Sorry for the lack of posts this month. January has been pretty hard on me, health wise, so I've slowed down quite a bit. Still, I have a few albums here that I've heard lately, with the theme of 90s metal! Let's go!
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far BeyondI've started reading The Silmarillion this year, and that kinda got me into a Blind Guardian mood again, so I listened to this album, probably best known for having the ballad "The Bard's Song," which would in turn give the band the nickname "The Bards." Even from the start, I can tell this is better than their last album, as the songwriting is tighter and stronger.
At this point, the band certainly have their sound, and it definitely feels like power metal now, though there is still plenty of the older speed/thrash style, making for some pretty gritty, dark-sounding stuff. However, there's plenty of great riffs and melodies, often at quite high speeds. And as usual, Hansi is just killing it, whether he's singing alone or with some great vocal harmonies.
As always, the songs are inspired by all kinds of fantasy literature, as well as sci-fi film and television, and even one based on a video game. This really is the band of nerds and for nerds, as as a nerd, I can certainly appreciate it! I quite liked "Time What is Time," "Journey Through the Dark," and the title track. It's easy to see why these guys became such an inspiration to so many other power metal bands that followed!
Vanden Plas - Far Off GraceVanden Plas is a band I keep telling myself I should listen to more, as I've only listened to their first two albums and only a handful of other tracks. They always sound great, like a Dream Theater lite that isn't as obsessed with extended songwriting or overly long solos. So I threw in their third album to expand my knowledge of them.
The first thing I noticed was that the production is the little thin, with the percussion sounded like they weren't recorded in the same room, the bass drums feeling especially clicky. Still, it's a minor gripe for what is a pretty solid album of melodic prog metal.
The band definitely show their skills, with plenty of curious time-signature changes and lots of moody shifts. Andy Kuntz in particular really stands out. He's always been a great singer, and that's still true here. His voice is so iconic to me, giving a lot of depth to the songs, but still focused on singing well instead of any kind of over-the-top emotional performance. The rest of the band performs well, with some pretty neat solos here and there, especially the one in "Far Off Grace."
However, the album didn't blow me away like some of their others. Decent songs, but the only one that really stood out was "Inside of Your Head," with some interesting segments that flow well and a really catchy chorus. The covers at the end are a nice touch, but don't really add to the album, either. Overall, it's solid work, and I'm glad I have more Vanden Plas to consider, but I don't think it's quite as strong as Colour Temple or The God Thing.
Iron Maiden - The X FactorI'm still working my way through this legendary band's discography, and I've finally reached the first of two controversial albums. After Bruce Dickinson decided to leave, they found Blaze Bayley to be their replacement, a move that frustrated a lot of their fans. As they began to put material together, they felt like they were wrangling with number of variables, coming up with the title for the album (as well as having a bit of a clever pun on it being their tenth studio release).
Right off, this is definitely much darker material than usual for the band. Part of it has to do with Bayley's voice being more of a baritone, but the production overall has a bit of a muddy, meaty tone, and the lyrics certainly deal with different kinds of bleak material, ranging from madness and frustration, to the human heart at its darkest.
The result, however, is quite a mixed bag of meh. The big problem I had was it felt like they were trying to redo "Fear of the Dark" 8 times over, making the album feel very monotonous. The songs are also overly long, often having mellow intros, into mid-tempo chugging for the verses, into up-tempo sections for the solos, then back down again. As such, the songwriting does feel a bit predictable and more filler than substance. As for Bayley's voice, I don't think it's bad, but it is a rough match for the material. There were a few times I wished we had Dickinson singing this stuff at an octave higher. The solos were good as well, though I suppose saying that an Iron Maiden album has good guitar work is like saying water is wet!
Overall, what was once a tight and dramatic band seems to have gotten flabby and safe with this one. I do think "Sign of the Cross" is decent, and "Judgement of Heaven" stood out to me just for being a different kind of song from everything else, in a good way. However, I can see why fans would be so down on this album as it really does feel like a 90s band imitating Iron Maiden than anything particularly authentic.
I'm still slowly working on my Top 5 for 2020, and like I thought, it's been tough deciding what should go in. Hopefully, my health will improve and I'll be able to work that out soon! Until then, rock on! \m/
