Anniversary Series - 2004!

Yeah, this one is about a week and a half late, but better late than never!  2004 would naturally be another decent year full of power metal, but I decided I'd give a few new albums a chance instead of going over ones I've heard before.  However, of those, the major standout for me is Nightwish's Once, as that album was one of my favorites in my initial year as a metalhead.  The symphonic flourish of those songs was incredible, and convinced me to continue enjoying the genre.  Check out the playlist below for more highlights from the year.  As for this article, I admit I ended up just diving into some more power metal, but these were albums I've been wondering about for a while.  Let's get into it!

Twilightning - Plague-House Puppet Show

Speaking of my early metalhead years, I came across this band's debut album Delirium Veil and absolutely loved it.  Definitely inspired by fellow Finns Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica (with a bit of Europe for good measure), they took a much more synth-heavy approach to power metal and spiced it up with some interesting prog elements, like mixed-meter sections.  I thought it was novel at the time, but I never followed up on their later albums.  Fortunately, this article gives me the opportunity to check out their sophomore effort.

While much remains the same, the songwriting has taken a shift towards more of an 80s pop metal sound, much like what Edguy was doing in the later 2000s.  The proggy elements have also disappeared for some pretty straight forward songs.  However, what worked before still works here.  Ville Wallenius and Tommi Sartanen have tons of incredible fret work in both licks and solos, Mikko Naukkarinen is right there with them on the keys while also providing a solid synth ambience, Jussi Kainulainen and Juha Leskinen are solid enough as the rhythm section, and Heikki Pöyhiä belts out the lyrics with gusto.  If there is a problem, it's that most of the album kinda blends together more.  There are a few ballads to break things up, and they're not bad, but overall, this album mostly sticks to a rockin' feel outside of a few power metal-like sections.

I think I still like the first album more, as I think it's more ambitious and iconic.  While these songs aren't bad, the production is solid, and the album flows quite well, this just feels a bit lackluster compared to what came before.  I definitely liked the title track as an opener, "Fever Pitch" had a great build up in energy as the song went on, and the rest of the album is enjoyable enough.  I just wish there was more going on.

Dream Evil - The Book of Heavy Metal

So I've been listening to the title track of this album for years, but I haven't checked out the rest until now.  While I found their second album to be decent (though not as good as their first), I went into this third one with some high hopes.  For the most part, they've been met, as the band shifts into more of a traditional metal band with power metal moments.  

There are two main takeaways I have here.  First is that they really focused on having catchy hooks and riffs, making these songs really stick with you.  The second is the fact that Gus G. really goes hard on this album.  Sometimes, he's full of legato on the melodic solos, sometimes he's full speed shredding, and it's very front-and-center on this album.  However, the rest of the band is solid, as the band shifts from high-speed numbers, to anthemic pieces, to hard rock jams.  While "The Enemy" and "No Way" keep the power metal around, most of the album sticks to a mid-tempo groove of one kind or another.  Some of the songs like "Tired," "Unbreakable Chain," and "Only for the Night" make me think of Scorpions, actually, though that might be because vocalist Niklas Isfeldt reminds me of Klaus Meine sometimes.

I do wish there was more of the power metal from the first album, but the heavy metal and hard rock stuff is pretty fun.  The lyrics can be campy, so your mileage may vary with those, but overall, the album is never dull.  And that title track might be the best thing they've ever written.  Every time I put it on, you had better believe that I'm singing out the chorus as loud as I can!

Angra - Temple of Shadows

Yup, more Angra!  I promise this was the planned album for this article before I heard the band was going on hiatus, doing a quick tour of their homeland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this album.  While the last album was a solid return to form with a new lineup, this one has them coming back with another concept album.  This one tells the story of an 11th century crusader being given a strange prophecy by a Jewish rabbi.  As events unfold, he finds himself questioning the teachings of his faith and finding the meaning of his life, while being given visions of the future.

The band is definitely going big with this one, really wearing their Dream Theater influences on their sleeve.  The album shifts between power metal triumph to somber acoustic ballads to technical riffing to jazzy songs like "Sprouts of Time."  "Spread Your Fire" is a firey opener (after the intro track), "Temple of Hate" gets neo-classical, while "Wishing Well" gets kinda folky and proggy, kinda like the Flower Kings. "Morning Star" really runs the gamut, going back and forth between heavy riffing and more somber, mysterious tones.  The lyrics themselves are mostly fine.  It feels a bit preachy here and there, but otherwise, they tell the story pretty well.  While it certainly is progressive metal, nothing feels confusing or jarring.  It's all well-arranged and performed, and the album flows well from song to song.

However, I don't know if I like it as much as their other albums.  I think this is one I will need to revisit a few times before I can really decide how I feel about it.  It has a lot of little bits I like, but the songs don't quite come together for me.  I guess maybe I went in thinking I'd get more power than prog, and this is definitely more on the prog side.  Still, it's undeniable Angra, maintaining an interesting balance between their influences while bringing in new ideas.

Retro Reviews - August 2024!

Wow, where did the time go?  I was on a good schedule and then fell behind somehow!  I'll work on getting back on track, but I will admit that the next Anniversary Article is gonna be late as well because that's going to be another stack of reviews.  I'll keep trucking along, but for now, here's what I've been checking out lately.

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

With a new album coming out next month, I figured I should catch up on this legendary guitarist's solo discography.  I've already reviewed his first three albums, so this is the last one left.  While On An Island was very chill and pastoral, Rattle That Lock goes for a darker tone.

While we're not in Pink Floyd territory (though bits will feel that way with his guitar solos and some of the layering of strings and synths), this definitely feels like a more personal darkness.  The songs end up feeling a bit long with all these slow tempos, but if you can get into the somber headspace it's creating, the time flies pretty quickly.  Gilmour's solos are still beautiful, emotional, and majestic, but his voice sounds a little rougher this time around, but he makes it work.  The songwriting is interesting as well, leaning often into cinematic ambience and some jazzy sections here and there.

The album also flows well, but the songs shake things up here and there.  I did connect with some of the emotions on "In Any Tongue," and I felt that "A Boat Lies Waiting" is the closest to his previous album.  "Dancing Right In Front of Me," gave me some Dire Straits vibe, and the instrumental "Beauty" starts of pretty ambient before getting into some Pink Floyd territory, and I liked both halves.  "Today" was a jarring shift, going from a church hymn to this 80s alt pop thing.  It made me think it should have been on About Face instead of this album, given how upbeat it was.  Overall, I enjoyed a lot of this, and might considering it my favorite of his solo stuff (though I'd have to listen to the others more to really say).  It's a shame I didn't listen to this when it came out, as I did know about it, but I guess hearing it now means I get to share my thoughts with you here, for what they're worth.  Anyway, I certainly recommend this one as I think it's very accessible and easy to get into.

Iron Savior - Interlude

As I continue my quest through Iron Savior's discography, I'm a little baffled that this is considered an EP when it's over 50 minutes long.  Sure, half of it is live stuff, but it's really pushing the limits of "extended."  Then again, Sonata Arctica sorta did that with Successor, so maybe there's precedent.  In any case, this release carries on the story of the Atlantean super-computer with another chunk of power metal.

The live stuff is good enough.  Performances are tight, and there is a bit of stage banter in German with a crowd excited to be there.  The new tracks seem to lean more toward traditional metal, and capping it off with a Judas Priest cover really cements it.  The production seems a little weird, like the bass has been turned up, but without consideration of how it affects everything else.  However, that's just a nitpick for what is a handful of decent tracks.  "Controtions of Time" has some interesting gritty riffing and "The Hatchet of War" feels very Gamma Ray (though with Kai still on board, that's not a surprise).  I don't know if this is really a substantial release, but as an Interlude, it provides a solid collection of songs before the next chapter of the saga.

Angra - Rebirth

While I found their third album underwhelming, the band went through a pretty big change after recording it.  The vocalist, drummer, and bassist all left, so guitarists Loureiro and Bittencourt had to pull together a new band, thus the album title Rebirth.  As far as I could tell, it's not a concept album, but it's still a solid set of progressive power metal songs.

The balance of Helloween and Dream Theater continues on, but some synthisized strings give them a touch of Rhapsody of Fire, provided by Günter Werno on loan from Vanden Plas for this album.  He even gets a few noodly solos along with the guitars.  New singer Edu Falaschi feels like a cross between James LaBrie and Fabio Lione, so he fits in pretty easily.  Aquiles Priester and Felipe Andreoli are the new drummer and bassist, and they keep pace pretty well, while still squeezing in a few tribal beats for some of the more groovy sections.  The songs themselves are an interesting blend of ideas, going from soft to hard, slow to fast, sometimes even within the songs.  For what it's worth, I'm not saying that Angra is a copy-cat; they definitely have their own sound, and it's pretty iconic.

This album just seems to take the best of what worked before and polish it with more modern production for the time.  I remember hearing "Nova Era" a long time ago, and it's still a great power metal track, while "Running Alone" is an interesting blend of power and prog.  The rest is solid, though maybe a bit ballady at times.  They're not bad, but the energy does kinda go up and down across the album, ending on a piece of Chopin that sorta feels like the album deflating.  Overall, there's a lot to like, though, as it's pretty similar to Holy Land, and about as good.

New Releases - August 2024!

Time to get back on track with some new releases.  I've got another trio of power metal albums, featuring some pretty big bands.  I promise I'll get to other genres as the year goes one, but these took priority for the summer, so here we are.  Raise your hammers, cast your spells, face all comers, and check out these reviews!

HammerFall - Avenge the Fallen

I have admit that doing the Retrospective article got me pretty hyped to hear the new album.  While I do think the band has changed, I do like their newer albums quite a bit.  They always provide a good, epic, fun time, and Avenge the Fallen is no different.  It may seem like more of the same, but there is something to be said for consistency.

Things start off well with the title track, with gang vocals on the chorus.  In fact, this whole album has a lot more gang vocals this time around.  I'm sure fans will be singing those parts when they play these songs live.  The album carries on well enough, with "The End Justifies" starting with some riffing that wouldn't be out of place on some of their first albums, before going to a spacy section that shifts into a different chorus-like part.  I also liked "Hail to the King," with it's slow, 6/8 groove, and both "Burn It Down" and "Capture the Dream" had some interesting ideas.  The ballad "Hope Springs Eternal" isn't the worst, though it does overstay it's welcome a bit, things get understandably dark with "Rise of Evil," and the closer "Time Immemorial" has a bit of an odd style, chugging under the verse, but dropping to a somber tone for the chorus.

Perhaps a bit of a mixed bag, but honestly it's pretty solid all the way through.  None of the songs feel particularly terrible (even the ballad), and their fans have plenty of more anthems to shout to.  I'm not immediately sure how it compares to their other recent albums; I'll probably have to listen to this one a few times to really decide.  However, I'd say they met my expectations pretty well, making another solid chunk of heavy/power metal.

Rhapsody of Fire - Challenge the Wind

The Nephilim's Empire Saga continues as Kreel learns more about his origin and faces a new rival known as the Black Wizard!  Rhapsody of Fire carries on with their majestic style of symphonic power metal, for better or worse.

To be honest, I really struggle to review this band.  I know I have a few times before, but it honestly ends up being a lot of the same: great orchestrations, bombastic style, noodly guitar solos, fantasy lyrics.  And it's still good, but I really struggle to feel invested in what they're doing.  For what it's worth, they do have a bit of a change-up, adding in some raspy black metal vocals, which I think are done by singer Giacomo Voli (there are no other vocal credits, so I think he's doing both).  Still, it only feels like another layer within the bombast.  Even their storytelling feels lackluster, often taking too long to get to where they're going.  They even have a 16-minute song in the middle called "Vanquished by Shadows," that could have been cut in half, as it has a lot of repeating sections.  And then they repeat them again for "Mastered by the Dark."  It's like they just cut out a section of the long song, made it a new track, and called it a day.  

That's not to say I hate what's going on.  There are some good moments.  I liked "Kreel's Magic Staff," and "A Brave New Hope," even if they did have some jarring time-signature shifts, and "Diamond Claws" brought back some folky elements.  Otherwise, I feel like the album just kinds goes in one ear and out the other.  I know Rhapsody of Fire are a pillar in the world of power metal, but I just can't seem to click with them, and their latest album is no different.

New Horizon - Conquerors

After loving their debut album so much that it was my #1 album two years ago, I was very excited to hear what these guys from H.E.A.T. have to offer for their sophomore effort.  I enjoyed their blend of Gamma Ray style power metal and AOR, but they've definitely picked up more symphonic elements, wandering towards the likes of Dragonland, and Twilight Force.

Another major shift is with the lyrics, pulling a page from Saxon's old worn playbook by focusing on a bunch of historical topics for this album instead of typical topics fantasy and triumph (squeezing in Iron Maiden's "Alexander the Great" for good measure).  As a result, the songs feel like history lessons based on quickly reading the associated Wikipedia pages, which has mixed results.  Still, all the shiny production and tight performances are back, and Nils Molin sings his guts out, sounding great.  There are more synths this time around, but they're just another layer among all the orchestrations going on here.  It's solid stuff, but compared to the first album, it does come across as an awkward turn.

I don't necessarily want to be down on a band who wants to expand to new horizons (pun intended), but this album was not an immediate hit like their first one was.  I liked the great opener "Against All Odds," the Kamelot vibes on "Messenger of the Stars," the heavy AOR crunch on "Edge of Insanity," and there's plenty of story-telling here, but I think I need to listen to this one a few more times to really decide how I feel about it.