash more melodic.  I think this one might grow on me!

Wolfmother - Rock Out

I remember when Wolfmother arrived in 2009 with "Woman" and "Joker and the Thief," being a peculiar throwback to the likes of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Steppenwolf.  (It's kind of funny to think of how many other bands have since picked up on the retro rock trend.)  I liked what I had heard, but I ended up never really following up with them ever since.  So when they suddenly dropped an album last month, I figured it was a good time to get caught back up, and in all honesty, not much has changed.

Despite the 80s-tastic cover art, this is very much a 70s rock sound.  I will say there is a shift from the psychedelic, hammond-heavy style of their early stuff to more of a straight-forward blues rock, almost like a stoned-out Kiss.  The riffs on "Rock Out" and "Upload" definitely have that "Detroit Rock City" vibe.  However, the Sabbath and Purple has definitely stuck around, with "Humble" having quite a heavy riff that would have fit right on Master of Reality, and "Only Way" has a lot of noodley leads and solos, making me think of Blackmore's work.

It's a short album, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, but I suppose 60 minutes of this might get a little much, as the songs don't vary a whole lot, with most of them sticking to the 2-3 minute range.  I understand the band is pretty much Andrew Stockdale's show, and he seems content in sticking to this classic rock style.  I can't blame him as he seems pretty good at it.  Overall, it's a nice burst of chunky, retro stuff, full of tasty licks and solid grooves. 

Sonic Haven - Vagabond

This is another album I was pretty excited about earlier in the year.  Featuring recent Firewind recruit Herbie Langhans on vocals, this seemed like it would be a nice, bright collection of power metal by some talented folks.  However, after a year of some excellent power metal releases, this one ends up being just okay in comparison.

Anyone familiar with German power metal will find a lot of similarities here.  Gamma Ray was one comparison I kept making, as the guitars have a lot of tricky technical riffs and solid melodic leads, often with neat harmonies.  The songs generally don't shift much in tempo outside of a mid-to-upbeat range, though.  Langhans sounds pretty solid, his mix of Udo's grit and Jorn's charm give these songs a decent bit of heft.  While they used two different keyboardists here, they don't add much other than some symphonic elements and AOR-style synths.

One track that stands out, though, is "The Darker Side."  It starts with some clean guitar notes before hitting with a heavy, slow riff out of the doom metal playbook.  It reminded me of Sorcerer, actually.  As for the rest, I liked "Vagabond" as a decent opener, "I Believe" with it's big Gamma Ray energy, and "Striking Back" as a solid, symphonic closer.  The rest of the album is decent as well, but it's not particularly strong material, resulting in a rather average listen.  Perhaps in another year, I would have appreciated it more, but compared to the tracks I've heard from Helloween, NorthTale, and Brainstorm, it just feels a little weak.

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I must say, that was some pretty interesting stuff, and a good bit of a variety.  That will probably be the case with the next few articles as well.  Speaking of which, I need to get working on those!  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - August 2021!

This summer hasn't relented, with the heat and the smoke making things miserable.  Lets see if we can blow it all away with some epic metal!

So many new albums to listen to, and this one is near the top of the list.  Dee Snider's solo career has really turned into something nice and crunchy.  Also, a cat gets rescued, which is nice.  Seriously, though, Dee's voice is as powerful as ever, and it's great to hear him bellow it out over heavy riffs like this.

Speaking of albums I need to listen to!  In the meantime, enjoy this mid-tempo rocker from these power metal giants.  They're definitely having fun with this one, going the "Rock 'n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" theme, and I can't disagree with that!  This is a solid track, for sure!

More Italian Prog Metal!  This one really has a lot in it, despite being just under six minutes.  With the syncopated groove, wild synth runs, and tonal shifts, this is a kind of mini epic.  Kind of a lot to process, but none of it feels disjointed, as it flows pretty well.  

Another great piece of melodic thrash from this classic band.  I clearly need to catch up with these guys if they consistently sound this good.  Nice, crushing riffs, solid vocals, and even some dynamics with a softer section in the middle that then builds back to the thrashing!

Well this is a little different.  After a moody intro, it kicks into gear somewhere between Painkiller-era Priest and Paragon.  The singer has a nice grit to his voice, and the guitars have some nice, noodly leads, all driven by some serious double-kicking rhythms!

Let's finish with something epic!  And Finnish!  Antti Martikainen started off doing cinematic music, like Two Steps from Hell.  However in 2017, he picked up some guitars and released Northern Steel, nearly two hours of epic instrumental folk metal.  I guess he has done a few more albums since then, including this one, which falls more into symphonic power metal territory, but is no less epic!

Last Played - June 2021!

I guess the heat has put me in the mood for some prog rock this past month!  I've got a classic, a new release, and something in between for this one.

King Crimson - Red

Finally, I’ve reached the end of this period of King Crimson’s history.  At this point, the band feels almost stable in its lineup, as it continues to focus on the core of Fripp, Bruford and Wetton.  As it would turn out, Fripp wasn’t as in charge for this one, letting the other two work out a lot of the details.  I don’t know if it’s a direct result, but I did feel this album was more coherent than the others I’d listened to so far.

Still, much of their style is here.  Bruford really gives his kit a workout, going for all kinds of jazzy fills and rhythms.  Wetton sounds more confident as a singer on this one, and his basslines really go all over the place.  Fripp is still here, but more focused on the atmospheric guitar-picking and mellotron keys.  The result is something more on the ambient side, with spicier parts that let Bruford and Wetton shine, along with a few saxophone solos from former members Mel Collins and Ian McDonald.

I don't know if any track really stood out (though "Providence" felt pointless until the last fourth of its runtime), but I could tell the band was gelling better than before, creating some interesting songs.  Of course, shortly after this album was released, Fripp would decide he'd had enough of the music industry, putting King Crimson on hiatus for 7 years, but one does wonder what they could have made had they stayed together.  Overall, it's an interesting collection of songs from a very influential band, and probably one of their better ones of this period.

Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE 3

While I'm familiar with some of Dream Theater's work, this prog-heavy supergroup hasn't really been on my radar until now, as the advent of a third album has been made to be quite the comeback.  Being a full instrumental album is always a bit of a struggle for me, as I tend to prefer more song-driven music structures, but Monkey3 blew me away two years ago, so I gave this the benefit of the doubt.

For starters, the talent is certainly here, which is to be expected given the lineup.  Featuring many manic note-laden shreddy sections and dual leads and other technical pyrotechnics, this stuff definitely falls on the solo-heavy side, with some extra experimentation to spice things up.  "Hypersonic" starts things off at high speed, "Beating the Odds" almost sounds like an AOR rocker (in a good way), and "Key to the Imagination" is an epic that has some interesting grooves and metal riffs.  I also liked "Liquid Evolution," which was a softer track that helped break up the high-speed chaos quite well.  However, the highlight is their cover of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," as it is a massive collage of styles and tones and textures.  Starting off with a modern smooth jazz vibe, it quickly shifts into jazz-fusion territory, adding in bits of metal and prog and even funk for good measure.  It also has an ambient section that made me think of the "Soon" section of Yes's "Gates of Delirium."  I was half-expecting Jon Anderson to suddenly start singing!  It's quite the ride!

That being said, while I liked what I heard, the band definitely pushes the "Experiment" part of their name, with all kinds of shifts in tone and energy, and I don't know if I really followed all of it. There is also a second disk of some improvised jams, but at the risk of cliché, it really is just more of the same.  Maybe LTE is a band that requires multiple listens to really capture what they're doing on a bigger scale, but it's hard for me to not write this off as (admittedly well-played) jam-heavy prog noodling that passes in one ear and out the other.  I understand that may be enough for folks, though, so if this is what you're looking for, then LTE has it in spades!

The Flower Kings - Retropolis

In anticipation for my next anniversary article, I thought I'd check out The Flower Kings's second album.  This album is a bit more of a concept album, focusing on a bizarre city that seems to fuse the past with the future, with all kinds of celebrities and historical figures in new contexts, with a dash of Christian theology thrown in for good measure.  However, the result is more of the band's trademark proggy/jazz-fusion sound.

To their credit, they do provide some decent variety.  It mainly stays focused on a lot of mid-tempo grooves, with some ambient parts here and there, but the various combinations between the synths, the guitars, and the occasional saxophone really stymy any monotony that might creep up.  If there is a problem, it's that the lyrics don't quite gel with the rest of the song (though this isn't a problem with the instrumental pieces).  Stolt sings them well, but once he's done, the song feels like it goes in a different direction.  I remember having this problem with their first album as well.

On the other hand, they sound tight, but relaxed, letting the jazzy grooves do the work for them, and despite their obvious Yes and Genesis influences, they succeed in building their own unique sense of tone and atmosphere.  I don't know if the concept provided really works, but I also get the impression that it might not be that important anyway.  I admit that nothing really stood out to me as above the rest of the album, but I enjoyed what I heard while I was hearing it.

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It's only the end of June and I'm already tired of summer!  Hopefully, things will cool off soon, as I know I'm not the only one sick of this heat!  In the meantime, I'll try to focus on some more new releases, as some pretty big ones dropped recently, and I need to get on them!  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - June 2020!

Good heavens!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  It's not like there wasn't good material released in the past few months, I just wasn't getting around to it like I normally do.  Excuses aside, here are some new tracks worth listening to!

Modern Kansas is not quite like the 70s material, but they do have moments where it comes together pretty nicely, and this definitely shows the promise of their new album.  Thoughtful, broad, with that violin which adds that nice touch that's made this band stand out all these years.

I admit I haven't followed DeYoung's career after he left Styx, but here we see him aiming for that classic sound.  Tons of vocal layers, some classic proggy synths, the build to the catchy chorus, it has a lot in common with the sound he forged with his band in the 70s.  It could use some crunchier guitars, though.

After being blown away by them back in February, here they are again with another great song.  It's pretty poppy and melodic, but retains the heavy, crunchy guitars of the other song, making for a pretty epic number.

Nice piece of melodic prog metal, in the vein of Dream Theater and Vanden Plas.  With some interesting syncopated riffing and great vocals, this band just released their debut and from this track, they seem to have a lot of promise!

You can always trust Vega to lay down a solid rock song with a big chorus.  This one is the title track of their latest album, and probably one I should go pick up.  I really liked Only Human, and this sounds like it's more of the same!

More melodic prog metal!  I was impressed by Noveria back in March, and this one is just as epic.  Italian prog seems to have this perfect balance of melody, drama, energy, and crunchiness that works for me, and this track is a prime example.