Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews
Novembre is an Italian progressive/gothic/doom metal band formed by brothers Giuseppe and Carmelo Orlando, and their second album Arte Novecento is totally worth experiencing something from the band! It was made between their underground debut Wish I Could Dream It Again and their 3rd-time charm breakthrough Classica, blending the melancholic doomy guitar of Katatonia and Anathema at the time with more upbeat aspects.
Although there's not much soloing to expect here, Novembre have their own creative ways of layering their structure. The immense production really lets the instruments shine, not just for the Orlando brothers but also the guitar reverb of Massimiliano Pagliuso and masterful bass of Fabio Vignati (RIP).
"Pioggia... January Tunes" starts the album with a rainstorm as slow clean guitar slowly rises then sets up the rough heavy melody. There's some more of this beauty in "Homecoming". Then "Remorse" will make you shed tears with a climatic guitar buildup. They also made a cover of "Stripped" by Depeche Mode, and while there's nothing wrong with that cover, it's not really my favorite here, though the rest of the album is still perfect.
"Worn Carrilon" has more upbeat rhythms and leads, and great singing by Carmelo. "A Memory" has more of the heartful vocals where the emotion fits greatly with the powerful lyrics. My favorite song in this album is "Nursery Rhyme". It's a dark epic of perfect harmony and well-placed acoustics, all for some gothic fun.
"Photograph" is an instrumental, but the music has some 80s The Cure vibes. I like that! Carmelo reaches his height with his vocals in "Will", alongside a glorious blend of electric and acoustic guitar from the soul. His vocals of dynamic emotion flow through the atmospheric darkness. "Carnival" is the closing 10-minute epic, and although it's enjoyable in every minute, it can't beat the other long tracks.
All in all, Arte Novecento has strong structure to flow through the atmosphere. Carmelo's vocals might not be for every metalhead due to his occasional soft pop tone, but I still enjoy his vocals and everything else. A gem worth discovering!
Favorites: "Pioggia... January Tunes", "Remorse", "A Memory", "Nursery Rhyme", "Will"
Genres: Gothic Metal Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1996
Mnemic has touched the hearts of many modern metalheads, even after their split. The remaining founding member, guitarist Mircea Gabriel Eftemie was a master of polyrhythms, and his clear riffing and melodies that stay together with the mechanical bass and drums are what kept the band in place until things changed. He caused progressiveness from the guitar to switch out of what you hear from Opeth into a hint at a new djenty chapter...
Their debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena is a solid start of the band's futuristic industrial/groove metal journey, though it wouldn't be perfected until The Audio Injected Soul. This storm of modern sounds is something that has changed part of the course of metal in the early 2000s.
"Liquid" represents their melodic side in the chorus after a verse of guitar aggression. "Blood Stained" is a heavy tight mind-blower, often changing tempo. However, the band loses some focus in "Ghost", sounding a bit dull after that opening duo peak. "Db'xx'd" is the band's longest song at exactly 8 minutes, and has mechanical Meshuggah riff power and keyboards, all leading up to a cool ambient outro.
"Tattoos" has a bit of a Mushroomhead vibe while staying industrial. "The Naked And The Dead" is another golden highlight to make even the most serious metalhead smile. "Closed Eyes" takes a distorted drift into melody.
The title track is another highlight of progressive-ish industrial groove metal that would help bands like Sybreed and Divine Heresy find their direction and let bands of other genres like Animals as Leaders borrow their progressiveness. The chaotic electro-metal talent of Strapping Young Lad can definitely be heard. Another one of my favorites is "Zero Gravity", one more spacey 8-minute track with a slow blend of metal riffs and keyboard blasts. There's also a bonus remix of "Blood Stained" by Rhys Fulber.
After his time with Mnemic, vocalist Michael Bøgballe would keep exploring the band's sound in a more djenty level with Scamp. But this album from Mnemic has an almost entirely good metallic mix of brutal industrial attacks and melodic synth depths. If you're up for that, then crank up the volume....
Favorites: "Liquid", "Db'xx'd", "The Naked And The Dead", "Mechanical Spin Phenomenon", "Zero Gravity"
Genres: Groove Metal Industrial Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2003
Seeing a review for this album appear in this site made me wonder, "I've reviewed all of my metal milestone bands, but can I review the metal albums of a rock band that would eventually shape my taste into 'true' metal, beyond this nu metal sh*t?" Answer: I CAN!! Linkin Park is probably the most successful 21st century rock band, yet metal fans call them "sellouts for kids". Some say they've expanded on the nu metal atrocity started by Korn and Limp Bizkit, others say they're a boy band with guitars. It's sad to see all this hate towards a super successful band. I might not enjoy this band as much as the metal bands I listen to now, but I won't take them for granted, that's for sure.
Linkin Park released their debut album Hybrid Theory (taken from their earlier band name) in October 2000, just a few months shy of what people think is technically the start of a new millennium (2001), and the technical new millennium started in a bang for this band. Excellent reviews and gigantic sales skyrocketed, hence making this a genuine well-sold platinum album. There may not be a big improvement in the popular music industry but Linkin Park's debut would remain one of the best-selling albums of nu metal and all time. Yep, there are 12 heavy industrial-infused nu metal tracks in this album produced by Don Gilmore. In fact, would you call nu metal "metal"?? It's cleaner and less edgy (in the music anyway)! Well whatever you want them to be called, Linkin Park have their best skills of heavy metal guitars, hip-hop rapping, and pop hooks.
It starts with...the rap rock hit "Papercut", where the rapping verses by Mike Shinoda make a great blend with the melodic vocal chorus by Chester Bennington (RIP). "One Step Closer" is their breakthrough single worth checking out for both metalheads and radio listeners. The riffing is both heavy and kid-friendly, the latter adjective maybe not the killer screaming bridge ("SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU! SHUT UP!!"). This is metal for Sesame Street-level beginners and that song is probably the heaviest one allowed in karaoke (I know because I've been there). The low-toned loops in "With You" are performed by the Dust Brothers in a rap metal track where its gravitation center strikes your jaw off. "Points of Authority" sounds as if Bennington and Shinoda are each reading their own poetry written in a lyric sheet, acting as a lyrical exchange. That song is kinda killer though.
The emotional hit "Crawling" is where icy synths and bass crawl through the intro before getting mudded out by the guitar heaviness and Bennington's cries. The more industrial fans might compare the song to Nine Inch Nails. The lyrical subject matter deals with Bennington's teenage years of torture and meth addiction, and he's so upset about it that he needs help from the crowd when performing the song live. More of the band's skyrocketing hooks appear in "Runaway", where the primitive tune's melodies can probably get the song into alternative radio. The fairly appalling "By Myself" is a weak track that is a real example of nu metal's bad side. The hip-hop smash-hit "In the End" has piano performed prominently by Mike Shinoda as he raps along. I don't know if that's what made that song the most popular of the album, but it is what it is.
"A Place for My Head" continues the poetic lyrical exchange between Bennington and Shinoda. This is again used in "Forgotten" but more apparent with the vocal battle between the two vocalists in the pre-chorus. That song is probably another real example of nu metal tainting the second word of the genre's name. The two and a half minute experimental jungle track "Cure for The Itch" is probably the weakest point of the album, but it's where turntablist Joe Hahn really shines. The perfect formula of the singles continue once more in the closing song "Pushing Me Away", which I still like since first listening 9 years ago. Oh how I wish that was a single...
What remains of this review is the conclusion, and that is this; Linkin Park's debut album is excellent, at least compared to what the heavier metalheads think. Surprisingly, the songs I like are perfect choices for all 4 singles and two promo singles, all that's missing is that final song. The only weak songs are the remaining 5. Seems as if my like for Linkin Park before switching to real metal has infected my mind. Sure it's mainstream, but I couldn't skip to where I am today without this band, right?! Thanks a ton, LP....
Favorites: "One Step Closer", "Points of Authority", "Crawling", "Runaway", "In the End", "Pushing Me Away"
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2000
Celtic Frost was one of the most diversely stylistic metal bands to start in the 80s. First was their black/death-influencing thrasher To Mega Therion, then they released the avant-garde Into the Pandemonium, followed by the glam-infected Cold Lake. They released a gothic-influenced thrash album Vanity/Nemesis before splitting up, and later reformed for one more extreme doom album Monotheist. Since I'm listening to Mega Therion to settle a DIS vs DAT debate, let's get right into the review!
Heading right to the point, To Mega Therion (The Great Beast) is actually one of the best 80s metal albums I've heard. I'm still not very tolerant to albums that old nor that obscenely extreme, but I can see why people consider this the most fascinating Celtic Frost album. However, there are some things to argue about...
The pompous intro "Innocence and Wrath" starts the album with a doom-ish march with background brass, specifically french horns. Perhaps that part of the inspiration for Therion, the band who got their name from this album. Then kicks off the sinister fast pace of "The Usurper". That song and its aforementioned intro very well beat other openings of albums like Into the Pandemonium. Next track "Jewel Throne" has chord patterns to reflect the balance of primal composition against riffs of thrash energy and muscular drum groove intensity. I'm sure there are many other great thrash examples throughout the decades that followed, but a true thrashy metalhead would bang their head and swing their fists to those interestingly brutal riffs. I'm not even a fan old-school dark thrash metal and I'm already doing that!
With a song title like "Dawn of Megiddo", you know how well Celtic Frost would attack. The song itself once again has the strange french horns. "Eternal Summer" continues the chord balance between primal and despair. "Circle of the Tyrants" pumps you up with apocalyptic heaviness. "(Beyond the) North Winds" needs a little time for you to really see its full potential as mid-tempo-ish piece that's absolutely underrated compared to Metallica. The upbeat ghost-like guitar leads in the bridge give the song its special scent that would inspire later extreme metal bands.
"Fainted Eyes" is an aggressive piece of heavy shock that works as a black metal prototype song, once again having its apocalyptic heaviness. "Tears in a Prophet's Dream" is an extravagant yet incomprehensible sound collage that wouldn't blow any minds. Finally we come to the gigantic closer "Necromantical Screams" complete with horns, timpani, and female vocals without neglecting the morbid heavy black thrash. OK, that has to be what inspired Therion!
Was this review convincing enough for anyone who hasn't listened to this 1985 classic to do so? Either way, you definitely don't wanna miss out on its highlights (see below) for their best extreme delivery. This important album needs more attention! Sadly, Celtic Frost would never reach the brilliance of this album ever again.... AAAARRRGGH!!!!
Favorites: "The Usurper", "Jewel Throne", "(Beyond the) North Winds", "Necromantical Screams"
Genres: Thrash Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1985
A few people might think Vektor is a Voivod ripoff, but...BOY WERE THEY WRONG!! They just don't see how much of a difference this band makes! First off, the instruments really work well together with precise drumming, tight riffing, and bass with more than one note per bar. The instrumentation is really cool, but what's really amazing is the vocals by David DiSanto. Forget about his domestic violence present for a while and check out his vocal range that's beyond belief. His vocals are in the same kind of level as Destruction's Schmier, but his high soaring screams are near-impossible! I bet he does what Michael Jackson used to do, grabs his own b*lls hard.
The guitars are so unique and really stick out in this album. One unique thing that marks a different approach is the F-tuning (a half-step higher than standard E tuning). I think more bands should start tuning their guitars up to F or F# 6-string, or even C or C# 7-string. When they play a riff that sounds familiar (other than the higher tuning), suddenly a different never-before-heard riff smashes into your face, while keeping constantly high quality. What's also pleasant is, the solos are magically placed in fields where you would never expect. But in the parts where you do expect a solo, they are short and end up coming out anti-climatic. However, the guitarists are really skilled, and despite those solo setbacks, they can master them as super well as DragonForce.
The title opener is probably the best track of the album. They really balance the thrash and progressive styles perfectly without having to copy anything. "This song won't write itself," rushy people say, but it's as if that song did! "Oblivion" is another great song, but it gets a little dull. It's late-Emperor-esque intro is actually the "Spiral Galaxy" intro from their demo Demolition. After that, it's on to the actual old-school speed metal intro before the Destruction-like shrieking comes in. Also, the end is a bit rushy, another good reason why I prefer its Demolition version. "Destroying the Cosmos" is another song that was re-recorded from the Demolition demo, and while I like this one better than the demo version, it doesn't quite reach the standards of the other songs besides "Oblivion". However, that solo-riff combo throughout literally the last minute is one of the most epic song endings I've ever heard! Great strength in an otherwise "meh" song!
"Forests of Legend" is an absolute highlight and the first of three 10+ minute epics. It begins with an eerie acoustic intro that sounds like the progressive thrash "Bard's Song (In the Forest)", before the heaviness begins building up before crashing safely into early-Megadeth-style speedy thrash. After that, it's back to the eerie acoustic section before another glorious outro! "Hunger for Violence" is a Voivod-like composition, opening with strange symmetric chords before heading into Theory in Practice-like violent heaviness. "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" which is what "DNA" stands for, opens with a speedy version of an Iron Maiden riff before its scientific thrash ascension.
"Asteroid" is less technical and more rock-ish in the first few minutes, and while not quite reaching the climax, an incredible charge thunders in with solid bass, sounding like when Lemmy's bands Hawkwind and Motorhead collide and travel into the future. The second 10+ minute epic "Dark Nebula" is probably the least superior of the epic trio, but it's still great. It shows a bit more of a Pink Floyd influence than Voivod while keeping the technical thrash virtuosos. "Accelerating Universe" is the 13 minute true diverse crowning highlight, initially starting with Metallica hammering thrash, it gets more epic and heavier throughout, even developing an amazing psychedelic atmosphere in the halfway point, before building back up into a heavy speedy ending.
Black Future is an almost flawless work of progressive thrash metal art, despite a couple weak points. But those weak points are really tiny flaws and they don't bring down this 5-star rating. With this album, Vektor has reached for the progressive thrash metal stars!
Favorites: Black Future, Forests of Legend, Hunger for Violence, Accelerating Universe
Genres: Progressive Metal Thrash Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2009
Once again, I'm in yet another attempt in reviving the heavy/power metal interest I had 10 years ago with some new bands I've discovered, thanks to a new outside-world friend of mine. I finally get the appeal of bands like Grailknights, Beast in Black, and Powerwolf, along with this interesting melodic band from Sweden...
Tungsten was formed by ex-Hammerfall drummer Anders Johansson, together with his two sons, Nick and Karl, on bass and guitar, respectively. The only unrelated member is lead vocalist Mike Andersson. The band has a heavy/power metal sound similar to HammerFall, but with more symphonic/trance influences. One song they go the folk/pirate metal route of Alestorm, and another they test out the NDH/industrial metal of Rammstein. Still, their melody is essential, as heard in their new album Bliss!
Hitting the album hard to kickstart it is the industrial-infused stomper "In the Center". You don't often get to hear heavy/power metal blended with industrial metal, but it's an incredible addition to the band's sound. The melodic "Dreamers" takes on the more folk-ish side of the sound of sounds. Anyone with creative imagination knows the journey through a forest a warrior must take to find his true love. The Rammstein-fueled "March Along" then thunders in. Unlike the more melodic songs, that one's just a straight-on industrial metal march. Nonetheless, it's great hearing this diverse experimentation. Throwing back to Anders' earlier days in HammerFall, "Heart of Rust" has the mid-tempo heavy/power metal sound that band is known for. A bombastic blast from the past!
The swift mover "Come This Way" once again has the experimental heaviness of Rammstein gone Judas Priest. The heavy/melodic blend really stomps along. The folk/pirate metal in this album, I'm not kidding about, because of the next song "On the Sea", an Alestorm-esque anthem with a chorus worth singing along to. A definite highlight and the one song from this band my outside-world friend shared that made interested in checking out this album. The title track shows the band at its darkest and heaviest. It storms through loudly, only lightening up for another singalong chorus to get the live crowd engaged. The incredible power is maintained in "Wonderland", but this time with a different twist compared to the previous track. It's a nice catchy song to almost dance along to and exemplifies what to expect from melodic heavy/power metal. And if you think there would be any more industrial metal after this, these next few songs will prove you wrong...
"Afraid of Light" lets the variation of sound expand more as practically a Celtic jig. You would never be afraid of dancing to the addictive rhythm. "Eye of the Storm" has the majesty of heavy/power metal without any additional details. Lots of upbeat energy without ever resorting into anything different. The 6-minute final epic "Northern Lights" directs everything in the album's sound front and center. It starts with a mellow intro, then makes a slow heavy buildup, leading up to none other than a thunderous hymn. This anthem closes the final curtain with all they've achieved in the album.
All in all, Bliss is a diverse journey through Tungsten's spiced-up heavy/power metal style. If you ever wanna hear all the different styles of HammerFall, Alestorm, and Rammstein combined together, look no further. After you finish listening to this album, I guarantee you'll be up to hearing it all again!
Favorites: "In the Center", "Heart of Rust", "On the Sea", "Wonderland", "Eye of the Storm", "Northern Lights"
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2022
Bruce Dickinson has been much less focused on his solo career since rejoining Iron Maiden in 1999, and in the 25 years leading up to this album, he made only one other solo album, Tyranny of Souls. I'm actually the same age as Dickinson's second era in Iron Maiden (25 years), and I want my metal taste to mature far beyond the heavy/power metal side that was prominent for me when I was like 16. Although I only listened to Dickinson's solo material during a short rebirth of my earlier interest in heavy/power metal a few years before today, I've since wondered if this vocal master of British classic heavy metal would go solo again, and now what do we have here?...
His new solo album The Mandrake Project has his usual Maiden-fueled sound with some fresh changes, a tradition he has carried out in his more metal releases. There are many different methods he has used here, more than ever before, even the darkness of The Chemical Wedding and the progressiveness of Tyranny of Souls. The pace and structure stir up different elements of genres like doom, classic rock, and folk. He certainly has cohesive imagination when it comes to his own style. Standing by Dickinson as always is Roy Z, still having his electric/acoustic guitar/bass talent from the late 90s. Drumming is presented by Dave Moreno (Puddle of Mudd). And the strange keyboards are performed by the mysterious Mistheria.
The opening track "Afterglow of Ragnarok" starts the album sounding darker and heavier than you would expect from Dickinson. Then the many vibes of Maiden can start being heard in "Many Doors to Hell". Mixing both the evilness of the former and the joy of the latter is "Rain on the Graves".
Then "Resurrection Men" is quite an adventure. The blend of metal and acoustics in the guitars really hits the spot, and it leads to a stoner bridge. "Fingers in the Wounds" lightens things up for a less heavy yet mystical tune. "Eternity Has Failed" is actually a remake of "If Eternity Should Fail" from the Maiden album The Book of Souls, but it uses the lyrics Dickinson wrote before its rewriting for Iron Maiden. It greatly hops through heavy experimental instrumentation and Dickinson's masterful vocal wizardry.
Adding some more of the heavy catchy danger is "Mistress of Mercy". Then we have "Face in the Mirror", a ballad typical to Dickinson's more metallic solo releases such as Accident of Birth. It's still a solid highlight because how pleasant it sounds for me even in all that gentleness. There's some more of the soft beauty in the otherwise heavy "Shadow of the Gods". I especially enjoy the 10-minute final epic "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)" which has some spacey slowness that practically throw back to climatic moments of Dickinson's solo albums from the second half of the 90s. And man, there's some lyrical lore you can find there!
The Mandrake Project marks a fresh return to Bruce Dickinson's exploration outside Iron Maiden, though it can't surpass how high his late-90s material has gone. I can enjoy and appreciate the creativity in his vocals and writing. The appeal for this album might be able to grow within time. Dickinson has proven himself to still be the strong legend he is, even at his 60s, and shall continue to please generations of fans old and young!
Favorites: "Afterglow of Ragnarok", "Resurrection Men", "Eternity Has Failed", "Face in the Mirror", "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)"
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2024
What's up, dragon warriors?!? The power metal heroes of the new millennium are back after almost 5 years since their previous album! Well, I wouldn't say everybody would call this band heroes. Some might not like them as much as I and others do. They're basically my heroes because they're the first ever band to get me into metal, and they showed me what power metal should really be; fast tempos and technical soloing added to the genre's usual dose of epic and uplifting melody. The band have just reached album #9, Warp Speed Warriors, and they still have their creativity and speed within.
When lead vocalist Marc Hudson joined the band, some changes were made compared to the ZP Theart era. The songs are shorter and more restrained in length (except for an 11-minute epic), but they've added more adventurous diversity. Warp Speed Warriors sees the band exploring different territories as they did in Extreme Power Metal while not drastically diverting from their usual sound. So expect the usual speed, anthemic power, slight humor, and a cover song more powerful than its original.
The anthemic opener "Astro Warrior Anthem" has the band's signature speedy sound as intended. I'm talking about exhilarating speedy power metal with occasional glitchy video-game noises. Yet another grand album opener that does justice to the band's vision! Then we have the catchy "Power of the Triforce", paying tribute to The Legend of Zelda, mostly A Link to the Past. Having been released as a pre-release album single, longtime fans were considered thinking they were moving further away from their early glory. Nonetheless, it should definitely please the live crowd. "Kingdom of Steel", despite its power metal title, interestingly lightens things up as an 80s rock-inspired ballad.
Then we hit earth-shattering speed in "Burning Heart" with its blazing hammering fury, apart from a retro synthwave bridge. One of the most killer highlights here! Then "Space Marine Corp" takes you on a goofy fun Warhammer-inspired space adventure with gang vocals and a drill sergeant bridge. Also the first ever DragonForce song to have a swear word in the chorus?! Likely so! "Doomsday Party" is the first hint at this album, and a perfect catchy singalong single of disco-metal. LET'S F***ING GO!!!
"Prelude to Darkness" is an under one-minute interlude, which sounds cool but I'm not sure it was necessary to separate from the song it segues into. "The Killer Queen" is a killer (pun somewhat intended) standout of upbeat speed and melody like many other songs by the band. The final part of the non-CD edition, "Pixel Prison" is a true grand experience of every old and new thing the band has done, with some of the most adventurous ideas the band has had to date, all while guided through lyrics inspired by video games in general. EPIC!! The CD edition has a neat metalized cover of the Taylor Swift hit "Wildest Dreams". It still can't beat the previous album's Celine Dion cover though.
The deluxe edition comes with alternate editions of several tracks, the first 3 of which have guests; "Astro Warrior Anthem" featuring Matt Heafy (Trivium) singing the verses and Nita Strauss performing her own solos, "Burning Heart" featuring Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), and Doomsday Party" featuring Elize Ryd (Amaranthe). Talk about a powerhouse of metal guests! And they all perform their roles well. "Power of the Triforce" also appears in the bonus disc, albeit an instrumental version. That's too bad, I was hoping for some guest vocals for that song by Thomas Winkler (Angus McSix, ex-Gloryhammer) and/or Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, ex-Seventh Wonder). I also used to hope for the Beat Saber-exclusive "Power of the Saber Blade" as a bonus track too, but it sounds so similar to "Burning Heart" that it seems redundant and it's fine being left out.
DragonForce still have their strength in the diverse Warp Speed Warriors, but what will happen next? Will their setlist have great updates in their upcoming tour? Will session keyboardist Coen Janssen join DragonForce full-time at the cost of his time with Epica? And will their parody album plan happen? Only time will tell.... Hail the warriors!
Favorites: "Astro Warrior Anthem"*, "Burning Heart"*, "Doomsday Party"*, "The Killer Queen", "Pixel Prison"
*Including guest vocalist editions
Genres: Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2024
Imagine what Fear Factory would sound like if they kept their industrial death metal sound going after Soul of a New Machine. I could practically say that about any band mixing together industrial metal and death metal, but this is for real! Flesh is Heir has the best you can find from this combination these days.
A journey through a band's discography often starts from their latest or first album. It's not usually right in the middle unless you find it out of the blue, whether it pops up or gets recommended to you. Upon discovering The Amenta via their 3rd album, my mind was blown by how perfectly the band could reinvent the industrial death metal of Fear Factory's debut. Other bands have tried it and didn't catch on, but with Flesh is Heir, you know you're in for a mind-f***ing brutal attack.
Bleak doom-ish tremolo melody opens the title track that then blasts off into deathly chaos. "Ego Ergo Sum" has more ethereal yet brutal rhythm haunting like a ghost. "Teeth" takes the industrial vibes of 3TEETH and gives it the Gojira prog-death treatment. Then things quiet down in the interlude "A Womb Tone".
"Obliterate’s Prayer" has gigantic hooks to obliterate anything in the song's path. "Sewer", at some moments, makes me think of Winds of Plague if the symphonic elements where replaced with industrial ones. "The Argument" has more Godflesh influences, particularly in the chorus. "Cell" is a slower track with spooky-a** ambience. But of course, there are still some riff bombs set to f***ing blow you apart.
There's more sorrow in the still chaotic "Disintegrate". Then "A Palimpsest" is one more ominous interlude. "Tabula Rasa" can slice through you like a razorblade in brutal hellfire. A twisted addictive way to head out! And once the chaos stops, you might just feel up to replaying these killer 45 minutes.
Barely anyone can listen to Flesh is Heir everyday, but it can be easy for me to do so. It's pure twisted rage from the deathly depths of Hell that lets you think of the bleak state of humanity. The album flows so well and even the highlights can fit well with one another. It's so heavy that you can feel it like a nuclear asteroid explosion and still live. One of the most brutal offerings in extreme industrial metal!
Favorites: "Flesh is Heir", "Teeth", "Obliterate’s Prayer", "The Argument", "Disintegrate", "Tabula Rasa"
Genres: Death Metal Industrial Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2013
After listening to the perfect Bat Salad EP by High on Fire, followed by a revisiting of one of Grand Magus' albums, I felt up to exploring some more of this intriguing blend of stoner metal with more upbeat classic metal genres. The mind-blowing glory of this mix of sounds strikes again with Snakes for the Divine, a stoner/sludge/thrash metal album featuring a dark twist in the Adam and Eve myth!
This was long before High on Fire won a Grammy Award for the title track of their 2018 album Electric Messiah. They've already had a breakthrough before then by getting signed into E1 for this album after the previous 3 were released by Relapse Records. Now how can Snakes for the Divine be such a divine album for me? Answers to come...
The 8-minute opening title epic greatly displays the talent of these speedy stoner metal titans, including the Lemmy-esque voice of Matt Pike (also the guitarist for Sleep). The stoner/sludge/thrash sound is greatly exemplified in this perfect highlight. Lots of fantastic soloing here! "Frost Hammer" is another devastating thrash highlight. It also has an atmospheric not too far from the earlier sludge material of Mastodon, y'know, the band whom the members first met each other in one of High on Fire's first ever shows. "B****rd Samurai" slows things down with some psychedelic bass by Jeff Matz that would almost have Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" pop up in your mind, if not for the heavy stoner metal instrumentation that rules the track.
"Ghost Neck" is yet another song that dominates with a more thrashy sound. An interlude, "The Path" is thrown into the middle of the album. It doesn't really stand out in the album, but being an short instrumental, it doesn't affect the perfect score. It segues to the track "Fire, Flood & Plague", where the verses show Matt Pike expanding his vocal range higher as they gradually get more brutal. The drumming gets harder and more technical in this furious piece of prog-ish thrash. The relentlessness refuses to lower down, and it has stirred up another highlight.
"How Dark We Pray" is another different track, with stoner riffing/soloing as part of the diverse guitarwork. "Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter" spits out some more fast sludge fire in yet another memorable song. The Best Buy edition has 3 bonus tracks, starting with "Mystery of Helm", an awesome fast song standing out with its riffing. The other two bonus tracks are live renditions of "Eyes and Teeth" and "Cometh Down Hessian" from their earlier albums. Pretty great, but not quite fitting the rest of the album.
If you're looking for true heaviness of metal in the crushing riffs in bass, this is it. The genre created by Black Sabbath has reached another milestone in High on Fire's Snakes for the Divine! It's an album of fantastic diversity you just gotta look out for. A perfect metal adventure through the dark side of Eden!
Favorites: "Snakes for the Divine", "Frost Hammer", "Fire, Flood & Plague", "Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter", "Mystery of Helm"
Genres: Heavy Metal Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2010
Similarly with Moonspell, I was listening to a lot of Grand Magus until a couple years ago when I decided to have my hiatus from The Fallen (due to this band's first two albums that are stoner/doom metal). I'm glad to be able to revisit an album from those bands and bring back some good memories...
In saying that, it's probably just as well that I faded out from listening to Grand Magus. As interesting as the lyrics are, in some albums, they seem to lean into a more atheist pagan theme. I'm not saying they're as antichristian as black metal bands, but they might cause some religious discomfort. At least the sound is pretty cool, moving away from their old doom metal roots while having a moderately mid-tempo pace in the majority songs. And that wicked cover art reminds me a lot of Assassin's Creed.
The weakest track "Starlight Slaughter" just had to be the one to start an otherwise well-done album. There's nothing incredible around to stand out. "Sword of the Ocean" drives through with greater courage, especially in the soloing. The poor "Valhalla Rising" doesn't have much impact in the simple riffing. But at least it's not religiously edgy.
Then things really move forward in "Storm King", making up for the downward quality in two of the earlier tracks. It works so well as full force is applied to the clever verses and riffing. They strike hard in a strong pace. "Silver Moon" has great vocal passion. The title track has incredible riffing, reaching its best at the bridge. They're all filled with primal destruction perfect for a vikings vs. knights battle.
Then we come to the exceptional two-part epic "Son of the Last Breath". The first part "Nattfödd" (Night Born) is an ethereal acoustic section like a bard playing in the night, which I like more than Blind Guardian's "Bard Song". The second part "Vedergällning" (Retribution) rises into a climatic anthem that deems the epic a total highlight. After that is the fast and furious "Iron Hand", and that's where the band sounds the best, playing fast and heavy. What also makes it stand out is the soloing that I totally dig. "Draksådd" (Dragon Seed) closes the album with the same poor quality as how the album began, though since they're relaxing after all that heavy speed, I'll let it slide.
The Hunt is a pretty great album with many excellent tracks and only a couple week ones. Their music is nicely strong, heavy while not doomy. The lyrics aren't totally pagan that would've led them to be either viking-related or heathen. Everything's intense while at the same time pleasant. The band has achieved it all with killer songs, though the quality in a few others could've been much more improved....
Favorites: "Sword of the Ocean", "Storm King", "The Hunt", "Son of the Last Breath", "Iron Hand"
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2012
Moonspell was one of my favorite gothic metal bands when I was still listening to the genre. They're very well the most well-known Portuguese metal band. The band has all the different edges of gothic metal covered, from the extreme dark side in the mid-90s, to the lighter rock side in the late 90s/early 2000s. The two different sounds would then be combined together for an intriguing blend in later albums...
The first signs of the band returning to their harsher blackened roots of Wolfheart were hinted in The Antidote and expanded upon in Memorial, even adding some deathly aspects. The heaviness continues in Night Eternal while making some room for their atmospheric side.
The opening epic "At Tragic Heights" will have you pumped for the blackened death-ish riffing and vocals. Then it's off to the mystical title track which continues the deathly riffing to add to the atmospheric darkness. Easing up on the heaviness, "Shadow Sun" goes back to the mid-period gothic rock/metal with creepy whispers in the verses that lead into a rock-out chorus and an explosive heavy bridge to put the strength from the previous two tracks back into place.
"Scorpion Flower" is full-on gothic metal, with female vocals by Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering). I loved her guest appearance more about 5 years before this review, but not so much now in my recent revisit. Maybe because the more serious heavy modern side of my metal taste has grown recently. That allows me to keep enjoying tracks like "Moon in Mercury" that focus on devastating aggression. What stands out with all its glory is "Hers is the Twilight". It has great guitar in the chorus, and the blend of heaviness and atmosphere throws back to what was once my favorite Moonspell album, Irreligious.
"Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)" also has some of the d*mn greatest raging emotion to enjoy. There's no questioning the power "Spring of Rage" has with its icy riff melodies. "First Light" ends the album as perhaps its best track. Brilliant female background choirs support this blackened gothic metal attack. Fernando Ribeiro performs his best growling before the majestic ending climax. Bonus track "Age of Mothers" is OK, but doesn't end the album as greatly as the previous track.
Although I don't enjoy Night Eternal as perfectly as I had 5 years ago, it's still highly interesting, and a much better deal than their experimental albums like The Butterfly Effect. Moonspell fans wanting their earlier heaviness to return got their wish. With that and great lyrics, this shall give gothic metal listeners their money's worth....
Favorites: "At Tragic Heights", "Moon in Mercury", "Hers is the Twilight", "Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)", "First Light"
Genres: Gothic Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2008
Argyle Park was an industrial rock/metal project Klayton was in between his own two projects Circle of Dust and the more famous Celldweller. The other founder of this project goes by the name Buka. Despite being signed to Christian labels, their dark lyrics and contributions from secular artists caused some controversy in the Christian music scene. Their record label R.E.X. tried to censor a track in the band's album Misguided. Because of all this, the band split up after two years of activity.
Fast forward a few years, the band reformed under a different name AP2, and released a second album titled Suspension of Disbelief. While the poor sales and criticism caused the band to end again, this is one of the most innovative industrial rock/metal albums I've heard. The darkness is what I love!
The album starts with 4 strokes of a piano note to begin "The End", a song meant to signify the end of their earlier Argyle Park era. Then you hear a scream of "I AM THE DAMAGED!!!!" with "DAMAGED" echoed a few times. It then moves into soft slow electronica with samples of two songs from Misguided, "Leave Me Alone" (actually the only metal song in that album from what I hear) and "A Burden's Folly". Then "Heroin Hate" begins the industrial metal momentum. "My Sympathies" is an awesome highlight. Adding some nice touches in the vocal department is Mark Salomon of Stavesacre and The Crucified who sounds almost like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. There are a little more techno/trance/drum n bass influences here, but I still enjoy it! Nothing's terrible about "A Thousand Terrible Things", a pleasant NIN-esque interlude.
"Silhouette of Rage" has some more industrial rage with vocals by Daren "Klank" Diolosa. I enjoy "A New Wound" having a similar sound to Fear Factory in both the heavier songs, softer ballads, and Remanufacture remixes. "The Red Shirt Conspiracy" actually sounds like an industrial take on the earlier thrash of Voivod and Sabbat with guest vocals by Joel Timothy Bell. My favorite song here is "The Pact". It's a softer industrial rock/metal track with no lyrics, only Indian-style chanting by vocalist Sage. That and the catchy pop-ish tone might remind some of The Prayer Chain, and the song shows actions can sing louder than words.
"Resurrection of the Ravens" is another totally underrated work of art! This is pretty much what Klayton's other projects Circle of Dust and Celldweller sound like, and it goes down as another long-lasting favorite. The techno-dance-rave-like industrial rock/metal sound is killer! Klayton is the writer and singer of that beautiful piece. "Goodbye" is unrelated to a similarly-titled song Klayton recorded as a Circle of Dust demo and later re-recorded as a Celldweller track. The AP2 song is still pretty great though. "The Only Man I Know" actually takes a break from the Psyclon Nine-like industrial sound for more of an alt-rock/metal sound that would actually foreshadow 36 Crazyfists' style at that time, and maybe even Bring Me the Horizon's sound in the late 2010s. "Cold Breath of Sorrow" is an ambient outro of dark pain to end it all. The whispers sound almost like just repeatedly saying "It's all over...", which sadly is after a few more piano strokes like in the album's intro.
Not one other project could attempt to make dark experimental industrial rock/metal in the Christian music scene. It's a risk that caused them to be shunned by the scene, but at least industrial metal fans like myself would have something to listen to a lot every now and then!
Favorites: "My Sympathies", "A New Wound", "The Red Shirt Conspiracy", "The Pact", "Resurrection of the Ravens", "The Only Man I Know"
Genres: Industrial Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2000
I wish I had dived into Mercenary's discography a little earlier. They've made a lot of stupendous classics before a 10-year gap. Did the band make a massive comeback in their new album Soundtrack for the End Times (nice title, though far too relatable)?...
Well, the band still have their signature epic melodeath sound with background keyboards. However, they seem to be moving farther away from their 2000s power metal influences, in favor of more modern pieces of groove/metalcore. You might expect that from the fact that the band no longer have half of their classic lineup. The vocals by Rene Pederson make the band sound a little more Linkin Park than power metal. Although everything's a little more simplistic, they do it all with the strength they still have.
"Burning in Reverse" starts the album OK. It shows that melodeath can be bright and modern instead of as dark and doomy as Hinayana. I would definitely want more of the next track "Heart of the Numb" and its guest appearance by Matt Heafy of Trivium. Then comes a true highlight, "Where Darkened Souls Belong". Wow, this another song I can consider the best of Mercenary even after just a week of diving into the band's material. Nothing different, but this 7-minute track is well-structured. From the keyboard intro onwards, you get everything including mighty grooves, the best harmonic soloing here, and a perfect catchy double-chorus. I'll definitely continue playing this as many times as I want, it really strikes like lightning! "Through This Blackened Hatred" sounds as heavy as The Haunted while having a subpar catchy chorus.
"Anthem for the Anxious" is an anthemic standout that is certainly worth your time. "A Darker Path" has a dark blend of heaviness and melody, though it sounds closer to the melodic metalcore of Miss May I, Bury Tomorrow, and Parkway Drive. "Become the Flame" is a more Trivium-like standout, so much so that Matt Heafy should've made a guest appearance here as well, maybe also Devin Townsend. "From the Ashes of the Fallen" sounds like something Atreyu could've done, though it doesn't have any problems despite sounding less impressive in every listen.
"Black Heart, Dead Tissue" is one more beautiful highlight, practically blending together the melody of Unearth, the darkness of Insomnium, and a bit of heavy technicality from Within the Ruins. Then we switch to the thrashy melodeath of At the Gates in "Black Blood Soil", which sounds cool but doesn't add a lot. There's some epic-sounding orchestra in "Beyond the Waves" but it just doesn't match the quality of that other 7-minute epic.
So their new album Soundtrack for the End Times really kicks up the band's modern influences. If you don't mind a bit of the aforementioned bands like Linkin Park, The Haunted, Trivium, and At the Gates, you have good moments to enjoy there. But if you prefer to stick strictly with Mercenary's 2000s classics, you might wanna stay away....
Favorites: "Heart of the Numb", "Where Darkened Souls Belong", "Anthem for the Anxious", "Become the Flame", "Black Heart, Dead Tissue"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2023
Mercenary's 7th album Through Our Darkest Days is another continuation of the band's grand melodeath sound with power metal elements. Apart from the more modern influences the band has been adding since Metamorphosis that seems to reduce a bit of the quality, not much changed. The melodeath riffing has a power metal tone without any of the brutality of their debut First Breath. The heaviness comes from the fast thrash that make the best contrast with the epic melody. More of the addictive melody comes from the superb keyboards of atmospheric majesty that can almost turn their power metal influences into symphonic power metal. And it's fun hearing the melody appearing in both the guitars and keyboards because of how well melodeath bands from other Northern European countries use that aspect. However, unlike those bands that focus mainly on death growls, the band adds in clean singing in perfect balance with the growls, at the cost of bit of the aggression.
Through Our Darkest Days is not their best album but not a bad one either. Their style has a lot of potential, but how they've been using it lately might cause minor damage to what makes them spectacular. Although most of the songs are strong and energetic, the idea of modernizing their power metal-ish melodeath can stir up some conflict in their attempt on staying cohesive. With great strength comes great responsibility, and some differences can be pop up noticeably as the album goes on. The grand epic atmosphere can actually be found in later songs and flows easier than the first few. No matter which songs have better flow, this album shall mark another adventurous addition to their long tremendous career...
Opening track "A New Dawn" charges through with catchy yet heavy groove/thrash riffing and beautiful atmosphere. However, the clean vocals in the verses sound a bit robotic and out of place. Don't worry though, the cleans will sound better later. "Welcome the Sickness" welcomes you to the heavier death growls and blast beats, mixed perfectly with clean singing and riffs of epic atmosphere, ending with wonderful soloing. The title track has more melodic riffing to take you on a melodeath/power metal adventure. With that effective cleans/growls blend, we have another strong highlight.
"Dreamstate Machine" lightens things up with some more of the clean riffing atmosphere. The more brutal riffing and growling is only used for the verses. Similarly, "A Moment of Clarity" is kind of a clean groove track that relaxes on most of the heavy energy while having atmospheric soloing. The album's consistent side kicks in with "Beyond This Night", though the mid-paced melody and atmospheric riffing isn't that great and can't keep up with the strength of later tracks.
The highlight "Starving Eyes" soars through with clean singing and keyboards, as the melodic riffing gives the song the epic power it needs. One of my favorite songs here! "Generation Hate" charges through with a devastating deathly intro complete with bass and drums pummeling through. Despite being cut short for the power metal-ish chorus, that chorus soars along for a solid blend of cleans, riffs, and keyboards. "Forever the Unknown" closes the album as a long epic with the best keyboard atmosphere and riffing as an adventurous end to this great experience. The bonus track "Holding On to Serenity" is OK, though sounding close to early Shadows Fall.
7 albums in and the band is still standing strong. This album may not be their best one, but there are still some memorable songs to enjoy that help them continue this style that not many bands still have today. The power metal elements from the keyboards and cleans help the sound stand out in strong glory with their melodeath side that has all the vicious riffs and growls. Though the more modernized sound cause a bit of an issue, with the lighter moments not shining well. The more deathly metalheads might has some trouble getting the appeal when it comes to the sound going from one place to the other. Nonetheless, if you're up for adventure packed with more melody than brutality, you've come to the right place. Even the darkest days have some light....
Favorites: "Welcome the Sickness", "Through Our Darkest Days", "Dreamstate Machine", "Starving Eyes", "Forever the Unknown"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2013
I am the kind of metalhead who enjoys albums from bands that experiment with changing their sound in each release, except when one of those albums is non-metal. Take for example two gothic metal bands I used to listen to, Paradise Lost and Tiamat. They both started off as death-doom flirting with both sides of the genre in early 90s, switched to gothic metal in the mid-90s, discarded their metal in late 90s, and started bringing it back throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.
Throughout those years leading up to that point, Mercenary made a thrashy melodeath album in 1998 and a string of 4 epic power metal-ish melodeath offerings. The early 2010s is when the band began to take their modern influences to the next level in Metamorphosis. It's pretty great, though it can never beat their earlier discography...
Kicking things off is "Through the Eyes of the Devil", with an intro where the metal instrumentation is really building up. René Pedersen typically performs a more hardcore style of harsh vocals, but he can still do the shrieking and growling expected in melodeath. The chorus is when he starts to sing. Former clean vocalist Mikkel Sandager was a total master of melodic singing when he was with the band, and fans were concerned about if Rene's harsh vocal style would be all that's left in the vocal department. Fortunately, he can sing, almost as greatly as Mikkel. And that's what I enjoy about that track. "The Follower" is good but not really the best. There are nice moments but nothing so interesting. "In a River of Madness" throws back to the band's 2000s awesomeness with haunting symphonics.
"Memoria" is worth lots of listens. Rene once again proves his amazing talent to perform clean and harsh vocals, as bands like Scar Symmetry would. It's quite impressive, considering he can also play the bass at the same time. A melodic standout with nice pace! Mixing heaviness with emotion is "Velvet Lies" with nice melancholy. "In Bloodred Shades" has more of the clean/harsh vocal mix worth listening to. "Shades of Gray" sounds too poppy, especially since it has solely clean singing, common in melodeath albums but considered a sin by fans of the genre. With no aggression, it's just a lame song that would be better suited as a standalone radio single instead of on this album.
"On The Edge of Sanity" can strikes back as one of my favorite songs here. Rene's vocal ability is in mighty display. And even though the chorus is a bit a repetitive, that awesome catchy song can't be put down. "The Black Brigade" has lyrics about how love can prevent suicide. For a love song, I really like that one. The US edition comes with a bonus track, "Incorporate Your Demons", my overall favorite here that should've been in the standard edition. Wonderful All That Remains vibes in that chorus!
Far from their epic 2000s throne but still pretty great, Metamorphosis has a lot of expected and unexpected turns. The lineup can stand strong despite being much different. While some might hate this more commercial sound, I don't mind it. As the open-minded metalhead I am, I take no sh*t....
Favorites: "Through the Eyes of the Devil", "In a River of Madness", "Memoria", "On The Edge of Sanity", "Incorporate Your Demons"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2011
I'd like to once again say that I wasn't fully interested in Mercenary until just a week before this review, despite having heard of this band for many years. I'm not sure why. But no matter the reason, I'm grateful to find some metal classics from this band, such as the fantastic The Hours That Remain. Will they continue to impress in their next album?
Their 5th album Architect of Lies is a sign of a different era. René "Renegade" Pedersen became the new bassist/death growler, and modern influences have started making their way to the usual power metal-infused melodeath sound. And this is the kind of style that should interest my brother who likes the more modern rock/metal bands. Many metalheads take a couple months to completely the greatness of an album into their minds, but me? It only took a quick but thorough week!
"New Desire" begins the album with the band's signature blending of heavy riffing and atmospheric keyboards. The verses are when you hear them use more alt-sounding riffing for the first time, which might turn off metal purists but lure in anyone who can handle modern variety (such as myself). "Bloodsong" has one of the best bridge sections in the album, in which the impressive soloing by lead guitarist Martin Buus will blow your mind and stay in there. At first listen of "Embrace the Nothing", all I can hear is some of the most fascinating work Mercenary has done. It almost sounds like an unused track from The Hours That Remain sessions, with melody of awesome wonders. A superb track that marks my favorite here. "This Black and Endless Never" is where Mikkel sings his best in the destructive heaviness without wasting any time.
I certainly approve of the godly soloing in "Isolation (The Loneliness in December)". That, along with the rest of the track, greatly pleases me. The guitars and keyboards have splendid harmony in "The Endless Fall". In the limited edition, that track segues into the bonus track "Death Connection". If you have that edition, consider yourself lucky. It's a must-have if you want more of the sound the album has to offer. And it actually works well in the middle of the album instead of the end where bonus tracks typically go. The next track "Black Hollow" is another highlight with more of the atmospheric keyboard melody.
Another song, "Execution Style" has killer heaviness while still mastering the pop-ish hooks appearing every now and then. "I Am Lies" has more of the modern riffing that has already caught in other melodeath bands like Scar Symmetry. "Public Failure Number One" has more thrashy variety. Then it ends the album with the last of the keyboards by Morten Sandager before he, his brother clean vocalist Mikkel, and drummer Mike Park all left the band the following year.
With Architect of Lies being the last album for those 3 albums and the first with René Pedersen, it is a transitional album between their earlier epic era and their recent modern era. And that's an awesome blend for anyone wanting both something old and new. Another amazing album any diverse metalhead should get!
Favorites: "Bloodsong", "Embrace the Nothing", "Isolation (The Loneliness in December)", "Death Connection", "Black Hollow", "I Am Lies"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2008
4th album in, and Mercenary is still going strong. Their albums are quite remarkable in the metal community. Pretty much everything is in high quality. And their sound never ceases to progress! Their unique sound has stirred up another perfect masterpiece. Mercenary continues to be the respectable ensemble they are with this gem that is The Hours That Remain. The music also shines with its production that allows easy clarity for the instruments. Everything's perfectly produced and your mind can focus on the music without any troubling thing.
Once again, the band are incredible masters of melodeath with progressive/power metal tendencies. The vocals are quite unique here. Kral left the band right before the album was to be recorded, and while producer Jacob Hansen took over on bass, clean vocalist Mikkel Sandager decided to test out his growling/screaming abilities. His harsh vocals are so perfectly kick-A that I wish he could do them full-time, though I also enjoy his beautiful singing voice and I don't want that to get strained.
Harsh vocals help define the band's sound in "Redefine Me", though just so Mikkel can still have his clean falsetto, the harsh vocal role is given to Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork just for that song. "Year of the Plague" is where Mikkel starts doing the harsh vocals on his own. "My World is Ending" is one of my favorite songs from this band and album, which is interesting because it's more focused on clean singing and adding a fair amount of keyboard melody. Another one of the best songs here is "This Eternal Instant", an instant classic in the heavier side of melodeath.
Next song, the 8-minute "Lost Reality" has nice keyboard atmosphere. Same with "Soul Decision", another great heavy highlight with some more harsh vocals. And again in "Simplicity Demand", though a little more simplistic.
"Obscure Indiscretion" is another song with much less harsh vocals. "My Secret Window" is another total standout, with relentless greatness striking the listener in every direction. The closing title track has some zesty synths and piano within the heavier instrumentation. The track is 7-minutes long, but it is followed by a hidden one-minute outro with the last bit of piano and singing.
The success is still going! The stellar sound has slightly improved from 11 Dreams and is able to maintain the perfect glory of Everblack. They continue to level up their greatness that would decrease in later releases while staying strong. Any metalhead should get The Hours That Remain. A fantastic confident offering of epic melodeath!
Favorites: "Redefine Me", "My World is Ending", "This Eternal Instant", "Soul Decision", "My Secret Window"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2006
After a well-done thrashy debut First Breath, their second album Everblack is a masterpiece in which power metal elements are seamlessly added to their dominant sound of melodeath. Epic and extreme can truly fit well together! They would continue the sound in their subsequent albums though with more modern influences later on. And one of those albums show that the band never cease to amaze their fans...
11 Dreams, like the rest of the band's discography, has been with me for about a week, and I'm already hooked for some more listening to come. A lot of this album is f***ing kick-A! Barely any song here is in bad shape, all in top-notch quality.
The intro "Into the Sea of Dark Desires" has haunting keyboards sounding straight out of a fantasy/horror movie. Then "World Hate Center" unleashes heavy anger that will live in your mind in a week, which I've experienced after hearing it for the first time. Great riffing worth moshing and headbanging to, along with total vocal rage, "Now do you feel respectable on the cross?!" The title track is another great track, though different from the first song. The greatness reaches its highest point right in the middle with a searing solo. "reDestructDead" blends together the brutal melodeath of the first full song with the pieces of symphonic power metal from the second. Another solo appears in the middle in a faster tempo, one of the many things making that song another highlight.
The next track "Firesoul" is quite a ride. Serene female singing appears during the last couple minutes, performed by Monika Pedersen who would later join Sirenia for one their albums. Lots of great piano melody too. Then we have a good memorable standout in "Sharpen the Edges". Lots of creepy drama from the piano and lyrics that wouldn't sound too far off from Misfits. The slow riffing stays heavy and twisted all the way through. Another memorable track "Supremacy v2.0", is filled with kick-A melodeath and a sequel to a song from their 1996 EP. Some more of the slow riffing has great synergy between the two vocalists. A well-constructed epic worth repeated listens!
After that, we have "Music No Stop", a cover of the song by Swedish pop rock band Kent. Metal purists might think "What the f***?!?" when hearing this cover, but the truth is, they turned a pop sh*t-hit into a real metal song. And that's how I like these kinds of covers! "Falling" swings into fast groove/thrash while having more of Mikkel's vocals and another guest appearance by Monika Pedersen in the background. "Times Without Changes" is a 3-minute piano ballad, and the only song in this album to feel even slightly out of place. It segues to the mind-blowing finale "Loneliness". Right from first listen, it's my favorite track of the album. The guitarwork is unbelievable. The drums have a steady pace. And the vocals sound so perfect! I can actually sing and growl quite well, but while I can imitate Kral, I can't quite reach the range of Mikkel. I might still have a fun time covering this song with some of the best lyrics in metal. I highly suggest listening to that glorious song of PURE METAL POWER!!!
I think it's clear that the band is spicing up melodeath with some bits of Stratovarius-like power metal coming from clean vocals and keyboards performed from the heart. Whether or not you're a fan of melodeath, you're bound to enjoy the h*ll out of this album. 11 Dreams is every metalhead's dream!
Favorites: "World Hate Center", "reDestructDead", "Sharpen the Edges", "Supremacy v2.0", "Loneliness"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2004
Not many bands can reach enjoyable perfection at just the second album, but Mercenary has done just that! Everblack knocked their debut First Breath off the throne, having switched from a thrashy melodeath band to melodeath with power metal influences. Giving the band that melodic boost is brothers Mikkel and Morten Sandager. Mikkel has some of the most skillful clean singing I've heard, and Morten is talented with his dark keyboard work.
As for the rest of the lineup, Kral can handle the bass well and perform death growls clear enough for you to hear the lyrics. Guitarist Jakob Mølbjerg has riff-tastic skills. One-time guitarist guitarist Signar Petersen shreds all the way with his soloing. And drummer Rasmus Jacobsen... Well, although he has the potential to crash and blast like any other aggressive drummer, he rarely does that. His more rock-ish technique is quite great but unfitting, subtracting a percentage point away from total perfection. Maybe it has something to do with his lack of commitment with the band that got him fired after this album and replaced by the more passion-powered Mike Park Nielsen.
The album starts with a short spooky intro to get anyone pumped, though it seems to consider the September 11 attacks the start of "World War III". Then it launches into the thrashy title track where you can hear the Sandager brothers' power metal-ish contributions for the first time. "Seize the Night" has a bit of hardcore groove which, combined with the usual melodeath, sounds like Shadows Fall at that time. The epic "Screaming from the Heavens" has the best of the album's sound.
"Dead.com" rocks out with some of the best melodeath that you can also find from bands like Kalmah, Dethklok, and Sylosis. Some of the greatest soloing can be found in "Darkspeed". Though it's not as dark as "Bloodrush". And even darker still is "A Darker Shade of Black".
Kral's growls and Mikkel's cleans shine the most together in "Bulletblues", especially in fantastic vocal duels. I also love its ending guitar solo. "Rescue Me" has melodic riffing that might've planted a seed for modern metalcore bands like August Burns Red and Demon Hunter. "Alliance" is one more thrash song before ending with a spooky outro. "Nothing's What It Seems" is a bonus epic that's quite awesome except when it abruptly cuts off at the end. That's fixed in the remastered version by fading out.
All in all, Everblack is an epic recommendation for open-minded metalheads like myself. It's actually not until their next album 11 Dreams, when the band is signed to Century Media, that they become more popular. Still, Everblack is the true start to the Mercenary we know, and any metal fan should get it for pure metal glory!
Favorites: "Everblack", "Screaming from the Heavens", "Dead.com", "Darkspeed", "Bulletblues", "Nothing's What It Seems" (remastered)
Genres: Death Metal Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2002
Formed in 1991 and having released 3 demos throughout the decade, melodeath fans get to witness the FIRST BREATH of Mercenary with their debut album. Unlike their later power metal-influenced albums, First Breath takes on a more thrashy melodeath sound. The band didn't have a full-time keyboardist and clean vocalist yet, and Henrik "Kral" Andersen (bass, growls) led this deathly quartet. The raw sound adds to this album's superb uniqueness!
What you can expect in this album includes brutal death growls, melodic thrashy guitar, and decent drum blasts. Kral sounds like a monstrous menace, and that's a compliment for death growlers. The music sounds darker and more violent than any of their subsequent releases.
"Symbiotic" kicks off the album with a more melodic take on old-school Death. "World Wide Weep" has more of a hardcore groove, but one you can really headbang to. Next song "Horizon" is a wonderful 8-minute epic. You can hear beautiful vocals by Irene Poulsen and mystical keyboards by Jakob Sivsgård, almost foreshadowing what the band would add from their next album onward. "Master Game" has impressive bass and soloing.
"Perceptive" has a similar vibe to late 80s Pestilence but more melodic. "Graveart" has some beautiful melodeath that Omnium Gatherum would later have, then ends with battle sounds similar to Braveheart. "Next to Nothing" has more of that impressive soloing. "Demon8" sounds more haunting in some places, and has some more keyboards.
"Watching Me" almost reminds me a bit of Dethklok. "Alternative Ways" has some slight alt-metal before becoming thrashy. "Sister Jane" is a lovely soft ballad to end the album, and it has more of the clean vocals Irene Poulsen, as well as Kral attempting to do his own singing in the duet. After 45 seconds of silence, we have the bonus track "Supremacy" from the band's 1996 EP. Although this is melodeath, the harmonics sound like they could've been used by Machine Head or Nevermore. That said, I like it.
All in all, First Breath is a brutal powerful start to Mercenary's journey. There's no way an exceptional album like this can be recreated by the band after the lineup and sound changed a lot, with only rhythm guitarist Jakob Mølbjerg still around. Any melodeath fan should start with this album before the rest. A near-perfect raw classic!
Favorites: "Horizon", "Master Game", "Graveart", "Next to Nothing", "Sister Jane", "Supremacy"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1998
In 1986, punk legends Black Flag split up. Less than a year later, former vocalist Henry Rollins formed a new band, Rollins Band. After two post-hardcore albums, he decided to turn their sound into a progressive form of alternative metal in the 3rd album...
1992's The End of Silence showed a new era for the band since getting signed to Imago Records. Prolific producer Andy Wallace helped bring life to the production and gave Rollins' vocals a chance to be in front of the line of the compact sound. His once-punk-filled audience has expanded to more than just that. The album attacks with his well-focused writing that would make anyone outside the Black Flag fanbase want more.
First track and single "Low Self Opinion" has the menacing vocals of Rollins as he sings his vicious lyrics. All that continues on in the next song "Grip". Then "Tearing" is another excellent single. It has caused Rollins' work to spread to MTV and metalheads. I didn't need "You Didn't Need", which sounds closer to the earlier punk of Black Flag.
Then the band switches gears to a more progressive sound with "Almost Real". They switch back and forth between the slow march of Godflesh and the mid-tempo pace that Mushroomhead would later have, while obviously not having any of those bands' industrial aspects. "Obscene" has a little more progressiveness, and I guess that's part of the spark needed for later progressive bands like Sikth. "What Do You Do" is another long track, but shorter than the previous two, lasting 7 and a half minutes, and it has really foreshadowed many bands and artists imitating the instrumentation and vocals.
"Blues Jam" is right in the name, a 12-minute blues jam. However, that's way too long and improvisational. Rollins' vocals seem to flop a bit, but the soloing by Chris Haskett work well as the best part of the track along with the doomy atmosphere. Literally the Black Sabbath "Warning" of this album. "Another Life" rocks out as another alt-metal piece. The closing epic "Just Like You" hits hard and progressive for 10 minutes, leading up to a final slow chant of "RAGE!... RAGE!... RAGE!... RAGE!..."
The former vocalist of Black Flag, Henry Rollins made a solid alt-/prog metal album with his band. The End of Silence opened the gates for metalheads and alt-fans to explore the music created by this talented man from the 80s punk scene....
Favorites: "Low Self Opinion", "Tearing", "Almost Real", "What Do You Do", "Just Like You"
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1992
Bad Omens' second album Finding God Before God Finds Me is a perfect example of modern alt-metal with elements of the metalcore from their 2016 debut. We have come to their 3rd album The Death of Peace of Mind where they continue their alt-metal path with more electronic influences then before. This shall be a solid ride! Just tell the naked cover model that what she's doing can't be good for her back.
The ambitious sound will surely win some fans in the rock/metal realms in The Death of Peace of Mind. They even got a surge of popularity from one of their songs being used a lot in TikTok, probably as much as Lorna Shore's "To the Hellfire".
Synth-filled atmosphere opens "Concrete Jungle" that leads into a breakdown where the nu metal of early Linkin Park and the metalcore of Polaris collide. This vibrant mix of influences works in great shape. "Nowhere to Go" has a faster tempo, but Noah Sebastian's vocals remain soft yet widely-ranged. It starts as a hard rocker before exploding into their earlier metalcore again. The electronic-infused chorus in "Take Me First" and its clean vocals take the band's sound closer to Bring Me the Horizon, which isn't unusual. A little disappointing, but still OK. I'd like to talk about the interesting title track which begins with soft electronic atmosphere before the guitar riffing starts rising in heaviness, leading up to a furious breakdown to complete the transformation. "What It Cost" is a short electronic chill-break.
"Like a Villain" is the album's first single in which all the earlier elements come together. There's no denying how anthemic that track is with its catchy chorus and a metallic take on the alt-rock sound of Amo-era BMTH. This song WILL infect your mind! "Bad Decisions" departs from the band's metalcore roots much further with nothing but clean vocals and atmospheric synths. It's actually where Noah Sebastian performs some of his best, most widely-ranged vocals yet. "Just Pretend" starts slow, but when the drums and guitars kick in, Noah lets out all of his vocal emotion. The heavier action will keep you on your seat. As amazing as that song is, I'm both surprised and not about this song's presence in TikTok boosting the band's fame. Another song worth mentioning is "The Grey", heavy while relying on electronics. The insane bridge after the chorus shall reside in your mind. But then things take a bit of a downturn in "Who Are You?"
"Somebody Else" is a bit forgettable while not affecting the album's high rating. "IDWT$" is fine, but it's basically BMTH plagiarism. "What Do You Want From Me?" has a bit of heavier potential, but the synthwave-like beats don't really light up my heart. The greater side of the album returns in "Artificial Suicide" that attacks with a Mick Gordon-esque storm of electronics and guitars, staying strong alongside experimental ambience. The final track "Miracle" takes on the last bit of Amo-era BMTH in the glitchy synths. Then Sebastian screams his way into a climatic breakdown to show that they still have their metalcore roots.
In the end, you have quite a packed experience that can work well in live performances for many of its songs. Bad Omens continues to bring their career to a more global light as they create music for the modern metal masses!
Favorites: "Concrete Jungle", "The Death of Peace of Mind", "Like a Villain", "Bad Decisions", "Just Pretend", "Artificial Suicide", "Miracle"
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2022
I have a lot to find in modern metal. I have my own journey of discovering as many modern metal as I can to expand my collection. They started off with more of a metalcore sound in their solid 2016 debut while adding in their later fantastic alt-metal sound. Having been signed to Sumerian Records and going on different tours and shows, no wonder they're able to mark their modern metal territory. And their second album continues to seal that deal!
Finding God Before God Finds Me came out in 2019 and fans were prepared for the question, is there hope? Well, the Bring Me the Horizon vibes are more prominent, and while many listeners were turned off, it made things much better for me.
"Kingdom of Cards" practically starts where the previous album ended with "The Fountain". There isn't any thunderous metal riffing, but it shines with anthemic beauty, a bit like early 2010s Linkin Park but greater (no disrespect to Chester Bennington, RIP). It is a pleasant start to the journey, and I enjoy the vocals by Noah Sebastian. "Running in Circles" is quite great, but while it's not weak in any way, it's my least favorite track here. The BMTH influences are so apparent, that it sounds like an outtake from Sempiternal. Not a totally bad things, but other listeners may digress. "Careful What You Wish For" is the album's first single, released a year prior. That well-thought track is worth every penny! "The Hell I Overcame" follows as another good track. It brings back the heaviness of their debut with natural vocals and production.
Surprising you hard is "Dethrone", the heaviest track in the album. In contrast to the clean soft tracks, that one has Emmure-like moshing moments to make it clear that Bad Omens can be considered metal. "Blood" is another heavy hitter, with less focus on clean singing, unless you count the deep viking-like chanting, "IT'S IN OUR BLOOD!" The powerful strength for their more brutal side is really prevailing. Then as you can hear in "Mercy", everything calms down again for something similar to BMTH's softer tracks.
"Said & Done" is where the band continues to evolve. It's more of a melodic rocker with sweet soloing. The vocals again show some similarity to Bring Me the Horizon, while both stand far away from each other in each side of the unburned bridge. "Burning Out" is a true hit. The vocal melodies are totally worth singing along to. "If I'm There" has sweet uplifting melody to end this 10-track adventure. Well, 13 tracks if you count the deluxe reissue, but those bonus tracks aren't as strong and perfect as the original album, except their wonderful cover of Duran Duran's "Come Undone".
Bad Omens has brought on a lot more of a fresh alt-metal sound to go with some of their earlier metalcore. While their debut has powerful songs, Finding God Before God Finds Me has more complete maturity with true gems all over. They shall keep moving forward!
Favorites: "Kingdom of Cards", "Careful What You Wish For", "Dethrone", "Blood", "Burning Out", "Come Undone" (Duran Duran cover, bonus track)
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2019
Bad Omens is not your average alt-metalcore band. They've made it big with their sound, especially in their latest album The Death of Peace of Mind that had one of its singles launched into popularity by TikTok. The band would also collaborate with pop star Poppy for an industrial metal track featuring only her vocals. But before we get to their new famous era, we have to start in the beginning with their 2016 debut...
The earliest hype around the band came from the pre-release singles. Some say they were inspired by Sempiternal-era Bring Me the Horizon, others say they're a straight-up copy. But no matter what they say, this album is still a great start to their career.
"Glass Houses" begins it all in a heavy bang. They can make a catchy chorus without causing the pop to pop up. Sure the style and lyrics are similar to Bring Me the Horizon but they're able to not cause any cringe and instead add slight improvement. "Exit Wounds" is another great metalcore track, and I'm sure other fans of the style would agree. You can start to hear the band's melodic side in "The Worst in Me". Now "FERAL" has potential to be in a soundtrack for a movie similar to Queen of the Damned.
Soft melancholic moments can be heard in the relaxed "Enough, Enough Now". Then "Malice" has faster speed and unclean vocals, with occasional piano leftover from the previous track. Whitechapel/Periphery influences can be found in "Hedonist". This release would've been better without "Broken Youth" which is more of a filler than a banger.
"Crawl" tones down everything into something soft enough to end up in a Studio Ghibli film soundtrack. It's still a beautiful highlight though. "The Letdown" attempts to sound like an anthem, but becomes more of an emo letdown. "Reprise (The Sound of the End)" has the usual metalcore heaviness, but it fails to stand out well. The finale "The Fountain" may not be metallic, but it's strong clean anthem with tribal drums and flutes. It ends the journey with ethereal diversity, an anthemic hit to live on forevermore...
H*ll, if any new band can make a solid debut like Bad Omens' self-titled album, they have a monumental future ahead of them. This metalcore album marks the start of Bad Omens' good journey through alt-metal fame....
Favorites: "Glass Houses", "Exit Wounds", "The Worst in Me", "Hedonist", "Crawl", "The Fountain"
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2016
Mutoid Man is perhaps one of the most diverse metal bands I've encountered. I'm not kidding when I say that you can over a dozen different genres in one offering. And everything is executed perfectly, so that's a rare bonus for a band of different styles. They can change colors like a chameleon while roaring like a lion. A chamelion! I wouldn't have discovered this fantastic band if not for one of my outside-world metalhead friends.
Indeed this blend of metal and classic rock will blow you away by sounding both catchy and heavy. War Moans continues the many terrific treats Mutoid Man has, with a bit of pop added to the mix just subtly.
Opening the album is "Melt Your Mind", with riffs and rhythms racing through alongside catchy vocals. This is pure classic heavy/speed metal not too far from Motorhead. "Bone Chain" continues that style, crashing along with more of the rough riffs and rhythms. "Micro Aggression" has rapid pulverizing drumming to give the speed metal sound some aggressive hardcore/thrash treatment. "Kiss of Death" is the first song in the album to have the slower bluesy stoner side of the sound. The guitars are heated up with the signature stoner fuzz. The drums can still sound intense without the speed, thus adding more balance to the overall sound of the album. Not many stoner metal songs stand out as a highlight for me, but that one does.
Following up is "Date With the Devil" that adds in some sleazy hard rock to their stoner metal then ends with a progressive breakdown. Back into the hardcore/speed metal side is the aptly titled neck-breaking whiplash of "Headrush" that gradually becomes more progressive, kinda like what Cave In used in Jupiter but more metallic. "Irons in the Fire" can be considered a wicked combination of the heavy metal of Iron Maiden and the speed/stoner metal of High on Fire. Then we reach the climatic title track that has more of the speed/thrash metal of Megadeth, even having former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman pull off wild shredding. Incredible!
"Wreck and Survive" takes on more progressive moods while crawling through bluesy stoner metal. You can hear the immense beauty of Chelsea Wolfe's guest vocals. "Afterlife" starts off with some stoner melody then launches into solid chaotic thrash/speed metal in the verses. "Open Flame" continues that sound with intense progressive punches. Finale "Bandages" may surprise some as a stoner/gothic doom ballad with emotional depth and background vocals by Chelsea Wolfe. So beautiful and somber!
War Moans is filled with the wild diverse fun you can expect from Mutoid Man. Everything heavy and catchy is in a perfect blend. They know how to reach higher heights with their sound of sounds. And there's plenty more where this came from!
Favorites: "Melt Your Mind", "Kiss of Death", "Irons in the Fire", "War Moans", "Wreck and Survive", "Bandages"
Genres: Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2017
Mutoid Man made their unexpected entrance to the metal realm as a side-project of Cave In frontman Stephen Brodsky and Converge drummer Ben Koller. Since their 2013 EP Helium Head, they've written songs with stellar energy, colossal riffs, and lots of different styles assimilated into one. I'd like to once again thank one of my metalhead friends in the outside world for sharing a song from one of their later albums that got me interested in this band. Lots of songs are sweetened with catchy melodies and spiced up with heavy riffs, and HOLY SH*T, their diversity goes far beyond bounds!
This expanding spirit of the band is exhibited in their debut full album Bleeder for an adventurous experience, created by Brodsky, Koller, and then-bassist Nick Cageao. Even though Cageao is typically known as "that guy at Brooklyn’s St. Vitus Bar", anyone in the metalcore community knows Brodsky and Koller's proudest achievements with their respective main bands. Bleeder shows the band's hammering blend of different genres from rock, metal, and hardcore all in one place.
First track and single "Bridgeburner" starts the album with some groovy heavy/stoner metal before ending with a progressive breakdown. Another single "Reptilian Soul" launches their hardcore/hard rock/prog-metal influences forward. "Sweet Ivy" has the perfect idea of adding doses of psychedelia to the pummeling stoner progressiveness.
Covering Cave In's different eras is "1000 Mile Stare" from their ongoing progressive sound to a bit of their earlier metalcore. "Surveillance" has the progressiveness of Meshuggah without ever resorting to djenty instrumentation. As with the previous track, Brodsky's vocals range from clean to growling to even a high scream, all in a metalcore vibe. Another under two-minute track, "Beast" perfectly unites progressive metal with hardcore/speed metal as the leads and rhythms strike each other for dominance. The sharp "Dead Dreams" once again pushes forward their stoner sound while shoving in some punishing sludge metal in the breakdown.
"Soft Spot in My Skull" once again offers a combination of Megadeth-like speed metal and the progressiveness of Cave In while adding some funky jazz fusion. "Deadlock" battles it all out in stoner/progressive/thrash metal. A tight bridge lets the riffs punch through and Brodsky screams his way into complex sections. The title epic is the band's longest song at nearly 6 minutes. Brodsky's vocals and guitars, Cageao's bass, and Koller's drums unite for some bluesy stoner metal gone progressive.
It seems like Mutoid Man has proven us that the band members can perform more than just the metallic hardcore days of yore, with something heavily diverse and mature. They can control the chaos as their sound travels practically everywhere from Hendrix to Botch ("All Along the Botch Tower", lol). Nothing more unique than that!
Favorites: "Sweet Ivy", "1000 Mile Stare", "Beast", "Soft Spot in My Skull", "Bleeder"
Genres: Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2015
With a highly diverse style, Amaranthe's exact genre is subject to debate. It's unknown how this band ended up associated with symphonic metal, but it may have something to do with this other band of founding guitarist Olof Morck, symphonic power metallers Dragonland. While I can't deny their blend of trance/symphonic/melodic metalcore, the best way to describe them is modern pop metal. Within Temptation has also seemed to switch that style recently after over two decades of their own symphonic metal sound. Amaranthe have a lot to pull off in their next adventure. The Catalyst is the first album in 4 years since 2020's Manifest. The reason for a long wait can either be due to the sh*tty pandemic or the fact that harsh vocalist Henrik Englund left the band. But the wait is worth it! The fans can consider this is a nice two-months-late Christmas gift...
The Catalyst might just be the band's first album where they stay true to the symphonic metal association they seem to have. Bombastic symphonic synths have been added to their catchy futuristic style. That's actually good because there's more diversity than just swinging through their own attempts at cheesy electronic anthems, and it brings back the heavy glory to their earlier trio of albums from the first half of the 2010s. The crushing growls of their new harsh vocalist Mikael Sehlin fit greatly with the divine clean duo of Elize Ryd and Nils Molin, and Morck's writing. Almost every song has memorable impact, all making The Catalyst and offering of diverse joy.
The title opener already hints at the symphonics in the first 45 seconds, then escalates into the usual blend of brutal heaviness and pop melody. Electronics soar through alongside the powerful vocal trio. It's the album's longest song at only 3 minutes and 40 seconds, and they used the short length wisely with energetic hooks. "Insatiable" continues the pop metal power as a potential hit to sweep the globe. "Damnation Flame" stuns listeners with its anthemic chorus and more prominent symphonics, shining the most in the spooky carnival mid-section. "Liberated" is a more straight track that seems to throw back to the somewhat mundane formula of the late 2010s. But don't worry, the rest of the album would make up for that minor downfall.
The driving "Re-Vision" breaks through hard with vocoder and the harmony of the vocal trio. A perfect standout! Next up, "Interference" storms along with the usual electro-trance metal. "Stay a Little While" is the ballad of the album, with heartful symphonics and a lovely duet between Ryd and Molin. A nice break from the more modern electro-infused heaviness. Groove-powered "Ecstasy" has more of the driving energy. The one thing I would consider odd there is Mikael's Rob Zombie-like growl-rapping. Clearly he inherited some of that GG6 experimentation from Henrik Englund.
"Breaking the Waves" is a true symphonic trance metal anthem, in which the instrumentation is layered with tons of electronics and classical symphonics, as the synergy of clean and harsh vocals sail smoothly. So heavy and theatrical! "Outer Dimensions" is another blazing futuristic anthem. "Resistance" has techno-mosh fire and fury. It's quite triumphant for a song that's just slightly under 3 minutes in length, and it shall please even metal purists. "Find Life" is as an earlier single from before the band hired Mikael.
The best of Amaranthe since Massive Addictive has been greatly displayed in The Catalyst. This can certainly get you pumped when you're feel down. An essential album for anyone up for what sounds like pop hits gone metal, and that's no insult!
Favorites: "The Catalyst", "Damnation Flame", "Re-Vision", "Breaking the Waves", "Outer Dimensions", "Resistance"
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2024
Last year (as of this review), sometime after I made another attempt of cutting contact with power metal, I met a new outside-world friend of mine who is in a band and enjoys heavy/power metal. Thanks to him, I discovered some new power metal bands I haven't heard before like Beast in Black (though it was my brother recommending one of their songs to me that peaked my interest), Tungsten, and of course, Grailknights!
This band I would've loved to bits if I was in my stronger power metal phase 10 years ago, and this album would've been no exception. It's a pretty great album for those who wish to explore superhero-ish medieval fantasy in metal.
"Into the Abyss of the Grail" is a battle-ready intro with synthesized brass/orchestra not too far off from the RuneScape soundtrack. Then the first actual song "Pumping Iron Power" is filled with anthemic power metal. No matter how the cheesy the blend of 80s synths and metal instrumentation sounds, you'll be all pumped up and headbanging in no time. Guest vocalist Joakim Brodén of Sabaton provides his signature baritone vocals for perfect contrast with Sir Optimus Prime's tenor voice. "Cthulhu" sounds closer to classic heavy metal while continuing the one-two punch leveled up by heavy riffing and a catchy chorus worth singing along to. "Black Spider’s Web" emphasizes the guitars more than the keys. The heavy instrumentation all leads up to the breakdown where the knight battles that giant spider.
"Grailskull Asylum" continues that spooky horror vibe with its synth intro. The more extreme instrumentation and harsh black metal-ish vocals will certainly get fans of the band's earlier melodeath sound excited, while having the Helloween vibe in the lyrics and the more melodic parts. "March of the Skeletons" fits well for a fantasy-themed Halloween dance party. Clean and harsh vocals continue to blend well together, while the marching breakdown has great potential in a live show. "Shadow of the Mountain" is another heavy/power metal highlight, even sneaking in a powerful melodic scream! "Laser Raptor 3D" has catchy 80s laser synth fitting greatly with the metal heaviness.
"Ghost Town" travels further down the past to the 60s with Western-style guitar and drums galloping like a horse. Nice guitar soloing there! Next up, "Book of a Hero" is the closest thing we have to a ballad. Though it's more of an OK attempt at clean cinematic folk as the hero rides off into a perilous journey. The title finale rises from soft whispers into an epic headbanging assault of guitars and synths, with lyrics to sing along to all the way up to the final march.
I can't say I would ever love Grailknights as much as I would have 10 years ago, but this is a prime example of the fun side of power metal done right. I will have to thank my outside-world friend for his help in reviving part of my power metal interest, and he and I can have a good power metal time....
Favorites: "Pumping Iron Power", "Cthulhu", "Grailskull Asylum", "Shadow of the Mountain", "Knightfall"
Genres: Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2018
Genitorturers is a band I never thought would intrigue me, considering their notorious BDSM themes in the music and shows. However, their 90s material is actually worth enjoying and listening to, at least remotely. But how does their comeback album Blackheart Revolution work out? Not quite as well...
I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, they were trying to restore their earlier provocative imagery, but it was a sign that they needed to move on with the times. Their dance-y industrial/alt-metal sound does not have the same spark in the 2000s as it had in the 90s. Around that time, people had already moved from the latex and leather aesthetic, and the only people to still get their ideas were the band's die-hard fans.
"Revolution" starts the album with some rock crunch, but the depth just isn't the same as it was in their earlier material. The next track "Kabangin' All Night" isn't too bad, but it has too much of a rockabilly sound. "Devil in a Bottle" totally rocks out with its Rob Zombie vibe and makes up a lot for the album's earlier fails.
"Louder" is a KISS-like rock-out anthem to get you pumped. I enjoy the nice soloing there. Then we have another nice alt-ish anthem in "Falling Stars" that's more melodic while still heavy. The guitar distortion of their 90s material is blended with an old-school rhythm that can easily be tapped by tambourine. "Take It" has some more of the catchy heavy rock melody that has made a little optimistic about where this album might lead. Unfortunately, the next track "Confessions of a Blackheart" goes to back to the album's lower quality, trying its hardest to show Gen's spooky persona but ends up falling flat.
I don't wanna talk much about "C*m Junkie", which is just a techno-pop sh*tter. They were so much better than that! However, "Vampire Lover" restores the album's earlier greatness with the best Gen's gothic vocals. "Tell Me" is another perfect rocker that I think any rock/metal fan should at least try. iTunes bonus track "2 Faced Traitor" is rather pointless, being another dance track that's 4 minute long, followed by 6 minutes of silence.
All in all, the stylistic tendencies of Genitorturers were not fully fulfilled in Blackheart Revolution. Having not grown well and losing some relevance in their sound, this is only for the true longtime fans of this band. The new fans would wonder where the band's spark has gone....
Favorites: "Devil in a Bottle", "Falling Stars", "Take It", "Vampire Lover", "Tell Me"
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2009
Mr. Bungle are known as one of the most weirdly diverse bands around. The tracks all contain a mix of different genres, each track different from each other. Bands like Incubus would try that experimentation in the mid-1990s before sticking firmly to a different style. The talented skill of Mr. Bungle is in great display here!
Their 1991 self-titled debut was certainly unexpected at a time when grunge killed the glam star. No one before Mr. Bungle had ever dared to go full-on experimental, except John Zorn with his band Naked City. Zorn would also perform saxophone on one of the tracks in this album. But there's more than just jazzy saxophone. Here we have an avant-garde metal exploration through noise, funk, thrash, and circus music. Just far how can they go to reach the experimentation limit?
The spooky opener "Travolta" was named after John Travolta, but due to trademark conflicts, the song name was later changed to "Quote Unquote". It's truly the soundtrack to a spooky Halloween night at a carnival, though not as disturbing as its banned music video that shows clowns hanging on meat hooks. "Slowly Growing Deaf" is the best example of the band's metal, while exploring the carnival's house of mirrors. Brass-fueled "Squeeze Me Macaroni" is also amazing. That's where the album sounds best when blending lightness with spookiness. Chords are played around in "Carousel", which is actually slightly more normal. You're having fun in the funfair and riding the carousel, but it's too much to take for your motion sickness, and you throw up right in front of all the clowns that laugh at you.
"Egg" is one of two 10-minute epics in this album, this one having some playing fun before a bit of chaos that then leads to a few-minute segue to the next track. "Stubb (A Dub)" is a 7-minute track, but that includes a two-minute outro of audio samples for a nice atmosphere. Still if you want to listen to this track on its own, you might wanna just listen to the 5 minutes of actual music. "My A** is on Fire" is another more normal song, though the title is not one you would find in every album. I like the drums here, but I'm not too sure the Blue Velvet samples click.
"The Girls of Porn" has some groovy bass. "Love is a Fist" is about spouse abuse. The vocals and keyboards shine the most in "Dead Goon", the closing second 10-minute epic. Now this story might not be for the easily weirded out... An asphixiophile clown finds desire in choking himself to escape his own misery. He wasn't planning on committing suicide, but he did in a hanging accident. For a song with such a dark theme, the chorus has such a clean pop vibe.
All in all, Mr. Bungle's debut is the kind of album that someone who was a rebellious troublemaking high school kid can hear and be like, "Wow, that is musically like what I was as a kid." If the human equivalent to this album's music is around, I would hang out for some time with this cool guy whose name is... Mr. Bungle!
Favorites: "Slowly Growing Deaf", "Squeeze Me Macaroni", "Egg", "Stubb (A Dub)", "Dead Goon"
Genres: Alternative Metal Avant-Garde Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1991
OK, an EP may not be the best way to discover a band, but it's what I've chosen after stirring up some curiosity from the stoner/speed metal sound of Mutoid Man's new album Mutants and that band's new bassist being part of this one. And it really paid off! I never knew until now how perfectly mesmerizing it is to blend stoner/sludge metal with speed/thrash metal, despite me going the Straight Edge-like path of staying away from drugs (you know what the deal is about stoner rock/metal).
High on Fire has been active for over 25 years and inspired many metal bands including Mastodon who first formed in one of High on Fire's earliest shows. This Oakland band won a Grammy award for the title track of their 2018 album Electric Messiah, so what's next? A 3-track EP consisting of an instrumental and two covers, that's what!
Bat Salad starts with its title instrumental which, as if the title's reference to that Black Sabbath instrumental isn't enough, pays great tribute to that band with blend of sludgy heavy/stoner metal. Absolutely nothing wrong there! The band's cover of "Into the Crypts of Rays" by Celtic Frost (whose album cover for To Mega Therion is parodied for the EP) does proper justice to that band's earlier sound and is an excellent cover, sealed by the gravelly voice of frontman Matt Pike (also the guitarist for Sleep). Another cover, "Don't Bother Me" from Bad Brains' demo album Black Dots is another terrific thrashy cover that shall certainly delight fans of that band.
So what we have is a stoner/sludge instrumental and two thrashy cover songs. The two sounds aren't combined together, but when put into the same EP, they perfectly fit side by side. Totally worthwhile and smashing for a short EP!
Favorites: all 3, but I certainly enjoy the title instrumental
Genres: Sludge Metal Stoner Metal Thrash Metal
Format: EP
Year: 2019
Some of the best albums I've encountered come from bands that have been around for a long time, like a decade or a few. I never heard a song from this band until an outside-world friend showed me one that was a total rocker (we will get to that soon). Boy, was I hyped up! Here we have guitarist/vocalist Stephen Brodsky (Cave In), drummer Ben Koller (Converge), and bassist Jeff Matz (High on Fire). Talk about a powerhouse lineup! Mutoid Man has often been considered a stoner metal band, and well, I won't say that's inaccurate, but their sound is more like a hodgepodge of different styles, ranging from rockin' and rollin' to heavy and doomy.
Mutoid Man first formed in 2012 as a collaboration project between Brodsky and Koller. They've really driven through in the guitars and drum rhythms, not to mention how pulverizing ex-bassist Nick Cageao sounds when he plays his instrument. Brodsky knows how to make sure his vocals catch up with all that heavy technical speed. The lineup created two albums, Bleeder and War Moans, released in 2015 and 2017. Then after a Covers EP in 2018, not much activity spawned from the band. The members focused on their respective main bands, with Brodsky mourning the loss of his Cave In bandmate bassist Caleb Scofield (RIP). In 2023, one year after Cave In's Heavy Pendulum, Mutoid Man make their comeback in their new album Mutants, with Matz joining in as their new bassist.
Blasting off this kick-A offering is the energetic "Call of the Void", the song my outside-world showed me that made me up to checking out this album. The band sprint guitar screeches and drum tapping as Brodsky lets out more of his emotion to cope with the grief from the fallen bassist who is Scofield. Beach Boys-inspired choral melodies and hyper technicality are blended together at ease in this hard rock/speed metal piece of art. "Frozen Hearts" is another haunting highlight with darker lyrics, "I don’t wanna know anything right now, 'cause I would probably go anywhere right now". Lots of brooding speed/hardcore darkness there! Then we really slow down in "Broken Glass Ceiling" for some mid-tempo stoner metal in the groovy verses before speed up for some more of the thunderous hardcore/speed metal, heavy as ever. So far, we have a lot of hardcore speed going on, only slowing down for their stoner sound when necessary. And there's more of this diversity to come...
"Siren Song" is another top-notch highlight. It offers a bombastic blend of stoner metal and Sabbath-esque heavy metal with some technical speed and progressiveness at times. The catchy lyrics fit well with the synergy the musicians have. "Graveyard Love" returns to the hardcore/speed metal, sounding like a more metallic Ramones to go with the fun lyrics. The heavy sludgy "Unborn" is a total stoner head-beater that soon speeds up into one of the more progressive tracks, similar to early Mastodon.
Then "Siphon" kicks off having some of the math-ish metalcore instrumentation of Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan then continues on in progressive/sludge metal again as the vocal harmonies and growls blend together. "Demons" has more of an old-school hard/pop rock vibe that then becomes more progressive to hook you up in a whirling banger. "Memory Hole" is a straight stoner/sludge metal song. It's quite good, though a little more of a silver gem in golden treasure. The 6-minute finale "Setting Sun" summarizes everything in this album, starting with slow stoner metal, then speed up into the usual hardcore speed, with lots of progressiveness added when necessary.
Mutoid Man have provided a special delivery of stoner/hardcore/speed/progressive metal! There are so many high points spawned from the consistent flow of Mutants that makes me want more from this band. It's awesome enough that Koller and Brodsky, already two legends from the metalcore scene, know how take care of business together, but Matz is the missing piece of the puzzle for their masterpiece of solid power. Hope you're in for an incredible trip through a strange yet exciting universe!
Favorites: "Call of the Void", "Frozen Hearts", "Siren Song", "Siphon", "Setting Sun"
Genres: Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2023
Less than a year after Between the Buried and Me's Colors II, another sequel comes in; Neurotech's Symphonies II! Neurotech is perhaps one of the most prolific yet relatively unknown cyber metal projects besides Mechina. After returning from hiatus with his previous album Solace, Neurotech founder Wulf was determined to make something ambitious, another Symphonies collection. The way he makes these Symphonies albums is, he releases 4 long grand instrumental epics that are dubbed, you guessed it, "symphonies" as singles, and then releases a collection of them. And unlike his first collection, in which each symphony was released once per year, for his second collection, he released one symphony per month, and that has really caused his listeners to be excited and pumped up for this offering...
Also different is the length of each track. Symphonies I had really lengthy epics that are each an average 17 minutes long. In Symphonies II, each symphony is EXACTLY 10 minutes long! That's quite impressive, though not as much as David Dobrik making each of his YouTube videos an exact length of 4:20. If you're aware of the typical style of Neurotech, you know there's gonna be the usual ambient electro-industrial metal sound going on. However, to accompany the whole "symphony" vibe, the vocals are entirely absent and replaced with symphonic strings and synths. Still you can hear the metal blasts expected from the guitars, bass, and drums.
Rolling into epicness right away is "The Prophetic Symphony". I can truly connect with the strength spawned with the keyboard synths in the first third, the heavier metallic instrumentation blasting through in the second third, and emotional violin and percussion to start the final third. All the elements fit their respective tones and produce something beautiful. "The Seraphic Symphony" is heavier, blasting in with fury after a minute of climatic synths.
"The Draconic Symphony" has some more strength to feel, but the speedy blasts blended together with laser-powered electronics ends up a bit repetitive. Finally, the riffing tones and melodies in "The Messianic Symphony" is much nicer. Guitars are more prominent and play out better together with the electronic keyboards. Fantastic!
All in all, Symphonies II is what the second decade of Neurotech needed after having already done Symphonies I in the first decade. Although a couple symphonies in the middle sound a bit odd in places, the collection continues this unique approach Wulf has taken for his project. I would be happy to hear an edition of this with vocals and lyrics. But of course, the beauty lies in the sounds of the music. The music of a symphony....
Favorites: "The Prophetic Symphony", "The Messianic Symphony"
Genres: Industrial Metal Symphonic Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2022
So, where do I begin when describing such an ambitious band? Mechina is known for their series of concept albums and singles with a massive saga covering them all. Think about it like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe combined and played out like Rhapsody of Fire's conceptual sagas. Their 2005 debut The Assembly of Tyrants started off as a one-off story, but their second album Conqueror, released over 5 years later, started turning the story into a saga. The mastermind behind this project, Joe Tiberi can perform digital guitar and construct epic orchestration to flow well with the storyline in a bombastic style of extreme djenty symphonic/cyber metal!
Acheron continues their style in logical creativity. Their ambitious motive was a risk that paid off almost entirely well. Here we have the djent pioneered by Meshuggah, blended with the progressive groove of Xerath, the industrial tendencies of Fear Factory, and the cinematic symphonics of Two Steps From Hell. The rhythms and percussion band together with the riffs and keyboards for a unique combination that sometimes breaks into different territories. And f***ing h*ll, Tiberi's sonic guitar is really what the instrumentation needs as the engine for the machine. It is all in digital construction, and in many strings of the guitar, maybe beyond 8, like 9? 10?! The notes shall devastate and never drone, all in the equality of sound...
"Proprioception" is one of the best ways to open an album. There isn't any technical music, but rather a scene that sounds fresh out of an epic sci-fi movie that builds up and gets you geared up for the action, as a true concept album would. The engines ignite and the spaceship blasts off in "Earth-Born Axiom", an extensive epic in which electronic synths and cinematic orchestra prevails over the heavy djent instrumentation. Tiberi knows how to combine all that with a landscape of sci-fi dystopia that Neurotech can also achieve. "Vanquisher" is another powerful highlight, this one working well separately from the concept as a pre-release single. I don't know if they perform live concerts, but "On the Wings of Nefeli" would certainly be an interesting setlist staple. The female chanting and simple yet epic keyboards and in full prominence while the riffs have their moments, all that could easily fuel up the live crowd.
"The Halcyon Purge" sounds ominous from the name. It has some of the best writing I've heard in the album with emotional diversity. The haunting chorus is sung by Mel Rose, who first appeared in the non-album single "To Coexist is to Surrender" and would become a full-time member in subsequent albums. Absolutely spine-chilling! It's interesting how the shortest non-interlude song has the best lyrical writing. The instrumental "Lethean Waves" has nearly the same length as the previous track, but as cinematic as it is, it's rather pointless and doesn't have much value. That kinda reduces the high quality the album has. Regaining balance is "Ode to the Forgotten Few", though despite Mel Rose's vocals sounding serene, they can be tiring. Nonetheless, kudos to Tiberi for expanding his boundaries with more than just hammering heaviness.
"The Hyperion Threnody" is a massive beast of an almost 10-minute epic that works as the soundtrack to a massive space battle. There's a lot of epic power in both the title and the song that's nothing but true galactic carnage. This extensive track is so interesting and prevails as a glorious highlight. The more obvious interlude "Adrasteia" is another atmospheric track, and it's a bit boring and purposeless as well. All it's good for is being the soundtrack to a video game's main menu. "Invictus Daedalus" goes all-out fast and furious, but a bit of the interest factor has worn off. Closing this interstellar adventure is "The Future Must Be Met", a good outro but nothing worth mentioning.
And just like that, we have a bold ambitious offering with profuse variety. Acheron is a journey through the greatness of combining electronics, symphonics, and metal into one. Tiberi has had great potential that he has fulfilled and has kept his ideas going through more of his works. Although I probably would've enjoyed this more when I still into highly epic melodic styles of metal, and the second half could've been improved, Acheron has memorable moments that shall last through time, space, and reality....
Favorites: "Earth-Born Axiom", "Vanquisher", "On the Wings of Nefeli", "The Halcyon Purge", "The Hyperion Threnody"
Genres: Progressive Metal Symphonic Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2015
I'm not gonna lie, when I initially gave the new Persefone EP some listening, I thought I was hearing their melodic deathly progressive metal in full force, enough to give it 4.5 stars. But now that I've listened more thoroughly for the sake of reviewing, let's just say, the rating dropped a full star. This is the band's usual sound shining throughout their discography, so what went wrong?...
The problem here is the vocals (by new vocalist Daniel Rodriguez Flys, replacing longtime vocalist Marc Martins Pia) and the riffing. They both often sound closer to metalcore (though not enough for The Revolution). Now I love metalcore, and I know where the genre should stand. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Even during the intro, "Sounds and Vessels", the unfitting modern influences cause things to go down in sh*t with pointless filter. The first full song "One Word" makes up for that hard, and the clean chorus is a much better representation of their metalcore-ish experimentation. "The Equable" also has that kind of chorus but more unstable. There's more of the usual deathly progressive chaos going on, but when it's blended with the metalcore-infused riffing, things can sound a bit out of place. Of course, the guitarwork can still be good at times when it's performed more properly.
The best riffing comes on in the title track. Here we have some great guitar soloing to level up the surrounding riffing and give the EP some redeeming value. This definitely throws back to the band's better earlier material. Although the verses and choruses can sometimes get me ticked, they're still at their best here. The cleans should've been slightly reduced though. "Abyssal Communication" is a cool outro, but I should say no more.
Lingua Ignota: Part I is slightly disappointing compared to the band's previous releases, even Metanoia. It's not horrible, but it doesn't show the strength Persefone had early on. While there are a couple highlights, this new blend of deathly progressive metal with metalcore elements, which sounded cool in theory, better be improved for Part II....
Favorites: "One Word", "Lingua Ignota"
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: EP
Year: 2024
Stortregn started off as a melodic black/death band before dumping most of their black metal elements for more of a progressive/tech-death style. Their new album Finitude sealed their sound, and even more so since their signing to The Artisan Era, a record label that has published dozens of releases of technical death metal or symphonic black metal. Lots of melodic shredding to be found in this offering!
Finitude is the 6th full-length by this Swiss band, and it has some solid high-quality detail. Many of the songs are quite excellent and have brought this extreme technical style up for its fans to be pleased.
Crashing in is the title opener, with a great amount of furious shredding and flamenco-style soloing. "A Last Battle Rages On" indeed rages on in high aggression, perhaps higher than most people would expect. Expect the unexpected! Standing out well is "Xeno Chaos" that bursts out more than a human-killing Xenomorph (unrelated). It truly is special as the progressive tech-death rises up in melody.
Flamenco elements continue to cover tracks like the blazing "Cold Void" in the acoustic outro seguing into the next track. The blistering "Rise of the Insidious" has more of that neoclassical soloing going on beyond belief.
The ominous doom in "Omega Axiom" begins to show a sign that the band is starting to slow down towards the end of the journey. I guess it is good for the band to steady themselves so they don't get tired out too much before a final impression. Well, that sign is highly true, as the stellar "De Inferno Solis" has killer blast-beats in contrast to the melodic guitars. "The Revelation" ends it all with the best shredding you can find here.
Here we have a polished melodic/progressive/tech-death album in which the band attempt to spice it up with elements from the outer music realms. It's almost like a more brutal Persefone on steroids, though a bit pompous here and there. All good as long as they know what they're doing....
Favorites: "A Last Battle Rages On", "Xeno Chaos", "Rise of the Insidious", "The Revelation"
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2023
Adding symphonic/black metal elements to deathcore was something barely existent in the late 2000s/early 2010s. In the mid-2010s when Winds of Plague started fading out of activity, and Make Them Suffer and Betraying the Martyrs discarded their earlier deathcore roots, it seemed like that idea was going to die out. But then the late 2010s saw the rise of Shadow of Intent and Lorna Shore, with the latter causing a massive spike up in the early 2020s, and spawning a league of younger bands of that style...
Alongside Mental Cruelty and Dragoncorpse, Drown In Sulphur has entered the symphonic blackened deathcore league with their second album Dark Secrets of the Soul! Deathcore brutality has been placed together with technical complexity and symphonic melody.
"Adveniat Regnum Tuum" (Thy Kingdom Come) is a disturbing intro of alien noises. Odd start there. Then a crushing modern blackened riff commences in "Eclipse of the Sun of Eden" with spectacular growling vocals. "Buried by Snow and Hail" adds orchestral depths in contrast to the extreme heaviness. The drumming speed is absolutely nuts, and it's an important aspect for deathcore chaos.
Continuing the previous songs' direction, "Unholy Light" offers metallic breakdowns in the blink of an eye. Things change a bit in "Lotus", a dark ballad that starts acoustic then builds up in heaviness and emotion. The emotion bleeds into the title track before raging on in the riffs, vocals, and orchestration.
"Say My Name" is a more obscure track, while still being a perfect slow banger. The atmospheric "Vampire Communion" is a nice interlude to get you ready for the album's massive ending... Final track "Shadow of the Dark Throne" is the perfect summary of all the band has done in the album. This is spine-chilling symphonic blackened deathcore for only the bravest and/or darkest souls.
Drown in Sulphur's second album is both a dark and beautiful offering. Dark Secrets of the Soul proves the band's place in the symphonic blackened deathcore league. I say this disturbing yet underrated style of deathcore shall be in good hands as the decade progresses....
Favorites: "Buried by Snow and Hail", "Dark Secrets of the Soul", "Say My Name", "Shadow of the Dark Throne"
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2024
In my journey to find new and undiscovered releases, there have been many ups and downs. This also counts for releases that have been recommended to me. I always appreciate the help I receive for my journey, though reviewing them is always about giving an honest opinion. Sometimes I end up loving a band to bits (Ryujin), and sometimes not so much (xNOMADx). And this one is somewhere in between...
Circuit Circuit perform a promising sound of experimental mathcore. After their self-titled EP, they made another one, Body Songs. And here we have some great powerful mathcore that leans into nu metal.
Opening the EP is "I Dream the World Awake", with a guitar riff loop before vocals crash in. Then the guitar halts for a bit of drum tapping before exploding into total riff noise. The riffing basically mashes together the early 2000s eras of Converge and Linkin Park. "Slander Eats Slander" is the most nu metal-ish song here. The sound is once again blended with mathcore in the guitar groove to make this track quite haunting.
Single "Deleted Skin" has more of that punishing guitar groove. All of that groove leads to a destructive breakdown with screams of "STUCK IN MY HEAD?!? OF COURSE NOT, OF COURSE NOT!" How killer is that?!
"Blood in My Eye (Holy Human)", like the opening track, starts with a guitar riff loop that then squeals its way into speed. The vocalist's impressive range blasts in before another killer breakdown and some more riff crunch. Disorienting, but a better track for the band's nu metal-ish side. Then it segues into "Null", beginning with slow riffing from the bass and eventually guitars that continue to loop. "HOW POINTLESS IS IT?!?! THE END OF THIS WORLD WILL BE SOON!!!" A true chaotic mathcore attack!
Well this EP could do without the abrupt cut-off at the end. Nonetheless, Body Songs is a solid offering of nu-mathcore. Guitar grooves and shouted vocals have surely united two separate realms from the early 2000s in the present. The circuits these guys have will keep you wired....
Favorites: "I Dream the World Awake", "Deleted Skin", "Null"
Genres: Metalcore
Format: EP
Year: 2023
At times when he's not recording or performing with his main band, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy has experimented with his own projects of different styles. Having been interested in black metal bands like Dark Funeral, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, and Emperor, he wanted to explore more of the genre. Heafy also used some of the mythological lyrical influences heard in Shogun and In the Court of the Dragon to set an interesting theme for Rashomon, here based on Japanese folklore...
The end result is a blackened progressive metal album that's basically a whole different Trivium! Alex Bent's drum skills are heard throughout the album alongside Heafy's vocals, guitars, and bass. Guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto appear each only in one guest appearance. Trivium's formula of heavy screaming verses and melodic clean choruses are around with thick guitars and technical drum blasts. Heafy has a lot of vocal confidence, especially in the cleans. Adding to the uniqueness is the epic Eastern folk influences later used in Ryujin. All part of the extreme prog channeling Heafy's inner Enslaved and Opeth.
The waltzing intro "Hakanaki Hitsuzen" (Ephemeral Inevitable) starts off the album with Eastern symphonics and choir, but it doesn't have the epic feeling that I got from the latest two Trivium albums. Pretty much the only major negative part here. But then we crash into "Kagutsuchi", an incredible piece of violent yet melodic blackened prog-metal. How did I not hear this until now??? "Ibaraki-Dōji" can be considered the project's theme song. Lots of kick-A gold as Heafy brings out his Ihsahn influences in the guitars and vocals. An excellent underrated song, though it can do without the softer bridge that covers the 3rd quarter of the track. Steering away from the Trivium direction a bit, "Jigoku Dayu" (Hell or High Water) sounds closer to some of Opeth's softer classics.
"Tamashii no Houkai" (Destruction of the Soul) is another perfect extreme highlight with an epic chorus. "Akumu" (Nightmare). has Polish lyrics growled by Nergal from Behemoth, but it later has a strange marching bridge riff. "Komorebi" (Sunlight Filtering Through the Foliage) has a similar but more satisfying progressive structure.
"Rōnin" is the climatic 9-minute epic of the album to hook you up high. There's a long folk bridge, and in the heavier sections, Heafy has given unclean vocal duties to Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. And HOLY F***!!! Gerard can perform memorable shrieking vocals more vicious than other black metal vocalists out there! One more heavy track, "Susanoo no Mikoto" has guest vocals by Ihsahn who also performed guitar in a couple previous tracks. "Kaizoku" (Pirate) is a fun accordion ballad to close the album.
Matt Heafy has not given up on his mythological ideas after In the Court of the Dragon. He used some of those ideas in the debut album of his own project Ibaraki. It has turned out well-done, though not as perfect as Trivium's 2020s albums. Rashomon has taken Trivium's incredible glory and gave it more adventure in its writing and lyrical theme of Japanese legends. I would probably have mixed feelings for this album if it came out when I was still a teenager who preferred melodic over extreme. The themes of Shogun have matured more in this project that shall be heard by any extreme progressive metal fan!
Favorites: "Kagutsuchi", "Jigoku Dayu", "Tamashii no Houkai", "Komorebi", "Rōnin"
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2022