Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

Paradise Lost is known as an epic poem written by 17 century poet John Milton, centered around the fall of man and the fallen angel Lucifer. The dark romanticism of that tale would lyrically influence several metal bands. The British gothic metal band Paradise Lost was named after that epic, and then we have an entire concept album based on the story, Symphony X's epic masterpiece Paradise Lost!

This was another very important album for me over a decade before this review. It was at this point when the band distanced from most of their neoclassical power metal roots and became progressive. The increase in odd time signatures and heavy riffing gives it away while still keeping you hooked with melodic choruses.

The bombastic orchestral overture "Oculus Ex Inferni" starts the album, painting the skies with the flames of a beginning war. Then the first actual song "Set the World on Fire" gets the action rolling in this battle of angels and demons. Attacking hard is "Domination" with top-notch vocals by vocalist Russell Allen, sounding vicious while staying clean. "Serpent's Kiss" has some killer groove, though it's a little more an average song, while not deducting the album's perfect 5-star rating.

The title track is a beautiful ballad. A little subdued, but still great. There's more the catchy fury in "Eve of Seduction". I can practically memorize those lyrics and maybe try to sing them, despite them having some cheesy romance. That's brushed aside by the blend of the album's progressive metal with their earlier speedy power metal. It's also a solid break from their groove-ish tone in the songs before the title track. "The Walls of Babylon" takes their roots even further as some parts into the neoclassical and choral dynamics from The Divine Wings of Tragedy that were last greatly utilized in The Odyssey.

"Seven" is aptly titled in so many ways. It's the 7-minute 7th full song of the band's 7th album with the occasional 7/4 time signature. How symbolic can you get?! Another kick-A track! "The Sacrifice" is another ballad. It's not bad, just a little tame. But that's just the speedy side of me talking. The memorable 9-minute epic "Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia)" has so many cohesive ideas. If you can get hooked by the neoclassical leads and melodic chorus, you'll definitely wanna stick around for the rest.

For those new to the band's material, Paradise Lost is the best place to start, with its blend of complexity and accessibility. Longtime fans can also get a glimpse of many of their past works. 10 years before this review, this would've been my personal best album of 2007. The heavier albums are still fighting for the throne!

Favorites: "Set the World on Fire", "Domination", "Eve of Seduction", "Seven", "Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia)"

Symphony X is known as a progressive metal band, though not in the same way as a band like Dream Theater. There's more technicality and orchestra, and the band can sound extreme while staying melodic. All this makes an excellent mix that I regret taking a long-a** break from, that is The Odyssey! You'll find plenty of epic progressive standouts here including a 24-minute epic to top it all off.

We already get a full-on standout in "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)". Both the music and vocals sound so aggressive, heavier than their previous albums and hinting at their later ones. The riffing in the intro and verses really attack and mark the start of a more kick-A path for the band. "Wicked" loses some aggression but it's still quite wicked, with great soloing from both the guitar and keys. "Incantations of the Apprentice" is more eerie, containing some Lovecraft-infused lyrics. The vocals by Russell Allen can remind some of 70s Rainbow, particularly in the verses. Michael Romeo's guitarwork continues to shine, but Michael Pinnella's keys, not so much. But that's OK, because the guitars really help give the track some meat to beat.

Bringing back the keys right away after that previous track is "Accolade II", a soft while still heavy sequel to a track from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Lots of piano beauty and audible bass in this one! My favorite part is a brief piano section with Allen's singing midway through the song, before the bridge. A couple minutes later, there's excellent soloing by Romeo. Absolutely breathtaking! Up next, "King of Terrors" flips the stylistic palate as the heaviest song by the band at that time. The riffing is simple yet heavier than most of the more melodic metal bands. While the vocals including the verses stay heavy, the piano lets out a slight calm moment then levels up the bass, drums, and vocals in the chorus. The song is based on Edgar Allan Poe's works, and it includes a spoken section from one of his poems. Add some keyboard/guitar complexity and you have what's basically early Queensryche gone Nightwish! "The Turning" is a short fast heavy track, and the riffs and leads throw back to their earlier neoclassical style.

"Awakenings" stands out with its synths and piano that sounds practically like a video game OST, plus beautiful singing by Allen. There's still some speed that DragonForce would later have. It's both the second-longest track of the album and my second favorite here. And only one track would surpass that one on both accounts... The title epic is the longest track the band has ever done, at over 24 minutes. You know how much I love long epics, especially when there's lots of fresh variation. I love those kinds of tracks as much as the less progressive listeners love tracks that are up to 6 minutes long. A true epic should never be so draggy throughout its length (looking at you, funeral doom "epics"!). In these 7 parts of this epic, things can switch from orchestral to acoustic to metal, often going from slow to fast back and forth. And the lyrics do the journey of Odysseus justice! All I have more to say is, it's one of the greatest epics in the metal part of my existence! The limited edition has two bonus tracks, starting with a 1998 re-recording of "Masquerade" from their 1998 debut. As great as the original! The other bonus track "Frontiers" is a standout with intricate soloing from the guitars and bass.

OK, let's look back at my earlier situation. I've considered The Odyssey one of the best albums over a decade ago. If I focused on only this band and album and others in power/progressive metal, I probably would never have switched to modern heavy genres like metalcore/industrial metal. But if I stayed in those latter two genres today without looking back, I would've completely forgotten about amazing offerings like this. With that said, I'm grateful for how everything turned out, and I'm grateful to still remember the greatness of this offering. Fans of metal and all music should give it a go. It's an odyssey that shall be remembered for eternity!

Favorites: "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)", "Accolade II", "Awakenings", "The Odyssey", "Frontiers" (bonus track)

The 5th Symphony X album and the second part of their quintessential quadrology certainly marks a well-done entryway into their later progressive metal. The neoclassical madness last used prominently in Twilight in Olympus is fading out a bit, while the progressiveness starts to really build up, finalized in The Odyssey. V: The New Mythology Suite stands greatly on that fine line!

V is a concept album that covers different mystical locations such as Atlantis, Egypt, and space. The music and lyrics are quite beautiful, making this solid album almost as much of a masterpiece as the two albums surrounding it for the most part.

The "Prelude" gets you hooked for what this album has to offer. Then it segues to the first full song and highlight "Evolution (The Grand Design)". There's some more beauty within the melodies in "Fallen", fresh from the Egyptian side of the story. Then we have a moment to relax in the next interlude... "Transcendence" is the second interlude that's strictly just orchestral keys, similar to the interludes in Dark Moor's The Gates of Oblivion.

Seguing from there is the amazing 8-minute "Communion and the Oracle". Then we have the short yet strong "The Bird-Serpent War/Cataclysm" that can be considered the "In the Dragon's Den" of this album. Unfortunately, in the interlude "On the Breath of Poseidon", their attempt at alternating between metal and orchestra kinda falls apart. While it's my least favorite part of the album, the perfect 5-star rating isn't affected. In "Egypt", some parts sound a little too familar. Still great though. "The Death of Balance/Lacrymosa" is a strange yet awesome insturmental, enough to make a highlight.

"Absence of Light" is another bearable track. "A Fool's Paradise" brings back the awesomeness of the album's first half. The "Rediscovery" segue is a nice build-up to the grand epic... "Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology" is an awesome 12-minute grand finale. It's epics like this that put them in the progressive metal club of Opeth and Dream Theater, and it reminds me that the glory is left unbroken.

I think this album would've been 100% perfect, rather than say 96%, if they've improved a couple songs and segues, and indexed both "Rediscovery" parts as one track. Nonetheless, V: The New Mythology Suite is another masterpiece that is practically a long progressive symphony!

Favorites: "Evolution (The Grand Design)", "Communion and the Oracle", "The Bird-Serpent War/Cataclysm", "The Death of Balance/Lacrymosa", "A Fool's Paradise", "Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology"

My grand experience with Symphony X's 7th album Paradise Lost has made me up to revisiting more to this band's albums. One incredible place to start is Twilight in Olympus, which is yet another classic that I've listened to since over a decade ago and still remember its glory. And considering how much I was into the modern classical works of Two Steps From Hell before switching to metal, no wonder I loved bands and albums like this masterpiece back then!

This can be considered the "Thomas" album since it's the last one with former bassist Thomas Miller, and drummer Jason Rullo was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling (RIP). I say this is the transition album between the neoclassical era of their first 3 albums and the power-ish progressive era of the 3 albums after this one.

Some of the best progressive metal to surpass Dream Theater occurs in the opener "Smoke and Mirrors", one of my favorite tracks by this band. All we have in the structure is the mundane verse-chorus that ends up getting a grand enhancement, displaying the band's skills without having to make a half-hour epic. The neoclassical madness of this band Symphony X may be hard for simple guitar listeners to understand. But there are great guitar solos to learn such as the one around the 4-minute mark, performed by the impressive Michael Romeo. He often duets with keyboardist Michael Pinella, creating a sea of melodies. The riffing is not what you often hear in melodic progressive metal. Also I love the melodic singing by Russell Allen. He never goes as ridiculously high as other power metal vocalists, and sometimes he sounds nicely rough for the thrashy sections. And oh yeah, the awesome bass by Thomas Miller is audible. I'm not sure why "Church of the Machine" started with an industrial noise-ridden intro, but that doesn't matter. The heavy verses are in perfect balance with the chorus that almost turns the song into the band's own "Bohemian Rhapsody". The ending is quite abrupt, but again it doesn't matter. It just leads straight to "Sonata", a short instrumental take on Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8.

"In the Dragon’s Den" shows that the band can kick a** with the progressive neoclassical metal sound. Sometimes, melody doesn't have to be as deathly as Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. You can get it from bands that are meant to sound like Symphony X, Stratovarius, and Nightwish. Short songs balance out against longer epics like this next track... "Through the Looking Glass" is a long melodic track, following the band's trend of having at least one long epic since their debut and carrying on to subsequent albums. It lasts for 13 minutes and follows the "FantasMic" idea of 3 parts with the last being the heaviest. It ends up getting a bit repetitive towards the end, but still great.

Next up is another short fast track "The Relic", complete with a perfect chorus. The riffing aggression carries on into "Orion - The Hunter" alongside amazing vocals in the verses. I'm not too fond of the soloing, but once again, the 5-star album rating stays intact. Similarly to the previous album, this one ends with a haunting ballad, "Lady of the Snow". Nice singing by Russell Allen and guitarwork by Michael Romeo. That's how metal ballads should be. Melancholic, not happy-sappy.

Twilight in Olympus has been quite a progressive journey through fantasy and mythology ala power metal lyrics, all poetic with only a small tasy dash of cheese. Romeo and Miller are two main songwriters in this album, but with Miller gone, Allen would take his place in the songwriting department. That early era ends as a new one begins!

Favorites: "Smoke and Mirrors", "Church of the Machine", "In the Dragon’s Den", "The Relic"

I really need to thank my brother for getting into this band and giving me the spark of massive interest that didn't ignite until just recently. Volbeat was formed by frontman Michael Poulsen in 2001 after disbanding his previous band Dominus, having enough of his former band's death metal sound and wanting to start anew. Volbeat's name comes from Dominus' 3rd album title. When checking out or revisiting some bands/albums, it's good to follow your heart, and you might just find a gem of sheer greatness!

I really love Volbeat's first two albums. But if there's one album that I think would surpass the other by a few percentage points, it's this one, Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil. It really seals the rock/metal gone rockabilly deal and would be an awesome recommendation for one of my rock/metal-loving pals.

We roll right into "The Human Instrument", a favorite of mine and my brother's, proving that Elvis metal works like a dream. The kick-A power is still kept up in "Mr. & Mrs. Ness", continuing the story that started in the debut album's "Danny & Lucy". The song hints at the band's heavier side in their next album Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood, in which the story continues again. The next track is the popular half-ballad half-rocker "The Garden’s Tale". I actually love this song! It's probably because I was never in Denmark nor the United States in 2007 when the song was played to f***ing death. It's quite catchy as f***, pretty much breaking down the wall between slow-dancing and moshing. Vocal hooks cover the devilishly fast "Devil or the Blue Cat's Song".

Now if you're looking for a punchy banger, look no further to "Sad Man’s Tongue". It starts with acoustic country that would have Johnny Cash fans swooning, then f***ing speeds up into metal including a kick-A breakdown that you can't resist headbanging to. "River Queen" tops it off as another groove-ish banger. If I wasn't into this kind of metal 10 years ago, I would be listening to that song and the opener a sh*t-ton of times! Up next is "Radio Girl". I don't love it as much as many people do, but it still rules. "A Moment Forever" is fast as a motherf***er!

Next up, "Soulweeper #2" is another sequel to a song from the debut. This one still holds the romantic vibe of the first "Soulsweeper" song. If you thought the first track was the most Elvis-like metal song, it's nothing compared to "You or Them". Something that may seem a little goofy ends up turning godly! Ending track "Boa (JDM)" crushes everything in its path, leaving behind nothing but debris by the time it's over.

All in all, Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil has added the cherry on top to Volbeat's beginning one-two punch of albums. The grooves, riffs, bass, drums, vocals, and lyrics are all a f***ing blast to listen to. I highly suggest showing them to your friends for a taste of what real music is like!

Favorites: "The Human Instrument", "The Garden’s Tale", "Sad Man’s Tongue", "River Queen", "A Moment Forever", "You or Them"

If I remember right, I've heard of Volbeat over a decade ago via a few music videos and this band being one of the bands my brother still listens to today. As great as they sounded, their sound that mixes rock, metal, and rockabilly hadn't really stood out for me, since I prefered power/symphonic metal at the time. And wow, I... I've never realized how essential their first two albums were for me. They're so incredible, and I can certainly raise my horns and bang my head to this music.

The Strength/The Sound/The Songs is one of the aptly titled albums I've ever comes across. The sound and the songs all have their strength with this diverse blend of genres. It's practically like late 90s Metallica but way better!

We already get to a h*lla catchy start with "Caroline Leaving". Then "Another Day, Another Way" has a similar pace to Hatebreed's mid-tempo songs in the instrumentation. "Something Else or..." is a softer track similar to Queensryche's ballads. "Rebel Monster" has greater heaviness and speed, perfect for the mosh pit. Then we have "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza" with its catchy sing-along chorus to make a party rock anthem (none of that LMFAO bullsh*t).

One of the best songs here is "Always Wu". The riffing and vocals really have that metalized rockabilly vibe alongside another chorus worth singing along to. The riffing slows down without sacrificing any heaviness in "Say Your Number". Then "Soulweeper" is a ballad-ish track that you can sing to your romantic partner and have them singing along too. The speed goes back up in "Fire Song", which is filled with heavy fire. Then we have another fast catchy track, "Danny and Lucy (11 PM)", which cranks up the rockabilly side of the band for some rock-on fun.

"Caroline #1" builds up some great momentum as we enter the album's final third. "Alienized" keeps up that pace. The mood changes with their cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Wanna Be with You". What makes it so unique is, it can make your raise your horns to the riffing while also singing it to your love. The eerie riff that starts "Everything's Still Fine" is so strong and crushing. "Healing Subconsciously" ends the album with one of the most climatic closing tracks in standard heavy metal.

All in all, Volbeat's debut is an album for all open-minded listeners. Whether you like classic rock n roll, modern rock, metal, and hardcore, you're bound to find something you like, from rifftastic bangers that kick a** to love ballads that don't suck a**. I'm glad to finally get the strength from those songs after all these years!

Favorites: "Caroline Leaving", "Rebel Monster", "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza", "Always Wu", "Fire Song", "Caroline #1", "I Only Wanna Be with You", "Healing Subconsciously"

So this is my second attempt at writing a review for this Queensryche masterpiece. I've gotten rid of my first review for Operation: Mindcrime when I was distancing from heavy/power metal a few years ago. But now that I'm getting back into the Guardians zone, it's time for me to revisit this album that pretty much kickstarted the idea of concept albums in progressive metal. It's a one-hour journey not to be missed out on!

In case you don't know the story, it is centered around a drug addict (voiced by Geoff Tate) named Nicky (yeah I know the original spelling is Nikki, I just thought that was a bit girlish, no offense). He has spiralled down into disillusion, caused by the corruption of society.

The one-minute intro track, "I Remember Now" shows Nicky having been put to a drug-induced sleep and then waking up to remember all that has happened to him before. Next up is another one-minute interlude, the overture "Anarchy-X". It transports you to the beginning of the story. The nefarious Dr. X (Anthony Valentine) tells his henchmen his plan as solid guitar and drums fills the music void. On top of that, there's actual orchestration arranged by late film score composer Michael Kamen. And there would be more of that orchestration later on. "Revolution Calling" is the best way to introduce vocalist Geoff Tate, and learn more about Nicky and Dr. X. The title track does a great job letting you know what to expect in the whole f***ing story, as well as a full introduction to Dr. X. The strong "Speak" details Nicky submitting to the doctor's grand plan.

"Spreading the Disease" adds in another character to the story, Nicky's love interest Sister Mary (Pamela Moore), a prostitute-turned-nun. "The Mission" makes another definite highlight. Some of the best guitar, one of the best choruses! Nicky meets Mary, and it was love at first sight. "Suite Sister Mary" is the longest song in the album and possibly by the band, last over 10 and a half minutes. It's a true f***ing progressive epic! Dr. X orders Nicky to kill Mary and the priest Father William. The best parts of that track are when Tate and Moore sing a duet, as well as the orchestra and choir. Man I feel tempted to call this album the first symphonic metal one ever! "The Needle Lies" is not the best song but I still love it. Nicky tells Dr. X, "I've had enough and I WANT OUT!" The doctor responds, "You can't walk away now." Apparently he can help Nicky out. "Electric Requiem" is another interlude. Nicky enters Mary's house and finds her dead. It was later revealed that she killed herself, but of course, Nicky didn't know that.

"Breaking the Silence" is another f***ing terrific track. The chorus and soloing are so awesome and emotional. Nicky wanders around town screaming out her name. Then in "I Don't Believe in Love", he gets caught and knocked out by the cops who suspect that he murdered Mary and all his other victims. The song itself is so catchy and has some wonderful soloing. "Waiting for 22" is another instrumental. All it has is clean guitar and some background soloing by guitarist Chris DeGarmo. It really gets you on the edge of the seat for how the story ends. "My Empty Room" follows as another interlude. Nicky wakes up in an empty room all alone and with no memory of all that happened up to that point. And now we get to the closing track, "Eyes of a Stranger". It still remains as my favorite song of the album and possibly by the band! Everything's amazing, from the buildup to the climax. Yes, the climax, in which the melody keeps repeating until it is cut off, and nothing happens until Nicky says one last time, "I remember now." One of the best ending tracks, and certainly the best one in 80s heavy/progressive metal!

It's hard to imagine that one of the greatest stories ever told is written by a metal band vocalist, but it's great that happened. This is Geoff Tate at his best in both writing and singing. You sometimes wonder whether you're listening to an album or a soundtrack-backed audiobook. And almost everything is connected together like a full-on suite! The story would continue 18 years later in Operation: Mindcrime II, which is quite underwhelming compared to the first album, but I'm satisfied with the story having a sequel. Operation: Mindcrime shall be heard by any music listener. A real gamechanger in both metal and music in general!

Favorites: "Revolution Calling", "Speak", "The Mission", "Suite Sister Mary", "Breaking the Silence", "I Don't Believe in Love", "Eyes of a Stranger"

Epica is one of the most epic bands around, a symphonic metal band that touches on other genres including gothic, progressive, death, thrash, power, and folk metal. Members have come from other bands such as After Forever and Trail of Tears. You might even think of this band as a more extreme Nightwish, particularly in the growls and deathly riffing. The band has reached their epic height in their 4th album Design Your Universe.

This album follows The Divine Conspiracy with a couple new members, guitarist Isaac Delahaye and drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek (as an official member). The lyrics deal with culture, physics, and the freedom to protect your world and, y'know, design your own universe!

It starts with "Samadhi", a wonderful intro to hint at the epicness to come. "Resign to Surrender" continues the "A New Age Dawns" saga that started in Consign to Oblivion. It's a brilliant way to open up the world of Epica for anyone new. The vocals alternate between the growls of Mark Jansen, the operatic cleans of Simone Simons, and occasional choir. Also the instrumentation is more extreme-sounding than their earlier works, easily blending deathly heaviness with symphonics without going just all-out Fleshgod Apocalypse. Next song "Unleashed" is the first single, a beautiful heavy banger. Then we have another catchy heavy single with a great chorus in "Martyr of the Free Word". Another highlight is "Our Destiny", which is a solid mid-paced track, similarly to Within Temptation. Honestly it's quite underrated.

And then comes the true highlight, "Kingdom of Heaven", a 5-part 13-minute epic that serves as the literal centerpiece of the "A New Age Dawns" saga and would itself spawn a couple sequels in subsequent albums. It has practically everything, all extreme, symphonic, and even some acoustic. It's their own attempt at an Opeth-like progressive epic that ends up paying off well! There's nothing in this masterpiece album that would make it lose its perfection, but one things that comes REALLY close is the interlude "The Price of Freedom". I feel like this one could've been removed or at least attached to the next track. "Burn to a Cinder" burns away that mistake as another one of my favorites here. And it's followed up by ANOTHER one of the best songs here, "Tides of Time", one of the few ballads I truly love. It sounds so beautiful, expecially with the heart-touching vocals of Simone Simons. This is the kind of beauty I prefer to hear instead of this Disney Frozen sh*t.

"Deconstruct" puts an end to the relaxation with its melodeath-ish riffing. Would've been nice to hear some soloing too, but I won't mess with it. "Semblance of Liberty" is the heaviest track here, like really hitting hard and fast. Then we have one more ballad "White Waters", a soft duet between Simone Simons and Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko, working out almost as well as Nightwish's live duet with Kakko in From Wishes to Eternity. The title finale is another long epic with vocal perfection, all the way up to its glorious ending climax. The "A New Age Dawns" saga would continue in their new album Aspiral.

Design Your Universe is the best you're gonna get from Epica, maybe even the year of 2009. Not too epic for the heavy fans, not too heavy for the epic fans, JUST RIGHT. It's a legendary experience that would surely spawn some universal inspiration!

Favorites: "Resign to Surrender", "Our Destiny", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Burn to a Cinder", "Tides of Time", "Semblance of Liberty", "Design Your Universe"

What makes an album perfect is the amount of creativity, talent, and passion the band has. In my attempt at wanting to focus on more modern and heavier metal genres, I ended up forgetting about the symphonic power metal masterpieces that have all that for a great dose of magic. Power of the Dragonflame, the 5th album by Italian band Rhapsody (of Fire), is one of them. This is an hour-long prime example of the genre and has pleased me as much as many fans and critics.

Power of the Dragonflame is the final part of the band's first conceptual storyline, the Emerald Sword Saga. And what a way to end it! The symphonics of their first two albums and the aggression of the two albums after are in perfect balance. There's more of the shredding guitarwork of Luca Turilli and the orchestral keyboards of Alex Staropoli, sounding excellent as ever. Pretty much all the metal songs have strong talent from each of the members. Not just the guitars and keys but also the drums by Alex Holzwarth, the audible bass by session member Sascha Paeth, and of course, the vocal power of the versatile Fabio Lione.

One of the best symphonic/power metal intros in the apocalyptic "In Tenebris" that strikes you down to the ground like a gigantic fist. Then "Knightrider of Doom" explodes with some of the best aspects of the band. The title track punches with its speedy riffing. "The March of the Swordmaster" is a anthemic march to get you pumped with a mighty chorus and melodic soloing. RISE! DIE!! SACRIFICE!!!

"When Demons Awake" is a total chiller. The horrendous battle is described via more blackened instrumentation and vocals. Who knew Fabio Lione could go blackened growls so well? "Agony is My Name" is a great highlight that continues unleashing the most fantasy-filled power metal without ever sounding cheesy or sh*tty. "Lamento Eroico" (Heroic Cry) marks the band's first fully Italian song. It's a heart-touching ballad that I've been coming across a lot of lately. My return to The Guardians has made me realize that not everything has to be heavy to delight me.

"Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse" has more of the band's usual aspects, this time with some progressive turns to break the conventionality of power metal. "The Pride of the Tyrant" continues displaying the amazing skills of Turilli. Yet another wonderful composition! And it all comes down to the final epic... The greatest conclusion to this 5-album saga is the 19-minute "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness". It's one of the best songs ever by the band and the epic to end all epics! The complex variation is perfect all the way. It starts with an acoustic intro that's almost like Opeth's softer moments then blasts off into some of the most emotional vocals, most cinematic keys and choir, and the most searing soloing. Then it all ends with a reprise of the intro that then literally explodes and collapses into windy ambience. The perfect ending for this saga!

Power of the Dragonflame is another one of the most impressive symphonic power metal albums that I'm glad to revisit. Believe me, this is for anyone into power metal and any other kind of music. You'll definitely want to get your hands on this emerald gem!

Favorites: "Knightrider of Doom", "The March of the Swordmaster", "Agony is My Name", "The Pride of the Tyrant", "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness"

Avenged Sevenfold began as a metalcore band in their first two albums. Their debut Sounding the Seventh Trumpet had more of a raw hardcore-leaning sound compared to any of their subsequent works. Vocalist M. Shadows was practically screaming his head off in almost every song. Then came a different direction in their second album Waking the Fallen. They cranked up the metal in their metalcore in the riffing, melodies, and atmosphere. Shadows' cleans became more prominent while mixed with his screaming. Some claim that the reason for the absence of screaming in this album City of Evil is because he blew his voice while performing in Warped Tour 2003 and had to go for surgery. Well that myth has been busted, as he had actually planned to abandon screaming altogether since between those first two albums.

Despite discarding all of their earlier metalcore, City of Evil is an amazing near-masterpiece of metal! Almost every track I've enjoyed and still do since revisiting this band after so many years. It's basically the classic heavy metal of Iron Maiden and 90s Metallica given a better modern twist. Shadows sounds the best when he's channeling his inner Bruce Dickinson and James Hetfield. Lead guitarist Synester Gates performs some of the greatest soloing and riffing I've heard that can almost rival DragonForce. And there are many melodic moments to adore, including orchestra in some tracks without heading too deep into symphonic metal territory.

"Beast and the Harlot" is the first track and already it can get a lot of listeners hooked. The intro includes some background screaming by Shadows that would only seldomly being used in the album. The only slight flaw is in the chorus, but the rest is a grand starting highlight. "Burn It Down" is also great, especially in the breakdown and soloing. The chorus is a bit more problematic than in the first track though, with Shadows' vocals sound a little too nasally. "Blinded in Chains" is not really the best track, though there's nothing bad about it. It continues the great speed of the previous track, but it ends up slightly draggy and out of whack. "Bat Country" makes up for the previous two tracks' mistakes by being a fun standout that many fans know. Awesome Maiden-style verses and singalong chorus there!

"Trashed and Scattered" is another fantastic song to love. The edgier vocals going well with fast melody makes the song sound like a Waking the Fallen outtake, and I mean that in a great way. The chorus is a bit rap-ish, yet enjoyable like the rest. "Seize the Day" is more of a power ballad. It's still good, but more likely to be appreciated by a ballad-loving listener. It can definitely remind some of Guns 'N' Roses' ballads. Shadows and Gates are practically the Axl Rose and Slash of this band, respectively. "Sidewinder" begins an epic trilogy of long songs that make my top 3 favorites of this album. Great chorus and Latin-sounding outro! "The Wicked End" cranks up the epicness further. The apocalyptic lyrics suit this track well. More of the heavy metal greatness comes in, leading up to beautiful orchestra cover the last third of the track to take your breath away. And as much as I would consider that track my favorite, one more would take the throne...

"Strength of the World" is the album's 9-minute ultimate epic. The spaghetti western-sounding intro sounds like the start of a Wild West cowboy's journey. Then the rest has the power metal-ish sound similar to other bands from my early days of metal, especially in the chanting chorus. Magnificent! However, there are two more tracks starting with "Betrayed". Despite being a bit draggy, it has solid guitarwork. "M.I.A." is another 9-minute epic but not as good as that other one. Still, great soloing and ending!

Avenged Sevenfold has proven themselves to be a gamechanger in the 2000s American metal scene. I can really recognize the originality this band has. Slight problems aside, City of Evil is a classic that has aged well after 20 years!

Favorites: "Beast and the Harlot", "Bat Country", "Trashed and Scattered", "Sidewinder", "The Wicked End", "Strength of the World"

The first 3 Nightwish albums are a trio of symphonic power metal classics that I enjoyed to death over a decade before this review. I still love them, but I don't find them as perfect as I thought they were back in those times when my love for power/symphonic metal was in an all-time high. I decided to revisit many of the tracks from those via their first live album, From Wishes to Eternity. And let me tell you, I was blown away by this incredible release!

The concert was recorded in Tampere on December 29, 2000, just a few days away from the technical start of the new millennium. Being part of the Wishmaster tour, the setlist mostly consisted of songs from that album and a few from their first two. I love the serene voice of Tarja along with the masterful work of the instrumentalists.

"The Kinslayer" is a rifftastic way to start the show. The lyrics are based on the Columbine school shooting. The bridge is interesting as Tarja's singing alternates with spoken vocals by Ike Vil to practically recreate a talk between the killer and the victim. "She is My Sin" opens the original Wishmaster album before the previous track. The drumming is some of the heaviest I've heard in that album. Tarja's magical vocals continue to shine, especially in the chorus. I also love the soloing here. "Deep Silent Complete" is nice and catchy, calming things down while staying heavy. Wonderful atmosphere and vocals! Then we come to the song with the darkest heaviness in this earlier era, "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". It features the deep growls of Tapio Wilska (Sethian, ex-Finntroll), speedy keys, and Egyptian lyrical themes. That's Oceanborn's epic!

"Come Cover Me" starts off calm and mystical then carries on with the usual heaviness. Tarja's vocals can be d*mn heart-touching in this amazing track. "Wanderlust" is a great song, but not the total best. There's nothing bad or skippable about it, but it's outshined by the other songs. Many parts of that track I still enjoy including the chorus and the keyboard soloing. It segues to the exclusive instrumental medley "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", taking some melody from the soundtrack of those two films and practically making it their own. Awesome! Then it segues to "Swanheart", a perfect ballad for me (a personal rarity). Such slow beauty after all that heavy might.

And now we get one of the tracks from the debut Angels Fall First, that album's opener "Elvenpath". It is a fast heavy power metal song from their most folk-ish beginning album. It segues to the 3rd part of Wishmaster's epic "FantasMic", and the heaviest part of that epic. I kinda wish they would perform the entire song though. "Dead Boy's Poem" is another ballad, and one you can't criticize easily. There a great chorus and superb soloing, the latter after a spoken bridge by a young boy named Sam Hardwick.

"Sacrament of Wilderness" has greatly heavy riffing, slightly different from the melody you'd expect from this band. The 3-track encore starts with "Walking in the Air", a cover of a song from the animated special The Snowman. Another slow ballad, though it gets heavier as the song progresses. "Beauty and the Beast" has nice vocal variation. The original has keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen singing the male vocals, but here they're done by Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica. Then at last, we come to the true finale, the title track of Wishmaster. Epic chorus, beastly guitars... This still reigns as one of my favorite Nightwish songs today. I can hear Dragonlance/Lord of the Rings lyrical influences.

The DVD comes with some bonus content. Not just the video recording of the performance, but also some hilarious off-stage footage, two music videos, two separate live videos, a couple interviews, and a 50-photo gallery. However, the music itself is worth the price of admission. If you're into symphonic power metal and/or Nightwish, I would highly recommend this perfect live offering. The best glimpse of their early discography in their best form. Don't miss out!

Favorites (two per album, plus one new track and one half-track): "She is My Sin", "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion", "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", "Swanheart", "Elvenpath", "FantasMic (Part 3)", "Beauty and the Beast", "Wishmaster"

After an incredible experience with Nightwish's first live album From Wishes to Eternity, I immediately felt up to making a full revisit of the album the band was touring for, Wishmaster. Seeing how much I enjoy the songs in this album in live form, I thought maybe I would get the same glory in this album that I considered a classic over a decade before this review. And I still enjoy them all! Well, the songs that were performed live. The remaining few, ehh...

I think the slight issue is, this is around the time the band started becoming more pop-ish in their songs. However, most of these are balanced out by the heaviness and bombast. The catchy choruses hold many of them up and lessen the needlessness of repetition.

"She is My Sin" opens the album quite strongly. The drumming is some of the heaviest I've heard in that album. Tarja Turunen's magical vocals really shine, especially in the chorus. I also love the soloing here. It is followed by the rifftastic "The Kinslayer". The lyrics are based on the Columbine school shooting. The bridge is interesting as Tarja's singing alternates with spoken vocals by Ike Vil to practically recreate a talk between the killer and the victim. "Come Cover Me" starts off calm and mystical then carries on with the usual heaviness. Tarja's vocals can be d*mn heart-touching in this amazing track. "Wanderlust" is a great song, but not the total best. Nothing bad or skippable about it, but it's outshined by the better highlights. Many parts of that track I still enjoy including the chorus and the keyboard soloing.

"Two for Tragedy" is a ballad. The fact that it's a ballad is not the problem. I like the nice flute and keys, leading up to when the guitar, bass, and drums enter. The thing is, the lyrics sound a bit forced and it's a little too slow. Those could've been improved so that it's doesn't just sound like a pop ballad with guitars. Luckily it leads to the anthemic title track. Epic chorus, beastly guitars... This still reigns as one of my favorite Nightwish songs today. I can hear Dragonlance/Lord of the Rings lyrical influences. What's preventing from giving this album a rating beyond 4 stars is the next two tracks, starting with "Bare Grace Misery". It tries to bring back the energy of the heavier side of Angels Falls First but doesn't please me enough. "Crownless" is, I hate to say, the worst track here. While having more of the power metal part of the sound seems cool in theory, it sounds too cheesy for me now, especially those 8-bit-ish synths. Pretty much the DragonForce "Ring of Fire" cover of this album, I used to love it, but now, f*** that.

"Deep Silent Complete" is nice and catchy, calming things down while staying heavy. Wonderful atmosphere and vocals! "Dead Boy's Poem" is another ballad, but this one you can't criticize easily. There a great chorus and superb soloing, the latter after a spoken bridge by a young boy named Sam Hardwick. "FantasMic" is a fantastic epic paying tribute to the animated works of Disney. It really packs a powerful punch, especially in the final 3 minutes. Absolutely perfect! The 2007 reissue comes a few bonus tracks including one studio track "Sleepwalker" that's worth that extra mile. The other two bonus tracks are different live renditions of "Wanderlust" and "Deep Silent Complete".

If it was up to me, I would give "Wanderlust" and "Two for Tragedy" some heavier power, replace "Bare Grace Misery" and "Crownless" with "Sleepwalker", and remove those unnecessary bonus live tracks. Still I shouldn't change too much. The rest of Wishmaster has some of the best symphonic power metal hits you could ever wish for....

Favorites: "She is My Sin", "The Kinslayer", "Come Cover Me", "Wishmaster", "Dead Boy's Poem", "FantasMic", "Sleepwalker" (bonus track)

When I was listening to Within Temptation and other symphonic/power metal bands over a decade ago, I thought Mother Earth was their best album. But ever since I've moved out of those metal genres into the more modern/heavy ones, my earlier revisit of that album made me not find the glory it once had. However, with my return to The Guardians, I've once again found my best Within Temptation album, but it's not Mother Earth. It's this one, The Unforgiving!

In my earlier melodic past, I didn't think The Unforgiving was super awesome. A couple tracks were too pop-ish for me back then. Now that I've experienced some time with more alternative bands before moving back to The Guardians, I enjoy them a lot more now! The album makes a perfect balance between epic and mainstream.

The intro "Why Not Me?" consists of just Two Steps From Hell-esque orchestration and narration by Dawn Mastin. That intro sounds like something out of Agatha Christie's Marple, Downton Abbey, or any other British drama series. Already heading into the band's different direction is "Shot in the Dark", including a new aspect that had barely done before by the band; guitar soloing. "In the Middle of the Night" is a catchy banger to get you pumped and jumping. The intro riffing almost made me think of "115" from the Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies soundtrack. Absolutely great vocals to enjoy there! Interesting how "Faster" is the name of a more mid-tempo song. When that track was released as a single before the album, it was the first sign of their new direction; the usual symphonic metal but heavier and more poppy than their previous albums like The Heart of Everything. That motive is similar to what Lacuna Coil were doing at that time, but in a better, more focused light. That song has really grown on me more than the other tracks, with its tasteful strength and less of the orchestral bombast bands like Nightwish seem to have relied on.

The exciting energy cools down for the first of a few ballads in the album, "Fire and Ice". Then comes what I still consider one of the best standouts in Within Temptation's career, "Iron". It's so heavy and epic, right from the intro riffing onwards. The song itself reminds me of DragonForce's "Cry Thunder" and it's better at that than those poor rip-offs like Warkings' cover of that song and Sabaton's "Union". Next track "Where is the Edge?" doesn't strike me as much as the highlights, but it's still a nice throwback to what the band had in The Silent Force. "Sinead" brings back the Nightwish level of orchestra while continuing the mainstream direction.

"Lost" is one of the few ballads I would ever truly love, filled with beauty, melancholy, and tearjerking acoustic/electric soloing. "Murder" cranks up the orchestration again, making something eerie and cinematic. "A Demon's Fate" is really fast and complex, making another memorable song. It's like the previous album's "Hand of Sorrow" gone The Phantom of the Opera! "Stairway to the Skies" is the ending ballad like in most of their albums. However, instead of just orchestra and vocals, the whole band is here!

There are many risks Within Temptation have gone through stylistically such as going the concept album route, going more mainstream, and adding in guitar solos. But the changes paid off! The Unforgiving is perhaps truly the most well-written album they've ever done. An unforgivingly fantastic blend of accessibility, epicness, and heaviness!

Favorites: "In the Middle of the Night", "Faster", "Iron", "Lost", "A Demon's Fate", "Stairway to the Skies"

You all may know Enter as Within Temptation's sole full-album dive into doomy gothic metal, but they've actually made another release of that style the following, their first EP The Dance. And honestly, this is a short yet great improvement compared to Enter and even Mother Earth. The 3 original songs in this EP actually sound a tad more tremendous than Enter, and I wish those could've been included in that album instead of those poor tracks covering 60% of that album.

That's just the first half of the EP though, as the second half contains two remixes using 3 songs from Enter. Those don't stand out as much as the rest of the EP which has that doomy symphonic gothic metal sound given a slightly different twist...

The title opener pretty much picks up where the band left off in Enter. The riffing and drumming stay heavy while being as slow and crushing as a steam roller, alongside the magic from those symphonic keys and Sharon den Adel's singing. Perfect! For the next track "Another Day", I enjoy the slow melancholy of this track as much as the debut's highlights. However, it loses a bit of focus in some parts, not too mentions the vocals having some uneasy reverb. "The Other Half (of Me)" is a better track. Although there's the earlier "beauty and the beast" gothic metal, it's at a faster pace as a nice hint at their later upbeat material. It reminds me a bit of Trail of Tears at that time.

Now comes the remixes, starting with the one for "Restless". What the f*** was up with that one!? All they did was take the song's softer sections and added an annoying drum loop throughout. That's more blasphemous to that gem of a song than its single edit! "Candles" and "Pearls of Light" have a joint remix with emphasis on those songs' vocals and keys while throwing in some electronic effects. It's a more tolerable remix, though I'm a little turned off by the "Pearls of Light" section.

I'm glad the band was able to write better quality tracks for this release. I'd like this EP a little more if they were refined, and if those remixes were taken out for the most part. But those original tracks should've definitely replaced tracks 3, 4, 6, and 7 in Enter. Maybe even extend "Candles" to include the remix as its intro. Either way, worth a listen....

Favorites: "The Dance", "Another Day", "The Other Half (of Me)"

5 years after my first review for Within Temptation's debut Enter, which I wrote many years after my first listen, I decided it was time for review attempt #2. Part of the reason for this second attempt was when I noticed a review having just been written for this album. Unfortunately, I don't find this album as great as it was long before this new review. I'm actually just returning to enjoy the symphonic metal sound Within Temptation would take on in their next album, and I'm currently into some other bands with an epic gothic metal sound, like Sirenia, Tristania, and Trail of Tears. So what changed? You'll find out as the review goes on...

So yeah, Enter is an entirely different beast from any of Within Temptation's later albums. They were part of the rising doomy gothic metal scene with "beauty (female singing) and the beast (male growling)" vocals, alongside Theatre of Tragedy and the aforementioned Tristania. Now rather being entirely reliant on both vocal styles in every song, they alternate from that mix to pure clean ethereal tracks and heavier songs that lean close to growling death-doom.

The former category especially shines in the opening track "Restless". Although it's generally female-fronted gothic metal, it foreshadows the pop-ish symphonic metal of their subsequent releases. It still sounds quite fresh even when it's from nearly 3 decades ago. The vocals by Sharon den Adel sound so beautiful. Greatly executed even when sounding a little poppy at times. That has helped make the song a true highlight, and considering how popular it became as the album's sole single, no wonder Sharon became the sole vocalist. I enjoy the male growls by guitarist Robert Westerholt as well though, which first appear in the title track. Now this one surpasses the previous track as the greatest gem of the album, possibly of death-doom-tinged gothic metal. In fact, I think that song was my first ever experience that kind of sound. Back then, I was a power metal-loving teen, and that track just blew me the f*** away with its slow symphonic darkness that I didn't enjoy until then. And besides opening my ears to gothic metal and death-doom, the rest of the band's material would pave the way to me enjoying other symphonic metal bands including Nightwish and Therion.

"Pearls of Light" follows as the second symphonic gothic metal ballad led by Sharon den Adel. I still enjoy the sh*t out of the first couple tracks to this day, but this one? NAH. The quality has gone down to a bit of an inconsistent level. "Deep Within" is just melodic death-doom. None of Sharon's singing at all, just growls by Robert Westerholt and Orphanage vocalist George Oosthoek. However, it sounds a bit too generic. "Gatekeeper" is more dramatic in the music. I can give it some great points for that.

"Grace" seems to drone on a bit despite being shorter than most of the other tracks. Sharon's vocals sound closer to what she would go for in the next album Mother Earth as well as their cover of "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush. But then we have the weak and pointless interlude "Blooded". That one could've been shorter or ditched entirely. Luckily, the true saving grace is the strong ending track "Candles". The blending of heaviness and melody in a slow waltzing pace has kept me awake after those poor earlier tracks. I kinda wish it could've been placed earlier in the album so I wouldn't have to sit through them all during a full listening round of the album.

All in all, Enter marked Within Temptation's entrance to the world with their one-off exploration into doomy gothic metal sound, as opposed to their well-known symphonic metal. Any symphonic gothic metal fan would consider it one of the best in the genre, but while I still think there's some greatness in this offering, it just doesn't sound as strong as I thought it was all those years ago, particularly in some tracks. At least there would be more consistency and talent shown in Mother Earth and beyond....

Favorites: "Restless", "Enter", "Gatekeeper", "Candles"

Well this is interesting. I gave this Blind Guardian album some listening before selecting it as The Guardians feature release to start off 2026, and I thought it was good but not their best album, giving it a 3.5 rating. Then as I listened to it again for this reviewing section, the power metal spark I had within me ignited brighter, as it already has been in the past few months. I ended up boosting my rating up a whole star! I think my Guardians light is finally shining the brightest in so many years.

Their first album in 7 and a half years (not including their orchestral album Legacy of the Dark Lands), The God Machine is a true comeback for the Bards. 30 years after Somewhere Far Beyond, they've resurrected their heavier roots from that album that would be re-recorded two years later in this one. It's a show not to be missed out on!

"Deliver Us From Evil" opens the album with great bombastic power metal, throwing back to their magnum opus Imaginations From the Other Side. The vocal tone is almost the closest vocalist Hansi Kursch has gotten to his thrashy shrieks from the late 80s. The heavy "Damnation" deviates from the previous albums' epicness for darkness and speed. And then we have the mid-paced epic "Secrets of the American Gods". It sounds straight out of Beyond the Red Mirror with its orchestral grandeur. Beautiful!

The harmonic speed comes back in "Violent Shadows", further departing from the mid-era symphonics. It's filled with the violent thrashy speed metal sound from their late-80s era. Next track "Life Beyond the Spheres" is the previous one's polar opposite, more bombastic and mid-paced. EPIC! "Architects of Doom" follows up on the previous track's massive slow sound at first, then cranks up the riffing speed. We all know how top-notch the guitar duo Andre Olbrich and Markus Siepen can be. Siepen has the usual fast riffing rhythm while Olbrich executes kick-A soloing, proving that his talents are still sky-high as they were in the 90s.

"Let It Be No More" has the most of Kursch's vocal grace. However, the song itself is a power ballad. While that's not a problem (as proven by my thoughts on the ballads in Imaginations From the Other Side), this one doesn't sit totally well with me. Still I love it more than in my prior listens of this album, and that's another reason for my rating boost. "Blood of the Elves" has more of that heavy speedy power metal ala Somewhere Far Beyond. The closing track "Destiny" is also not as strong as the rest, but it's OK.

Blind Guardian shall be hailed as Germany's original leaders of power metal, alongside Helloween, though I've strangely known the former longer than the latter. Anyway, each Blind Guardian album has a different unique twist in their sound while staying the way they are. For The God Machine, it's all adding the speed they had in their first 5 albums to their bombastic era of the new millennium. This kind of balance is quite rewarding and gets better in every listen, whether gradually or suddenly. Not many bands can still have their greatness 3 or 4 decades into their career, but the Bards can. So come enter The God Machine!

Favorites: "Deliver Us From Evil", "Secrets of the American Gods", "Life Beyond the Spheres", "Architects of Doom", "Blood of the Elves"

So I've just moved out of The Gateway back into The Guardians, and there's no better time than now to revisit one of the greatest albums in power metal, Blind Guardian's Imaginations From the Other Side. This was one of the most important albums for me when my power metal interest was at its height 10 years before this review. If you enjoy 90s power metal, you've come to the right place!

Power metal allows your imagination to run wild through these themes of fantasy, sci-fi, and sometimes reality. And classics like this one (following the fantasy theme) are no exception. Imaginations From the Other Side marks the beginning of the complex structures from subsequent albums while having some of their earlier speed.

The opening title track is one of the best album openers and power metal songs I've heard in my life. It picks up where things left off from the end of their previous album Somewhere Far Beyond, this time with more atmospheric structure. The vocal density would be further displayed in the next album Nightfall in Middle-Earth, as well as those harmonic guitar leads. EPIC!!!! "I'm Alive" takes the band's earlier sound further alongside occasional acoustics, a strong upgrade from the speed of Follow the Blind. I'm not as much of a ballad lover as I used to be, but another one of the greatest highlights is the short and soft yet epic "A Past and Future Secret". Unlike "The Bard's Song", this sounds like a true bard's song in the acoustics, orchestration, percussion, and Hansi Kürsch's clean singing, with the lyrics based on the legend of King Arthur.

"The Script for My Requiem" is the closest we have to the melodic speed metal of Battalions of Fear. "Mordred’s Song" has a blend of acoustic and electric guitar. The folk-ish vibe maintains the similarities to "The Bard's Song". If "A Past and Future Secret" is this album's "In the Forest", then "Mordred’s Song" is this album's "The Hobbit". Then we have another fast song in "Born in a Mourning Hall". The monstrous riffing gives that track more in common with Tales from the Twilight World while having some melodic leads later used in Nightfall in Middle-Earth and lyrics against televangelism. The music might remind some of a blend of Black Sabbath and 80s Metallica.

"Bright Eyes" has more anthemic triumph within the lurking darkness. There's even some twisted keys appearing in the verses to add to the eerieness. "Another Holy War" is filled with pure riff-wrath, while making way for the usual melodic chorus. The precise drumming by Thomas Stauch is what gave power metal a more speedy light. "And the Story Ends" has a truly epic chorus hinting at the grandeur of their later symphonic era. The guitars and vocals are the stars of this simple yet spectacular show.

I think we can all agree that Imaginations From the Other Side is Blind Guardian at their very best. Such a shame that I broke away from this album and this band when I had that long on-off hiatus from power metal and other Guardians genres. But now I can remember the glory of this masterpiece that is the transition album between the speed era that ended with Somewhere Far Beyond and the symphonic era that started with Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The risks the band face when making this album has paid off. It's an essential recommendation for both longtime power metal fans and the newcomers wanting to explore more of the genre. See you on the other side!

Favorites: "Imaginations From the Other Side", "A Past and Future Secret", "Born in a Mourning Hall", "Bright Eyes", "And the Story Ends"

My first time listening to Sabaton was over a decade ago, and to this day, I'm quite impressed by how different they are to other power metal bands. Besides the powerful soloing and catchy choruses, there's also a bass-baritone vocalist and lyrical themes of historical wars, breaking the power metal rule of epic fantasy lyrics and falsetto singing. Imagine this conversation between a kid listening to this band and their conservative parent: "NO METAL!!!" "I'M LEARNING HISTORY!" "Oh OK."

Heroes is the epitome of Sabaton's heroic power metal deeds! Sabaton's historical war themes concept has been given more emotion than in their previous albums Coat of Arms and Carolus Rex, making this offering their best masterpiece.

Already starting with epic power is "Night Witches". It has the upbeat heaviness best experienced in The Art of War. The rhyming lyrics are also great. A fun start before the more mature seriousness of later tracks. "No Bullets Fly" flies by with some retro-ish vibes. This is followed by another solid track in "Smoking Snakes". Further dominating is the anthemic "Inmate 4859", so simple yet packing a punch.

Another highlight worth mentioning is the single "To Hell and Back". It starts with a flute melody before another epic heavy experience. It's more midpaced while staying strong in the chorus, lyrics, and even synthesized brass. The best part is the short yet sweet guitar solo. There's just so much power in these 3 and a half minutes! I just wish the band would make long epics, not just radio-sized songs. The closest we have to a Sabaton epic is "Rise of Evil" from Attero Dominatus. The aptly titled "The Ballad of Bull" is one of the most emotional Sabaton songs ever. Then we're back to rifftastic action in "Resist and Bite".

We then have "Soldier of 3 Armies" which is more adventurous despite the somewhat restrained formula. Some Black Sabbath-ish stylings appear in "Far From the Fame" in a heavier fashion plus the usual deep vocals. Another favorite of mine, "Hearts of Iron", closes the original album by marching into the horizon.

There are a few bonus tracks, but we'll just tackle the ones available on Spotify, starting with "7734", a D-tuned re-recording of a song from Metalizer. The next bonus track "Man of War" is an homage to Manowar, referencing many of their songs. I like it, but at times it feels like fan-service, albeit if the fan-service involves shirtless metal warriors instead of scantily clad anime girls. At least we have a strong epic Metallica cover, "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

All in all, Heroes shows that Sabaton are indeed power metal heroes. Not as much as my own heroes as DragonForce, but still. They're a great band with their own unique twists in power metal. Learn history or be history!

Favorites: "Night Witches", "Inmate 4859", "To Hell and Back", "Soldier of 3 Armies", "Hearts of Iron", "7734", "For Whom The Bell Tolls"

Today I decided to check out more release by Spitfire. The Slideshow Whiplash is an EP the band made two years after their debut album Dead Next Door and just one year before their first hiatus. I wasn't expecting a short EP to be slightly better than that debut, but that's certainly the case here! Most of the tracks in this album are in the same quality as the better half of the debut...

Well, there are only 4 tracks, and one of them is an instrumental. Still this is for any metalcore/mathcore listener and you may enjoy it once you try it. And if you haven't heard that debut yet, this EP shall make you up for that.

"This Ain't Vegas and You Ain't Elvis" (sounds like what a casino owner outside of Vegas would say to an Elvis impersonator) has awesome strength in the lyrics. "Bulletproof and Tall as Jesus" is the best highlight of this release, and it's too perfect for me to put into words. It segues to the title interlude with is an odd mix of techno and jazz. Then the EP ends with the brutal "Heroin". Vocalist Jon Spencer sounds a little drunk in his attempt at cleans, but the rest of the track is nice and heavy.

I love most of what this band has in this EP. Nothing disappoints me, and this has better pointage than their debut Dead Next Door. The only things I would remove or improve are the title interlude and the weird clean section in the last track. If this was their way of saying farewell before their first hiatus, they've done it well....

Favorites: "This Ain't Vegas and You Ain't Elvis", "Bulletproof and Tall as Jesus"

Exploring different releases in your favorite metal genres is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Some might be bad, some might be OK, some might be so awesome that you're kicking yourself for not discovering them sooner. That 3rd outcome is certainly the case for me with this early metalcore/hardcore gem!

In the 90s, hardcore and early metalcore weren't always "that emo-fueled genre with breakdowns". Snapcase was formed in 1989 and released their debut Lookinglasself (what's that, an elf character in one of those Alice stories?) in 1993. Their hardcore sound would eventually make its true form in one of the best albums of the genre, Progression Through Unlearning. Straight-on hardcore/metalcore before their switch to post-hardcore/alt-metal in subsequent albums.

"Caboose" is the perfect anthem to start the album. Vocalist Darryl Taberski unleashes his screaming power with full intensity. I appreciate the work the band has put in their songs. The lyrics are clear and empowering, without any incohesive rambling. That's what makes this album the energetic masterpiece it is! That along with the furious "Guilt By Ignorance". It is followed by another great track, "Harrison Bergeron". Then we have another priceless classic in "Priceless". That's what metalcore sounds like before the dance-trancecore of Enter Shikari, the pop-ish melody of A Day to Remember, the heaviness of Fit for a King, and the djent of Periphery.

"Zombie Prescription" is amazing in the vocals, guitars, and drums, along with a well-placed uncommon breakdown. "Killing Yourself To Live" really kicks a**! It greatly exemplifies this early metalcore era. "She Suffocates" punches through frantic riffing and time signature changes, accomplishing a lot in under 3 minutes.

"Weak Tyrant" isn't the strongest track of the album but it still rules and maintains the perfect 5-star rating. The more hardcore listeners would know "Vent" quite well, which can easily get the live crowd rolling. "Breaking and Reaching" is a grand 4-minute standout, with some of the most superb music and lyrics in the album. The "Outro" seems like a nice way out. Apparently, the audio sample is from Pee-Wee Herman. RIP Paul Reubens...

I would probably ask for a little more diversity, but there's practically nothing to change about Progression Through Unlearning. Hardcore's energetic spirit is something that has rarely been replicated in today's scene. Snapcase would drop their earlier roots for subsequent albums. Still if you want true energy entering your mind, listen and learn!

Favorites: "Caboose", "Priceless", "Killing Yourself To Live", "She Suffocates", "Breaking and Reaching"

Madness is what you can expect in any noise-ridden math/metalcore release. Songs can range from short to radio-sized and have at least one long-ish epic. Spitfire's debut Dead Next Door may be at the same quality level as Nora's Loser's Intuition, but the mathcore part of the sound is slightly more...

It's not just pure math/metalcore that I often hear in this album. Occasionally, there's a slight touch of alt-rock/grunge. One might call this band a more hardcore Nirvana. But why should that be what we would know them as? Clearly, noise-fueled metalcore is their goal. Oh, and I just realized that this band isn't related to one of the earliest (and worst) mathcore bands out there, Nineironspitfire. Spitfire's debut is by far better than Nineironspitfire's sole release, so let's check it out.

"Please Don't Go Out Tonight", especially not in my country when it will soon be Hungry Ghost Month as of this review! But seriously, that song is a great start that shouldn't be overlooked. Not as great as the interesting highlight "The Two Forty Eight Lie" with its different tempo changes from fast hardcore to slow sludge. There's plenty of chaos in "Render Quench Create". Unfortunately, it doesn't have much focus and tears apart the album's greatness. "Marasmus" is around to make up for that with some of the more hardcore riffing to occur in this album.

"A Glance at Quintenessence" I consider one of the most quintessential songs in early math/metalcore, with Rosetta-esque sludgy tempo. "Good Cop, Bad Cop" is another one of my favorites, long with fast riffs especially at the end. "All Indentured Lovables" is a beautiful interlude while keeping listeners on their seats with heaviness at the end.

"The Burgundy Room" ends up marking the album's descent back into the sh*tty quality of the 3rd track. The bass and drums ruin the band's intention of bringing together hardcore and metal. "What Ever Happened to the Indie Queen" has some nice mathcore, but that kind of sound is better executed by Ion Dissonance. "DJ Jazzy Steve" is a strange closing track, even for me. Jazzy Steve, whoever you are, cut that sh*t out please.

Dead Next Door isn't your typical hardcore album. It has the noise and chaos of any math-metalcore album. I would enjoy and appreciate this more if not for a couple poor tracks including that d*mn remix-ish track at the end. As much as I like all this beauty and brutality, it would take a little more improvement to make this grab my attention....

Favorites: "The Two Forty Eight Lie", "Marasmus", "A Glance at Quintenessence", "Good Cop, Bad Cop", "All Indentured Lovables"

F***ing h*ll, how did this masterpiece hide under my metalcore radar!? The Opposite of December is the debut album by Poison the Well and has greatly defined the genre! It's a heavy emotional offering of glory that fans of hardcore and metal shouldn't miss out in their lives.

Not often can you find something that can sound so fresh even after over 25 years following its release. As awesome as many other metalcore releases, they would be bowing down to the true groundbreaking developing albums of the genre. The title and release date fit well together, considering it was released in December 1999, one month before the new millennium (unless you wanna be technical). Already there was hope for a promising future for metal and hardcore in this millennium.

Already hitting things hard is the opening track "12-23-93" (I wonder what that date means). After the beginning drum roll by Chris Hornbrook, there's a lot of fury from the guitar and vocals. Jeffrey Moreira has wonderful vocals as he screams well-written lyrics at the top of his lungs. Not a lot of metalcore vocalists have the same rage as Jeffrey, and that's probably good health-wise. That, along with active smoking and when he used his screaming offstage after finding out the band's equipment was stolen, would lead to him suffering a collapsed lung, but he recovered. Anyway, he also does some clean singing that helps the band standout among other early metalcore bands. His vocals also shine greatly in "A Wish for Wings That Work", with a spoken bridge. Closing the next track "Artist's Rendering of Me" is some emotional guitar and bass.

Then the bass becomes audible in the bridge of "Slice Paper Wrists", a melodic standout for many metalcore listeners, and I truly agree. "Nerdy" has more special relatable lyrics about wanting to take a friendship to the next level. Jeffrey's lyrics are truly beyond the kind of scenario I would ever write. "To Mandate Heaven" takes on a more experimental side of things that would increase in later albums. The metallic riffing is covered in raw filth compared to other tracks. The experimentation pays off and naturally, they've made another powerful anthem.

"Not Within Arms Length" marks another dynamic highlight. The bass and drums are more relentless and take the spotlight above the riffing. It sounds quite fresh and never loses any steam. "Mid Air Love Message" plays around with rock riffing for a lighter vibe. The heaviness is still there as a counterweight for the slower emotion. After a hidden section between tracks, "My Mirror No Longer Reflects" closes the album with some of the most emotional guitarwork in late 90s metalcore.

All in all, The Opposite of December is just what every metalcore fan really needs. Something so beautiful and brutal was made by this young talented group that would stand the test of time. This impactful gem is essential for all metal/hardcore fans, one that you can't go your entire life without!

Favorites: "12/23/93", "Slice Paper Wrists", "To Mandate Heaven", "Not Within Arms Length", "My Mirror No Longer Reflects"

Nora, named after Samantha Mathis' character in Pump Up the Volume, was formed in 1996 and released a few EPs including a split EP with The Dillinger Escape Plan. I checked out one of those EPs Theneverendingyouline a couple years ago in which the strained vocals by Carl Severson made it unbearable. On the debut full-length album Loser's Intuition, while the style hasn't changed too much, the members' talent and writing has improved, and luckily that includes Severson. No more of that strained sh*t...

This album can still be considered math-metalcore, but the mathcore side has been toned down some in favor of the metallic hardcore of Hatebreed and Earth Crisis. It's all about performing loud and heavy, nothing dramatic. The powerful groove of metal/hardcore is unleashed!

The album starts off greatly with "Wave Goodbye". The band fires away with riffs and breakdowns without ever sounding as repetitive as that EP. "My Bloody Clownsuit" follows as another killer track. "Warthog" has heavy rhythms to please my ears, especially at the end. Then we have another highlight in "Bring It". The band continue to bring their math-metalcore sound with a dash of melody from Undying.

"Nobody Takes Pictures of the Drummer" is another pummeling track, starting off with mid-paced dissonance before some vicious hardcore speed. You gotta appreciate the drumwork Chris Ross, despite nobody taking pictures of him. Then we have "For the Travelers" which is one of the heaviest anthems I've heard from this band. The riffs and tempo practically shapeshift into different forms, even slowing down for the dark effects of Godflesh. Indeed for the metalcore travelers! Now "what about standing up" for "Leadpipe Moment" with its really powerful bellows from Severson!

The title track is where the band starts to lose some steam, but it proves that good metalcore doesn't have to be from later modern bands like Northlane and Like Moths to Flames. "Mudmonster" is another d*mn killer highlight, as drilling as that cover art by Derek Hess. "Kill You for a Dollar" I'm guessing is a re-recording from one of their EPs. The more mathy side there might've been the spark for Iwrestledabearonce later on. However, I feel like it could've been better if it was longer than just under two minutes.

Loser's Intuition is a lot more worth your money than Theneverendingyouline, with better improved talent from the band members. With that said, I should warn newcomers about the chaos that would occur. This offering is good for the experienced....

Favorites: "Wave Goodbye", "Bring It", "Nobody Takes Pictures of the Drummer", "For the Travelers", "Mudmonster"

Metalcore fans who listen to bands like Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall probably don't know about the bands those members were originally in before those fans (including myself) were born. The members of Overcast include Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and Shadows Fall vocalist "male metalcore Rapunzel" Brian Fair. After an 8-year breakup due to lack of the success their peers had, they've reformed and started recording a new album...

Reborn to Kill Again is actually mostly a re-recording album of many of the songs in their first two albums Expectational Dilusion and Fight Ambition to Kill. And of those 13 tracks (14 if including the European bonus track), only one song is brand-new, and one other song is from a different band. A look back into the past, I'd say!

The first track is a two-parter, "Diluting Inertia / Grifter". Now that's how you time-travel into 90s hardcore/metalcore! Thundering riffs and rhythms continue in "Root Bound Apollo". And yes, it's that song that was meant to be for Overcast's then-shelved 3rd album and ended up in Shadows Fall's album Of One Blood. It still remains one of my favorite early-ish metalcore songs with a fast searing Metallica-like solo, alongside the thrashy riffing and vocals. Things slow down in "Seven Ft. Grin" (that's a h*ll of a long grin), as the vocals sound tough and the guitars have heavier layers added. "Filter of Syntax" is kind of a filler track, but it might remind some of Snapcase. The brand-new title track is a strange one, sounding more alternative. If they had a chance to make a 4th album, I hope they go their earlier direction, not like that new track.

Another two-part track, "As a Whole / Two Degrees Below", is a 7 and a half minute epic with a long intro, just like Aftershock's "Prelude to Forever". As a whole, that Overcast epic makes another solid highlight, but it doesn't have the glory of the Aftershock one. "Spun" spins into gang vocals, guitar soloing, and Pantera-esque breakdowns. The destructive "Your (Destructive) Self" has some vocals to remind some of Merauder, and they help with hardcore's lyrical commentary. "For Indifference" is another one of my favorites here. I can't believe how indifferent some people are nostalgia-inducing tracks like that!

We then get an instrumental, "Styrofoam Kill Machine". It probably would've been better with vocals, but it's still quite killer. It's followed by another favorite of mine, "Fates Design". Then "Apocalypse Upon Us" goes dark and lurking without ever reaching the deathcore depths of Winds of Plague. Finally, "Bleed Into One" is one of the earliest songs by the band, the title track of their first demo released in 1992. The gang vocals alongside Fair's yells have a similar vibe the Rollins Band album The End of Silence.

Reborn to Kill Again is for both new fans of metalcore (including myself) looking for older treasures and earlier fans wanting to relive their hardcore memories. If you're wondering where the bridge is between Integrity and Shadows Fall, here it is. A great break from today's heavily modernized metalcore market....

Favorites: "Diluting Inertia / Grifter", "Root Bound Apollo", "As a Whole / Two Degrees Below", "Your (Destructive) Self", "For Indifference", "Fates Design", "Bleed Into One"

So as we all know, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall are the two Massachusetts leading conquerors of the melodic metalcore scene. However, there were two other bands formed earlier by those two bands' members; Aftershock and Overcast. I don't wanna waste time listing every single associated member, but I will list the ones in this album as the review goes on. Boston, the city the Dropkick Murphys are shipping up to, was already shaping up its hardcore scene at this point before receiving a metal injection right before the new millennium dropped. The band that included future Killswitch Engage guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel recorded and released their second album Through the Looking Glass in 1999, around the same time as another one of the best releases in early melodic metalcore, Prayer for Cleansing's Rain in Endless Fall. While this Aftershock album isn't perfect, it's amazing and essential for metalcore fans to listen to and dropkick some a**!

Through the Looking Glass is a solid offering with all you really need in metalcore within the riffs, leads, drums, breakdowns, and vocals. Everything's so dissonant and diverse, and while there isn't the technical heaviness later metalcore bands would have, it's a strong album to remember. The lyrics and titles seem to center around the adventures of a young girl in Wonderland named Alice (if you know, you know), setting aside the wonderful fantasy for the dark reality hidden beneath.

It's not often a metalcore album starts with a 7 and a half minute epic, but here we are in "Prelude to Forever". Ambient feedback rises before a couple minutes of heavy sludgy riffing and drumming. So basically, the first third of the song is an instrumental. As the vocals come in, the tempo in the riffing slowly increases from mid-tempo to finally reaching a punky thrash pace. Incredible! This is early groove-ish metalcore at its finest, sounding quite heavy without ever having to resort low djent tunings. Fast riffing, catchy hooks, and deathly breakdowns, all in the moderately heavy drop C tuning. What more can you ask for in metalcore? The ambient title interlude is simple yet dark, with some angelic choir. There's more of that atmosphere to end "Jabberwocky" after the song itself progresses through heaviness.

"Traversing the Gap" takes on some deathly tremolos. As with many metalcore/melodic metalcore bands in the late 90s and 2000s, Aftershock leans into melodeath territory and takes the genre's powerful riffing without making it super melodic. "Living Backwards" is more phenomenal, as the bass and drums have a stomping groove aligned with grim leads and chords. Notice I said this album isn't totally perfect in the first paragraph because of the slightly flawed "Impenetrability". It's a mid-paced heavy track, but the drumming sounds oddly timed and the leads sound too screechy. I prefer hearing those kinds of leads from Meshuggah. There's also some clean singing which isn't too bad.

We also have some thunderous riff rampage in "My Own Invention". Some of the more deathly drum blasts occur though a little heavy on the cymbals. Kicking off "Infinite Conclusion" is some start-stop riffing that is a little choppy, but the enjoyable chords made me forget about that. However, that doesn't stop the vocals falling behind the music. I understand if some steam is lost. The outro "Awaking the Dream" is a nice light way to end.

Aftershock was an early developing band of metalcore with not as much recognition as their still enjoyable peers in Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. Nonetheless, I can enjoy this band's focus on pummeling heaviness as much as those other two bands' catchy melody. Aftershock and Overcast both provided the spark needed for one of metal's most popular genres in the modern era. Remember, Aftershock was Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel's band that would lead them to their more famous one, and you already know what it is. Small reduction of technical heaviness aside, Through the Looking Glass is a truly cohesive experience. One that metalcore fans should own!

Favorites: "Prelude to Forever", "Jabberwocky", "Traversing the Gap", "Living Backwards", "My Own Invention"

Some of you might've heard this band from their industrialized cover of Celtic Frost's "Morbid Tales" for a tribute album. While the idea of industrial death metal with drum programming has been done before to less than desirable results at the time, Inner Thought has done it right in Perspectives...

Formed by guitarist Bobby Sadzak, Inner Thought takes some thrashy death metal from his previous work in Canadian band Slaughter and mixes it together with industrial metal for an interesting combo. The programmed drumming sounds so inhuman and works side-by-side with the electronic keyboards. The end result is what Fear Factory would sound like at that time, if that band didn't drop most of their death metal elements in Demanufacture. All in haunting steel!

"Words" is already the best start of the album, and I have no words to describe it. The next track "Sanctioned Situations" is filled with unpredictability in the riffing and the vocals. For the latter, there's some serene female singing by Mary Giordano, giving the heavy darkness some light. The main vocalist Dennis Balesdent has the ability to switch from deathly growls to blackened shrieks. With that and the melodeath leads, they've gotten a bit of that Gothenburg sound months before At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul. "Bed of Nails" starts off with a gothic synth intro then makes its way into a deathly blend of Circle of Dust and Grin-era Coroner.

"Tortured" is an effective highlight, almost as much as the similarly titled Sonic Violence track. Except it's heavier, more upbeat, and instead of the opening sample being Mozart's "Dies Irae", it's a seductive movie sample. "Observe" has some riffing similar to Zao without ever going as hardcore as that band.

The most f***ed up sh*t in the album is in "Autodogmatic". Dennis attempts to do some rapping at one part, and it really ruins the song for me. Rapping doesn't belong in these extreme albums! Perspectives would've been perfect without it. Luckily that mistake is brushed aside in "Rack of Lethargy". Fast thrashy riffing comes on before some more samples and fun keys. That's what early extreme industrial metal should be! The spooky synth title outro fades away nicely into darkness.

Perspectives is a solid example of death metal gone sci-fi, similar to early Fear Factory. I think Inner Thought has really emphasized the fear in that factory. Any metalhead should get a hold of this and explore what this album has to offer. Of course, you have that d*mn rapping part to blame for lessening the essentiality....

Favorites: "Words", "Sanctioned Situations", "Tortured", "Rack of Lethargy"

I just can't stop thinking about the epic excellence of Hope for the Dying. I've mentioned that their album Legacy is their own Becoming the Archetype Terminate Damnation. This album, Aletheia, the one before that one, is actually what I would consider the symphonic missing link between that BTA album and the one from their early incarnation, The Remnant, even hinting at that band's early 2010s deathly era. Hope for the Dying can break the norms to make something wonderful. Similarly to Mechina's Siege, half the amount of songs each go over 8 minutes, and the last track is a 12-minute epic. And just because that's unusual doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. Now let's pick up where Dissimulation left off and where Legacy would unfold...

With this album, Hope for the Dying has added more orchestral grandeur, enough for me to question why this isn't in The Guardians like Dissimulation. The lengthiness in many tracks comes from the different sections being quite long. It allows the instrumentation to really shine and help the band stand out in the metal and hardcore realms. Their move from the Strike First to Facedown was the right one, not just because it caused a boost in popularity but also Strike First's shutdown a year after this album's release. This diverse cauldron of influences has come from sounds heard in America and Europe, all in different eras. The epic orchestra might be a little too pompous in a few moments, but when they get it right, they get it WAY right! Also the stylistic associations with Becoming the Archetype are so clear that I'm surprised both of those bands have never shared members with each other. Although the name of this album is similar to former BTA guitarist Alex Kenis' main band Aletheian.

The opening track is the epic "Acceptance". You think starting an album with a nearly 10-minute epic is a rarity? Imagine also closing the album with two longer epics! But we'll get to those later on. Adding to this rarity is the high amount of instrumentation compared to the vocals, and this often-unsuccessful move actually ends up paying off, keeping me hooked through and through. A fantastic start to this journey! "Reformation" starts off heavy with the usual growls and screams letting out lyrics about uniting for war, "marching as one, the reformation has begun". The track overall sounds like War of Ages gone orchestral, especially when it's short and straight. "Iniquitous" kicks off with some European neoclassical shredding. Then the lyrics battle against false beliefs, "you almost believe the lies yourself". Lots of epic power despite being a short song!

"In Isolation" begins with what sounds like an Irish Jig, then the rest is their usual metal. The song was released as a single and has its own lyric video. Those lyrics and the music continue the spirit of Becoming the Archetype, leading up to a powerful climax towards the end, "I no longer wish to walk alone". Seriously, you should check that song out! Another example of depth comes in "Through a Nightmare Darkly", the title playing on the idea of seeing the face of God, yet twisting the image into a world of darkness and pain. Quite a poetic message to convey for a 5-minute instrumental track! It fits well conceptually when seguing to the next track "The Lost". The lyrics that maintain the message of the instrumental give passion and motivation to a lost generation, "this is a chance to rise". The great vocals of Josh Ditto ranging from screams to cleans gives him the vibe of Becoming the Archetype's two vocalists, Jason Wisdom and Seth Hecox.

We're heading to the final leg as we check out those longer epics, starting with "Visions". There's nothing new about this track, but it stays strong in the instrumentation and vocals that keep up the European-infused darkness. The cleans also sound similar to European metal vocalists to add diversity to the vocals covering American metalcore screams. A wonderful track for the patient and experienced! It segues to "Serenity", a serene interlude with lovely acoustic guitar. And finally, "Open Up the Sky", the closing epic that is the band's longest song at 12 and a half minutes. It's truly one of the most epic and innovative metal tracks I've heard in my life. Everything's so progressive with occasional hardcore bursts. You have to be really experienced musically and lyrics to understand it all. Then everything ends with distant piano. So legendary!

All in all, Aletheia is only for listeners who can handle metal, hardcore, epicness, and progressiveness all at once. And I am one of those listeners! If the orchestration wasn't too pompous though, I would've added that extra half-star needed for this album to be as perfect Dissimulation and Legacy. Still it is the kind of album you wouldn't typically expect in the modern era. If you can sit through an hour-long album with a few 10+ minute tracks with lots of heaviness and diversity, from beginning to end, you would certainly be one with the symphonic progressive metalcore world. And specifically, the world of Aletheia!

Favorites: "Acceptance", "Iniquitous", "In Isolation", "Visions", "Open Up the Sky"

As much as I enjoy symphonic deathcore, we really need more symphonic METALcore. Metalcore or melodic metalcore would really go well together with the epic orchestra of symphonic metal, and yet that almost never happens. It's always symphonic deathcore! DEATHcore!! DEATHCORE!!! Except for one of the most epic bands around...

Hope for the Dying's official full-length debut masterpiece Dissimulation is an album in which the "epic" label fits in quite appropriately. Before recording this album, the band made a self-titled release that was released as an EP then repackaged as a studio album released via Strike First Records. The band would then be signed to the label's more well-known older sibling Facedown Records. Just imagine Unearth and All That Remains with more progressive structures and Two Steps From Hell-esque orchestra.

The adventure begins with the intro "Exordium" which is the most Batman-sounding intro in a Revolution album besides Make Them Suffer's debut Neverbloom. Then to start the last third of the track, the metal guitars take the stage, rising from riffing to shredding. It makes the perfect transition to "Vacillation" with all its extreme technical speed. The screams and cleans are all in brilliant balance, already giving you all of this album's greatness to come. Then it all fades to orchestra and piano to get you ready for a heavy transition into the next track. "Orison" is another perfect flowing track. Note that all the tracks segue into one another similarly to BTBAM's Colors.

"Transcend" has that TSFH-sounding orchestra alongside some of the progressiveness of Queensryche gone heavier. The orchestra makes its bombastic flow through the heavy guitars, drums, and vocals. 4 and a half minutes in, a shredtastic solo is unleashed by slowing down in glistening melancholy. The sorrow bleeds into "Imminent War" starting with an acoustic intro before blasting into metal once again. "Perpetual Ruin" again has that "epic trailer music gone metalcore" motive.

And then we come to the glorious 15-minute 3-track suite, "The Awakening". Each one has different focus on an aspect, with the title track of the suite emphasizing the piano and strings, the title track of the album adding in some more shredding plus some female singing, and the third part "The Veil Lifted" closing the suite in both melancholy and progressiveness. The most vicious song of the album, "Vile Reflections" blasts away through metal yet again. Then it all ends with "Desirion", starting soft in the piano before the last bit of blasting metal gone orchestral and then wrapping things on a light symphonic note.

Dissimulation may not surpass Trivium's In Waves for the eternal reign of my personal best albums of 2011, but it's still one of the best that I wished I had discovered sooner. The older fans would get a kick of nostalgia while still sounding fresh the newer fans including myself. Orchestral metalcore is a sound that should've caught on a lot more. A must-have for anyone up for something both epic and extreme!

Favorites: "Vacillation", "Orison", "Transcend", "The Awakening" (full suite), "Vile Reflections"

Hope for the Dying has already made history with their self-titled debut EP/album being the first release for Facedown Records' imprint label Strike First since its relaunch. I enjoy this thrash-ish metalcore similar to Shogun-era Trivium and Facedown labelmates War of Ages, though not as much as their more symphonic subsequent albums...

I can understand the confusion of whether this would be considered an EP or a studio album, since it's just a 7-track 36-minute release. While the rhythms and vocals aren't as dynamic or aggressive as their later albums, there are killer shredtastic leads that would carry on into those albums. The riffing from the guitar duo James Houseman and Jack Daniels is also not totally emphasized which explains the reduction of heaviness in this particular release.

It starts with a killer standout in the 7-minute "City of Corpses". Then "A Beautiful Day for Vengeance" begins with one of the heaviest riffs in the release before more of that tasty shredding. It seems like the more slightly forgettable parts of this offering are the clean-sung sections like that of "Into Darkness We Ride".

Some of the best moments of "Our Fallen Comrades" occur in the second quarter of the track. You gotta hear it to believe it! "Where We Are Going We Don't Need Roads" (clearly a reference to the final line of the first Back to the Future movie) has some melodic instrumentation to remind me of We Came as Romans at that time. "Would the Angels Say" fiddles a little too much with the shredding. Then both the riffs and leads really shine as "In Loving Memory" opens.

Hope for the Dying's first release was a promising start to their career. However, the killer shredding would impress me more if the quality wasn't so on and off, though it's mostly on. At least it would pave the way to something more epic....

Favorites: "City of Corpses", "A Beautiful Day for Vengeance", "Our Fallen Comrades", "In Loving Memory"

It's quite a mystery how so many bands can pull off a genre well despite it losing the spark of interest it once had. Vildhjarta is one of the few ongoing bands that can still be considered a true pioneer of a genre nowadays. They started out in the djent scene of the early 2010s alongside Tesseract and Periphery, but stand out amongst them with their own djent subgenre thall. Their perfect legacy has spanned between their first two albums, staying loyal to their fans. And just under 4 years after their second album, their 3rd one Dar Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar (Swedish for "Where the Forest Sings Under the Eternal Spruce Trees") continues the gigantic brutal drama!

A few pre-release singles came out in the couple years before the album's release, and they continue to show their progressive stamina. Despite the remaining original member guitarist Daniel Bergstrom having left the band between songrwriting and recording, nothing has changed. In fact, this album has some of their heaviest work to date. Serene ambience gets crushed by a hailstorm of devastation.

"Byta Ut Alla Stjarnor Pa Himlen Mot Plustecken" (Replace All the Stars in the Sky with Plus Signs) plays around with some riffing in the intro, as the sun is darkened by an eclipse of downtuned guitar and bass, with the smog of brutality completely blocking out all light, similar to the Minecraft Betweenlands mod. The riffs and rhythms are both atmospheric and punishing. Melody only comes from the ambience. Everything else is an avalanche of heavy technical riffing. And there's more of that in "Tva Vackra Svanar" (Two Beautiful Swans), along with a brief moment of soft beauty in the middle. The end result is an experimental sludgy track like a more downtuned Will Haven. Then we get to a couple singles, starting with "Sargasso". The other single "Ylva" (Eleven) has some melodic ambience while focusing mainly on relentless guitars and drums.

"Dar Mossan Moter Havet" (Where the Moss Meets the Sea) has some progressiveness from Mechina and Protest the Hero without ever going as melodic as those bands. "Roda Lappar, Sota Applen" (Red Lips, Sweet Apples) barely has any sweetness, preferring to go all-out brutal similar to some of the more sludgy tracks by Every Time I Die and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. "Kristallfagel" (Crystalbird) masters the brilliant dreamy djent, while Vilhelm Bladin's vocals stay intense. "? Regnet, the ?" (The Rain, the) has some of the metalcore from God Forbid and Knocked Loose made even heavier and more sludgy.

"Hosten Som Togs Ifran Mig" (The Autumn That Was Taken From Me) has some slight vibes from Bleed from Within. "Viktlos & Evig" (Weightless & Eternal) builds up the mathy thall further, swinging through progressive intricacy and occasional cleans. "Stjarnblodning" (Starbleeding) has some Varials vibes bleeding out. The final track "Den Spanska Kanslan" (The Spanish Feeling) has unforgiving riffing throughout this glorious 7-minute epic before letting light shine again, albeit not as bright as it once was.

This skull-crushing offering Dar Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar is another irresistible album to look out for. It probably would've been perfect if the song titles weren't all in Swedish and having plus signs surrounding each one. Still this is true thall hellfire!

Favorites: "Tva Vackra Svanar", "Ylva", "Dar Mossan Moter Havet", "Kristallfagel", "Viktlos & Evig", "Den Spanska Kanslan"

A decade had passed since the djenty debut album by Vildhjarta, Masstaden, the album that pushed the boundaries of djent just like when Meshuggah invented it in the mid-90s. The long wait for their second album is partially because of Calle Thomer (guitar) and Buster Odeholm (drums) being focused on fellow thall developer Humanity's Last Breath. They still have their perfect groove-ish progressive djent in this next album, the massive 80-minute Masstaden Under Vatten (Seagull Town Underwater)!

While thall can mean anything, I would say it's as evil and strong as Thrall, the World of Warcraft character that inspired the genre's name. This is exemplified by the complexity, atmosphere, and downtuned heaviness that make the subgenre.

"Lavender Haze" makes its immediate entrance with staccato riffing. Enough to make up for Ion Dissonance disappearing after their 2016 album! Starting off a 3-part epic is "Nar De Du Alskar Kommer Tillbaka Fran De Doda" (When Those You Love Come Back From the Dead), sounding progressive and heavy as always. "Kaos2" attacks with its hammering riffing and monstrous vocals. "Toxin" continues on and once again follows the band's unconventional ways including no set structure, destructive riffing, and clean melody only used for haunting atmosphere, thereby maintaining the band's aggressive evolution. "Brannmarkt" (Branded) sounds dark and heavy while twisted through deathly heaviness. The single "Den Helige Anden" (The Holy Spirit) was released two years before the rest of the album, and blends melancholy with polyrhythms.

Taking things to another level is "Passage Noir" with catchiness to go with the atmospheric savagery. Then the 5 and a half minute instrumental "Masstadens Nationalsang (Under Vatten)" (Seagull Town's National Anthem (Underwater)) follows, a highly extended re-recording of a song from the previous album. The riffing can repeat without sounding repetitive, allowing you to let it flow. "Heartsmear" is more dynamic, as the riffing can go from slow and crushing to fast and blasting. The long 7-minute "Vagabond" sets the apocalyptic mood in downtuned chaos. "Mitt Trotta Hjarta" (My Tired Heart) reminds you not to give up on this 80-minute journey, not matter how tiring it is to some.

"Detta Drommars Skote en Sloja Till Ormars Naste" (This Womb of Dreams is a Veil to the Nest of Snakes) is another impressive deep thall labyrinth. "Phantom Assassin" is another short track yet so detailed. I consider the two "Sunset Sunrise" tracks as one. Those two tracks once again break down the walls of conventionality with the talent of each member. The vocals of Vilhelm Bladin, the drums of Buster Odeholm, the guitars of Calle Thomer and Daniel Bergstrom, and the bass of Johan Nyberg, all drifting through these dark djenty waters. The tempo is cranked up in "Penny Royal Poison", sounding so clean and filthy at the same time. The closing epic "Paaradiso" is the band's longest single track at 10 minutes, and there's nothing exhausting about it at all. Dexterous harmonies with hints of post-jazz make another sonic behemoth. And after a brief fade into the background, it all ends with a final atmospheric brutal touchdown, like a world-ending apocalypse.

Masstaden Under Vadden continues Vildhjarta's brutal glory after that decade-long gap between albums. It's like after djent faded from popularity, it was jolted back into memory by the fresh sound of thall. It has opened up dimensions of darkness and brutality that barely any other band could. This is true kaos!

Favorites: "Nar De Du Alskar Kommer Tillbaka Fran De Doda", "Toxin", "Den Helige Anden", "Passage Noir", "Vagabond", "Detta Drommars Skote en Sloja Till Ormars Naste", "Sunset Sunrise", "Sunset Sunrise Sunset Sunrise", "Paaradiso"

Djent has been known as the genre pioneered by Meshuggah, cutting through with its heavy downtuned guitars. It's so heavy and metallic that why Metal Archives doesn't accept that genre is beyond me. The late 2000s and early 2010s was when djent was really taking off beyond Meshuggah with bands like Animals as Leaders and Tesseract. Then in 2011, Vildhjarta (Swedish for "Wildheart") took a more brutal step further with their debut album Masstaden (Swedish for "The Seagull Town", and NO it's not a parody of Mastodon). Those other two djent bands are soft and light compared to this one. Barely any clean singing or riff melody, and no verse-chorus structures... Everything's more atonal, technical, and even sludgy. It's like Meshuggah but even heavier. And thus Vildhjarta have created... THALL!

Masstaden is a concept album that's part of a story that would continue in their second album 10 years later. The heavy intricate music would guide you through the story in all its deep detail. You might be able to get a better understanding if you're patient enough to stay the whole way through. And when everything's fully grasped, you'll be able to find all the beauty and brutality. Heavy rhythms from the guitars and growls often alternate with the soft ambience. There are many songs that stand out in a masterpiece album like this, and when you listen to it all at one go, you won't miss out on the glory it has to offer.

The moment I put the first track "Shadow" on play, I knew I was ready for this massive experience. The next track "Dagger" has a unique unbreakable flow. "Eternal Golden Monk" wastes no time with its seething grooves that prove the band as the f***ing masters of thall. "Benblast" (Bone Blown) is another example of this unique brutality. It really is a h*ll of a blast of thall!

"Ostpeppar" (East Pepper) is the first of a few interludes, this one being so pretty yet pretty eerie. "Traces" pleasantly surprises me with its intricate complexity and djenty variation. Not a single moment can be considered a waste of time. The atmospheric "Phobon Nika" (Fear Conquers) has strong guitar for a short interlude. I like the anticipation of waiting for which riff sounds clean and which sounds brutal as f***. "Masstadens Nationalsang" (Seagull Town National Anthem) is the shortest track, absolutely crushing with the djenty guitar leads. The world really needs more national anthems like that.

"When No One Walks With You" starts off a 3-part epic, going all-out brutal in the grooves. Then "All These Feelings" continues the awesome atonement all the way up to a sweet yet searing outro. "Nojja" is another interlude with epic thall riff-wrath. "Deceit" has more straight groove. "The Lone Deranger" is an incredible closing epic, with some swift tempo changes before the band make their exit.

Masstaden is far beyond what can be considered normal metal. This is thick brutal heaviness that requires full concentration. And in the end, you'll be rewarded with the excellence experienced through the journey. One of the most moving offerings I've encountered, for the patient and experienced!

Favorites: "Dagger", "Eternal Golden Monk", "Benblast", "Traces", "When No One Walks With You", "All These Feelings", "The Lone Deranger"

As I believe I've explained before, symphonic blackened deathcore began in the late 2000s with early Abigail Williams and Winds of Plague and would eventually reach its height of popularity with bands like Lorna Shore and Worm Shepherd. Now can we replace the symphonics with Meshuggah-ish djent and elements of atmospheric doom? Humanity’s Last Breath has answered that question with a big fat YES. The band has continued their exploration into deeper darker caverns that has started with their debut!

The 3rd album Valde (Swedish for "Empire") is another towering part of the band's discography. It's as towering as the spirit-filled tower in the cover artwork and as bleak yet stunning as the artwork itself, as are many other works by that cover artist, the late Mariusz Lewandowski. RIP...

"Dodsdans" (Dance of Death) is the intro that hints at different D-words this album can be described as; dark, deathly, depressive, dissonant, downtuned, dynamic... Then it's the atmospheric yet punishing "Glutton". That song and "Earthless" shall make the most emotionless listener become emotional from this brutality. Next track "Descent" is more percussive alongside technical shredding. The occasional orchestra and choir makes things even more apocalyptic, especially in the black-doom-esque sections.

At the end of "Spectre" is a bit of melody that makes it sound like a Gojira track. Adding to that melody is the sparsely used clean singing, balancing that part with the rest of the song's intensity. Still firing away hard is "Dehumanize". Then "Hadean" continues the band's top-notch talent. The monstrous vocals by Filip Danielsson are incredible as always, flowing with the rhythm. At the same time, riffs are fired through by the guitar duo Buster Odeholm and Calle Thomer. From djenty deathcore breakdowns to drummer Klas Blomgren's blast beats, the violent quest for heaviness rolls on! "Tide" continues the riff-wrath while having the band's own epic post-sludge moment at the end.

The instrumental title track, actually spelled "Valdet" with a T at the end, expands on the atmosphere that then rises to another doom march. Bring things up on front, "Sirens" has more of that heavy stank with uncommon melody here and there. The guitar duo can nicely surprise us with their variety. "Futility" has more of the band's blackened djenty deathcore sound. "Vittring" (Weathering) is an absolutely heavy ending track. You just gotta praise those hammering drums, dissonant guitars, and furious vocals.

Valde proves that Humanity's Last Breath can put all their crushing talents into one plate. Massive brutality all around with some touches of melody. This isn't just thall, this is atmospheric black-doom-infused djenty deathcore thall. Not even the most metal of metalheads would know what the heaviest of all is until they try this one for size!

Favorites: "Earthless", "Spectre", "Hadean", "Tide", "Sirens", "Vittring"

In extreme metal's ongoing reign, many bands are at war for the throne. Their goal is to make the heaviest music known to man, tearing down the walls of conventionality for their original attempts at giving heaviness a new meaning. Humanity's Last Breath might the closest band to the finish line, stunning fans with some of the heaviest and most pulverizing breakdowns and riffs possible. Having already released 3 EPs and one album before this one, the talent and fury the band has is impenetrable and would have all those other extreme metal bands bowing down before them. That's how abyssal this album Abyssal is!

The band's ultra-heavy thall (more brutalized djent/deathcore) sound is so unique. It also leans into downtempo deathcore, the subgenre that might as well be considered death-doomcore and was developed by The Last Ten Seconds of Life and Black Tongue. Whichever genre Humanity's Last Breath are referred to, they increase the limits and impress even the most serious metalheads with their chaotic attack.

"Bursting Bowel of Tellus" literally bursts in with the opening riff, showing that the brutality hasn't withered away since their 2013 debut. There's no doubt those blasts and riff technicality will leave you stunned all the way up to the end. Next track "Bone Dust" has more of the intense violence from vocalist Filip Danielsson's whispers and growls. Everything's so strong and ominous at the same time! "Fragda" slices through neck-twisting riffs and drums. "Abyssal Mouth" is another track released as a single but since revamped. The heaviness really bursts out alongside those haunting vocals by Filip. And we have more of those machine-gun blast beats.

Exploding into your ears like a xenomorph exploding from a person's chest is "Pulsating Black", heavy right from the opening bass pulse. "For Sorg" is an instrumental for who wanting a break from the vocals while staying heavy. "Like Flies" is filled with fast riff darkness and some more sinister vocals by Filip. "Sterile" is good but nothing special.

Another interlude "Being" is interesting, starting off with a demonically distorted audio sample from Jordan Peterson. The expansive "Vanda" displays more of the band's quest for the ultimate heaviness. Each moment is more brutal than the last, with some fast energy added in. The chains of heaviness tighten again in "Rampant" with more technicality in the riffing. The closing outro "Dodgud" wraps it up in total extremeness after a soft ambient start.

The Swedish brutal descendant of djent, thall is held in place by Vildhjarta and Humanity's Last Breath. The latter band's second album Abyssal has given them the right to own the throne of heaviness. They've earned it!

Favorites: "Bursting Bowel of Tellus", "Bone Dust", "Abyssal Mouth", "Like Flies", "Vanda", "Rampant"

Thall is one of the most destructive genres in metal and music in general. This djent subgenre with elements of deathcore/metalcore and even smaller fractions of doom, death, and black metal, is a clear definition of modern extreme metal, and the people in Metal Archives who decide which bands to add must've overlooked this subgenre simply because they hate djent. The founding trio of the subgenre includes Vildhjarta, Reflections, and of course, HUMANITY'S LAST BREATH.

Just the name of this band can induce fear of a catastrophic apocalypse tearing the world apart from the inside, and it fits greatly with the material too. Crushing destruction that you can never escape from, just like a black hole. Darkness and fear are common themes for many metal bands past and present, but they're tame compared to what Humanity's Last Breath can do. The darkness is a lot more massive. Supermassive! The powerful devastation is much more than any other band's attempt at that. It will erase you from existence and bring you back, making an unforgettable experience like none other.

The atmospheric darkness first appears in the "Intro", lasting for a minute. You might think it's boring, but it's just the start of the massive sound it would lead to. The two-track suite "Bellua" is better suited as a full 8-minute epic rather than two parts. Altogether they display the heaviness of the album to come. With "Human Swarm", you can't go wrong with brutality in deathcore and djent. They know how to bust sh*t hard. After a spoken line of "We stop the wind from blowing", then comes a f***ing massive breakdown near the 3-minute mark. A nice surprise for the more extreme 'core listeners. Practically heavier than all that's heavy! Quite hard and evil for the moshpit. Then comes the beastly "Animal", another one of the heaviest tracks here. It's a re-recorded version of an earlier single, and the monstrous fury is so unreal.

"Shoals" speeds things up, sounding closer to standard death metal, maybe even melodeath. Nothing but skull-smashing velocity! Then we lose some brutality in the riffing in "Tellus Aflame". It's not really the best track of the album, but it still rules, and the perfect score isn't affected. "Vultus" is another hard-hitting track. The mix of heavy brutality and subtle melody makes it similar to a less symphonic The Breathing Process. Then there's the short atmospheric interlude "Drone". It's almost like a continuation of the intro that then leads to perhaps the most doom-laden part of the album.

The next track "Void" was released as a single for the album, the first single to not be a re-recording. Although it's quite killer and still maintaining the 5-star album rating, it doesn't represent the slamming might the rest of the album has and make me question its usage as a single. The heaviness returns to full gear in "Anti". Then "Make Me Blind" unleashes the brutal fury one last time. The "Outro" ends it all like it's literally the end of the world. By the time the destructive drama fades out, nothing would remain.

Humanity’s Last Breath has followed in the footsteps of Vildhjarta and made things more moshable and destructive. Their debut marks a strong memorable start to their journey of creativity and apocalyptic heaviness. By the power of THALL!

Favorites: "Bellua" (both parts), "Human Swarm", "Shoals", "Vultus", "Anti", "Make Me Blind"

I always thought Humanity's Last Breath's self-titled album was their debut, and it's still considered that. But if you wanna be technical about it, Structures Collapse is their debut. It was originally their second EP, their first being Reanimated by Hate, before it was reissued as a full-length album that includes all tracks from their first EP. The album/EPs had more of their earlier deathcore sound while hinting at their later death-djent (or THALL). I can definitely hear a bit of Meshuggah in this...

Structure Collapse was originally 5-track 25-minute EP. When combined with Reanimated by Hate, it is rounded up to a total length of 50 minutes. This is some of the most brutal, heaviest metal you would ever hear, and it's balanced out with speed and complexity. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and even a little clean.

Opening track "Product of War" gives you the first taste of their f***ing savagery. "Deceivement" maintains the brutal chaos before slowing down midway through for a clean bridge. "Baleful" is a total monster in the riffing and vocals. However, it doesn't have the towering destruction of their subsequent albums. I guess the production is to blame since it's practically a demo, though I wanna actually hear the guitar's crushing aggression. That also puts a dent in the otherwise enjoyable "Righteous Death".

Starting off soft and eerie is "The Aftermath" that then explodes into a hardcore frenzy. It is much better executed with brutal growls and riffs pack a punch together with sinister melodies. If there's a true highlight for this entire offering, it's gotta be that one! The Reanimated by Hate part starts with "Inevitable". Y'know, what Thanos considers himself to be. Another crushing track "Never Ending Cycle" is a highlight in the more brutal side of the spectrum, showing all the pulverizing tricks the band has. Quite strong despite the production, although it doesn't help the ending breakdown. "Kneeling in Front of the Grave" is more simplistic while having more well-constructed breakdowns.

The 3-minute "Interlude" is quite heavy for one. Then comes "We Didn't Plan the Escape" which is another solid favorite of mine. And finally, the ending track of that EP and this album, "Ingested". Of all the tracks made by Humanity's Last Breath, I think this is the closest they've gone to the brutal technical deathcore of The Red Chord and the band Ingested. Quite cool and all, but most of the other tracks are stronger than this.

I'd like to conclude by saying how much I like the name of this band, Humanity's Last Breath. Sounds as apocalyptic as the music, and it's a nice break from death metal bands that mention blood, gore, pulp, and other violent sh*t. That's how you know the band is serious about the dark path they would cross in this release and beyond....

Favorites: "Product of War", "Deceivement", "The Aftermath", "Never Ending Cycle", "Kneeling in Front of the Grave", "We Didn't Plan the Escape"

Re-recording albums can cause some mixed reactions from a band/artist's fanbase. Some enjoy the idea of earlier songs getting a more modern production, while others prefer just hearing new songs. Sadly, we live in a world where people can easily judge something before giving it a try. One other suspicious thing was the timing; at the same time as this release was announced, his former band Helloween embarked on the Pumpkins United tour that saw the return of Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske, but not Roland Grapow. Turns out it was a big coincidence, since Roland began working on the project a couple years before that tour.

Not gonna lie, the name of this album PumpKings almost made me laugh. I guess that's another reason for fans' suspicions. All I'm gonna say is, this album is a great way to revisit some Helloween classics, with Rick Altzi's vocals guiding you through alongside the other members. The songs are mostly from Pink Bubbles Go Ape, Chameleon, and Master of the Rings, plus a few other songs Roland has written in his remaining albums with the band.

I can already hear what would influence Masterplan's earlier material in the speedy "The Chance". That track and "Someone's Crying" kick things off greatly. Another gem "Mankind" has been given a heavier treatment, especially considering it's from one of Helloween's albums with the least power metal.

One of the two songs from the least metal Helloween album Chameleon, "Step Out of Hell" is also made heavier while still sounding rock-ish. "Mr. Ego" isn't as quick as much as it's quirky. But then we get into high-gear with another one of my favorite tracks here, "Still We Go". A more crushing track is this one from The Dark Ride, "Escalation 666", filled with the mid-paced heaviness that would shape up some of Masterplan's more well-known material.

Rick Altzi really channels his inner Andi Deris in the powerful "The Time of the Oath". Then "Music" comes on. Originally another metal-reduced track from Chameleon, it was given quite a heavy enchantment and turned into a magical highlight. The vocals here are quite amazing, though I admit that it's almost like if it was covered by a tribute band. "The Dark Ride" is the 9-minute epic in which Altzi really striking through with his vocals, despite not having the same power as Deris or Kiske. The closing track, "Take Me Home" takes away some seriousness, but it's fun hearing Roland pull off some guitarwork from his ex-Helloween bandmate Michael Weikath.

All in all, I find PumpKings a great album yet not the best part of Masterplan's discography. Some songs could've had more magic or could've been replaced with Helloween's earlier classics, similarly to Rhapsody of Fire's Legendary Years. Still it's meant to represent Grapow's era. We should also be grateful for Masterplan's existence that would continue the darker heavier sound he wanted to make since The Dark Ride. PumpKings is for fans of Helloween and/or Masterplan, better if it suits what you really like....

Favorites (one song per original album): "Mankind", "Still We Go", "The Time of the Oath", "Music", "The Dark Ride"

It's always been this band's plan, their masterplan (haha), to create memorable power metal for the new millennium. Roland Grapow has had that plan ever since he formed the band following his ejection from Helloween alongside his bandmate, former drummer Uli Kusch. Several lineup changes later, the only longtime members left still standing are Roland and keyboardist Axel Mackenrott. But with a new lineup, comes the English translation for this album title, a "new beginning"...

Novum Initium introduces members Jari Kainulainen (bass), Martin Skaroupka (drums), and Rick Altzi (vocals), best known for their work with Stratovarius, Cradle of Filth, and At Vance, respectively. In this attempt at representing the band with a different lineup, there are still great strengths while having slight weakness. One upside is, some of the more rock-ish parts are discarded to make way for more of that pure power metal sound, also reducing some progressiveness. The only thing closer to the rock side is the vocals by Rick Altzi, who seems to be more flexible with the sound than Jorn Lande. Still the speed is set aside a couple times for the more melodic and slower tracks.

"Per Aspera Ad Astra" (Through the Rough Road to the Stars) is a brief yet epic intro to get you pumped. It segues to the technical speed of "The Game". A great heavy start! However, I can't stand the sh*tty keys in "Keep Your Dream Alive" which has one of the worst power metal choruses I've heard. Wow, the first ever Masterplan stinker... Luckily, it's made up for "Black Night of Magic", in which the keys sound more magical as the guitar heaviness gets you hooked, similar to Stratovarius at that time.

Next up, "Betrayal" hits hard. Same thing with "No Escape" with its pounding riffs and Altzi's vocal power. There's not much feeling in "Pray on my Soul", though it's still good. Punching through with some keys and their earlier more rock-ish side is "Earth is Going Down" without ever quieting down.

"Return from Avalon" has some new aspects for the band that really feels like a ride to victory without ever going cheesy. They really dominate in that one! Up next, "Through Your Eyes" is the closest thing we have to an 80s-style power ballad. Then at last, we get to the closing title epic, their longest track at over 10 minutes. It's an awesome journey that you just gotta hear to believe!

Once again, I'm not up checking out the limited edition bonus tracks that are more mediocre than the rest. Otherwise, the rating would be as low as what some fans think of the album. Although they were indeed kinda playing things safe, the guitars and keys still rule in most of the tracks (the only exception being that one sh*tter). Basically, the band is just taking a lot of aspects from their earlier albums in a more modest mix. There are more anthemic tracks similar to the debut and much less of their acoustic ballads. Don't expect too much groundbreaking, though I don't see any reason to complain, other than that one d*mn track....

Favorites: "The Game", "Black Night of Magic", "No Escape", "Return from Avalon", "Novum Initium"

He's baa-aack! Jorn Lande made his return to Masterplan in 2009 to help with one more album, a pleasant shock for Masterplan fans. It seems like he and founding guitarist Roland Grapow have settled their differences. They agreed that Lande would save the more rock-ish stuff for his solo project, and the band would continue the power/heavy metal sound they're known for. At least that's my theory, I don't know. But I know his side-project was more rock-oriented and involved Symphony X's Russell Allen, that project being Allen/Lande. Both Allen and Lande would also guest appear in Avantasia's Wicked Trilogy. I'm a little surprised by the amount of people who have heard of Avantasia more than Masterplan, myself included. I've started listening to Masterplan over a decade after I started listening to Avantasia. But now, I get to hear more of the godly singing of Lande, in the 3 Masterplan albums that including him as vocalist.

Roland Grapow and co. were planning to record and release the album in early 2009 before Lande's replacement Mike DiMeo left. The search for a new vocalist that ended with Lande's return caused the album's production to be delayed, and the songs that would've been recorded with DiMeo were made with Lande instead. The album would make one last relatively short delay, moving the release date from April to May, and they made up for it by releasing a preview single. Anyway, Time to Be King is a catchy diverse offering, though it's slightly behind the first 3 albums. The songs may not be entirely the same as in those albums, but they're still brilliant highlights. And if there are any weaknesses, they aren't enough to drag the album way down. And of course, Jorn is the star of the show!

One fast tune to start the album is "Fiddle of Time". Then they lower the tempo in "Blow Your Winds". But everything in the right balance in the aforementioned pre-release single, the melodic "Far From the End of the World". The choruses soar through with a beautiful aura. The background keys help out the melodic majesty, giving more color to the structure. We then get to another well-done composition that is the title track. And honestly, the church bell opening almost made me think this was going to be their own take on Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls".

"Lonely Winds of War" has more vocal emotion. It's based on the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, turning a classical composition into something both serene and monstrous. "The Dark Road" continues the dark direction alternating between intense and simple. We have some darker rock in "The Sun is in Your Hands" that can actually please many listeners including metalheads, even when it gets soft at times while still heavy.

"The Black One" has wonderful background keys, and the drumming by Mike Terrana marches through in a breeze. More of the band's early melancholy can be found in "Blue Europa" though it gets more intense and upbeat after the intro. The best track of the album that really surpasses the single is "Under the Moon". Everything's so beautiful including background strings, while smashing through with guitars. They can really end it all without having to make an epic! The edition I've chosen to review has the bonus track "Kisses From You", which is fine but more suitable for a musical.

Time to Be King shows that the band can be crushing while also staying elegant. It is an amazing return of Jorn's vocal talents, which would sadly end up being one-off, since he and two other members would leave the band in 2012. Still it's great that bands can be able to strike again with their original vocalist after not being with them for some time. Enjoy this album and say hello to their ol' friend!

Favorites: "Far From the End of the World", "Time to Be King", "The Sun is in Your Hands", "The Black One", "Under the Moon"

The departure of two of Masterplan's greatest founding members was quite a shock for the metal community. People weren't sure if the band would keep going after losing those two talented members. For me, their 3rd album MK II is another perfect offering of power metal, leveling up the speedy heaviness while maintaining the catchy melody. Jorn Lande's replacement is another recognizable vocalist, Mike DiMeo (ex-Riot). He sounds as strong as he was in his former band, with great power in his voice!

Now what about who would replace their songwriting drummer Uli Kusch? He was founding guitarist Roland Grapow's Helloween bandmate. Uli left when Roland refused to pay for songs the former wrote and wrote his own instead. Fortunately, Uli's replacement Mike Terrana is quite prolific and masterful in his work.

The intro "Phoenix Rising" shows the synths rising before guitar melodies enter, marching into the first actual song... The fast speedy "Warrior's Cry" crashes in as the perfect metal anthem to start the action. It is followed by the short melodic "Lost and Gone". Next up, "Keeps Me Burning" is a heavy throwback to their debut with great emotion from Mike DiMeo. "Take Me Over" is more mid-paced, and the chorus is only enjoyable after having enough time to get used to it.

"I'm Gonna Win" has radio-friendly catchy melody. I wouldn't say it's soft, but it doesn't have the heaviness of the other songs, while heavier than their earlier melodic tracks. "Watching the World" has more of the speed and melodic keys prominent in their debut. Very well done! Then they really slow things down in one of the best tracks here, "Call the Gypsy". It's a short and mid-paced yet epic track, with everything from the Helloween-esque clock-ticking intro to Egyptian-ish riffing. "Trust in You" is an odd ballad. While it's not bad enough to affect the album's perfection, the vocals never really get me hooked.

It's brushed aside by this heavy track that I would consider the band's theme song, "Masterplan". It's one of the most awesome songs by the band, pounding through the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, including everyone chanting the band's name. Epic! "Enemy" has some catchy rock, not the best but still OK. Closing things off is the 7-minute epic "Heart of Darkness" with its eerie Helloween-infused blend of guitars and keys. It's so dark and never having to resort to anything heavy and progressive.

Again I'm not going over the bonus tracks that aren't as glorious as the standard edition. Anyone who thought Masterplan wouldn't work without Jorn and Uli has proven wrong with this incredible enjoyable album. Another special delivery from this group of metal heroes!

Favorites: "Warrior's Cry", "Keeps Me Burning", "Watching the World", "Call the Gypsy", "Masterplan", "Heart of Darkness"