Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

With my recent return to The Guardians, I've become more determined to discover more heavy/power metal that's either brand-new or I haven't heard before but wish I had 10 years ago when those two genres were my main focus. This month's Guardians feature release is worth continuing my journey. It's time to check out this band Blazon Rite and listen to them sing their Wild Rites and Ancient Songs!

It's quite a promising album with tough instrumentation and melodic writing. I also love the song titles, even though they all look like those AI-generated song titles with at least 5 words each. Considering the amount of bands who get put down for any alleged usage of AI, I just hope this band doesn't get wrongfully accused.

We already get to a great start that isn't so weird and cheesy with the opening track "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", which made me remember a band I haven't heard of in a few years, Slough Feg. Then "Salvage What You Can of the Night" cranks up the tempo. The chorus is worth singing along to in determination. Next song "The Fall of a Once Great House" slows things down for a bard-sung waltz before speeding up again in the second half.

"Mark of the Stormborn Riders" is more midpaced while driving the riff melodies forward. The title track has an acoustic intro then carries on in a marching pace and ends up in wild speed for a power-ish heavy metal song.

We have blazing speed in "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel". In the modern age of metal, not many people expect epic melodies within the way of classic heavy/power metal, but bands like Blazon Rite still have their exciting glory. And finally, there's the epic wonder of "The Coming Tide of Yule". It's probably the most Christmas-like melodic metal song since some songs by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Majestica's Christmas Carol. That should be worth listening to in the holiday season!

I enjoy what Blazon Rite has had to offer Wild Rites and Ancient Songs. It's great hearing this band bring more life to a style of metal that has withered decades after its highest peak. This offering shall appeal to listeners wanting more epicness and melody in metal without any cheese or orchestra. It's a Blazon Rite of passage!

Favorites: "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", "Mark of the Stormborn Riders", "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel", "The Coming Tide of Yule"

If there is something that is hard for me to admit, but I still feel the need, it is this: Until now, I couldn't really get what's appealing about one of the most famous metal bands in the world, Metallica. Their debut has made me realize the band's earlier strength! Kill 'Em All (originally titled Metal Up Your A** until their record label manager suggested changing the album title and cover art) combines the more speedy and punky elements of Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest into the ultimate start of thrash!

Kill 'Em All sounds as if they covered the heaviest tracks from different early heavy metal bands and increased the tempo and added more heaviness to the riffs, solos, and vocals, thereby updating the classic formula. Of course, these are all original songs, and very unique ones too.

Already putting the thrash sound in place is the fun opener "Hit the Lights". However, "The Four Horsemen" is a better standout, sounding tighter than Megadeth. Apparently, that band Megadeth has their own version called "Mechanix", for their own debut album two years later. Megadeth's founding frontman Dave Mustaine was originally the lead guitarist for Metallica before he was fired for his abusive behavior and replaced by Kirk Hammett. The band took the "Mechanix" composition Mustaine wrote and rewrote it into the 7-minute riff monster that it became. So Megadeth's version is a re-recording of the original written by Mustaine. "Motorbreath" has more of the potential for the band to kick-start thrash metal, though the phrase "thrash metal" wasn't coined until next year when the late Kerrang! journalist Malcolm Dome was describing an Anthrax song.

Another highlight is worth partying to, "Jump in the Fire", having more of a hard rock groove. The chorus is so unforgettable, you'll be singing it in the shower out loud for the neighbors to hear. The instrumental "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" has the best performance here from bassist Cliff Burton (who sadly lost his life 3 years later when, while touring for Master of Puppets, he fell from the band's bus that tipped over and crushed him. RIP). He performs impressive bass soloing for that track. "Whiplash" has more powerful riffing. The excellent verses have clear contrast with the catchy choruses. As a result, that song is quite memorable, and nothing's a waste of time.

"Phantom Lord" bursts through greatness, especially in the innovative drumming. Same with "No Remorse" which, as the title implies, is remorseless. Things get more mid-paced in "Seek & Destroy" while staying destructive. "Metal Militia" can surely bring joy to both longtime and new fans, and the bass can heard quite clearly, compared to what people keep mentioning about the band's 4th album ...And Justice for All.

With all that said, I don't think there's much I can say to criticize, except maybe the bass-driven instrumental can be more of a bonus track, no disrespect to Burton. Kill 'Em All is perhaps the first full-on thrash metal album, so listen before you judge, and...well, have fun!

Favorites: "The Four Horsemen", "Jump in the Fire", "Whiplash", "Phantom Lord", "Metal Militia"

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"

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

Now here's a relatively unknown band from the UK that has had some history in their over a decade of activity, Eden's Curse. Originally formed with vocalist Michael Eden, he left the band after their first 3 albums and formed his own US incarnation. The original UK band would carry on with a different vocalist, Marco Sandron, who was the lead vocalist for Fairyland in their album Score to a New Beginning. However, he only made one song with Eden's Curse then left. And then came this album Symphony of Sin, their first album with new vocalist Nikola Mijic (Alogia). Also joining was Steve Williams, keyboardist of Power Quest, his spin-off band from DragonHeart (later DragonForce).

OK, before anything else, I would like to say this is way more than just the hard rock that people have described this album to be. I say it has more AOR-infused melodic heavy metal, taking some cues from Power Quest and Balance of Power. And it's not highly symphonic, despite the album title and that cover artwork with the cello girl (nude with leaf pasties, basically if Eve played cello).

The title opener is the one track to actually have symphonics, mostly in the intro. Other than that, it's a long 7 and a half minute epic that perfectly represents the band's sound. I'm already hearing Steve Williams' keys have that blended vibe of AOR and power metal. Nikola Mijic has a similar tone to Tobias Sammet (Avantasia, Edguy) which definitely sets the band away from those hard rock comparisons. I mean, his vocals don't have too much strength, though it can surpass how other classic hard rock/metal bands' vocalists do in their songs. A fantastic start! "Break the Silence" is more of a rock-on banger, but it's metal enough to sound similar to the catchier songs by Seventh Wonder and Heavenly. "Evil & Divine" pushes the power metal aspects further in the bass and drum kicks, despite being more mid-paced. Sadly, "Unbreakable" is not aptly named as similarly titled songs from other bands. While the melody is enjoyable, it's too cheesy and predictable, sounding too 80s for modern production.

"Fallen from Grace" is aptly titled in the sense that the song does fall from grace, yet it doesn't sound too far off from some of Vision Divine's ballads. And "Losing My Faith" has also made me lose some faith in this band. Then when we get to the next track "Rock Bottom", they've pretty much hit rock bottom. The hard rock side is more blatant and tiresome than they could ever get, not to mention formulaic. It was around this time when I was thinking this could be mainly a hard rock album after all. Luckily, the following track "Great Unknown" blends that part of their sound with the upbeat metal of their first 3 tracks, bringing back some hope in me enjoying this album and counting it as metal. "Turn the Page" switches back to mid-tempo rock, only this time it's more anthemic. That track and the previous one have given the album more strength.

"Sign of the Cross" has more of those catchy Avantasia and Heavenly vibes, though it's a little tiring at this point. Same with "Wings to Fly", though it has some progressive melody that can be heard from Threshold. "Devil in Disguise" has the best of that band can do in this offering. If I were to pick a song that summarizes the album other than the title track, it would be that one. And finally, "Where is the Love?" More like WHERE IS THE METAL?!?! I mean it still has some heaviness, but it's more of a hard rock tune than anything! Can we at least please have some symphonics and female vocals to make this sound like Delain? Such a disappointing ending for this album...

All in all, Eden's Curse's 4th album Symphony of Sin is a pretty good one. As much I enjoy it though, it is a little long and contains several flawed tracks. I've actually just listened to their sole single with Marco Sandron, "Time to Breathe", and let me tell you, that could've been a far better, more logical closing track than "Where is the Love?" There's definitely some potential in this hard rock/heavy metal band, and I would recommend Symphony of Sin to fans of that style. If they can get past the inconsistency....

Favorites: "Symphony of Sin", "Break the Silence", "Evil & Divine", "Great Unknown", "Turn the Page", "Devil in Disguise"

Black metal is a genre which may be problematic for the more conservative listeners due to its anti-religious satanic lyrical themes. However, if any open-minded metalhead can give it a try, they're bound to get some rewards from the music. Dimmu Borgir is known to some as the go-to band for starting their black metal journey.

I've barely had any experience with Dimmu Borgir, and I didn't dare to because... well, black metal. They've always have been. More specifically symphonic black metal. Upon listening to their new album Grand Serpent Rising, I gotta say, it's very strong! And the emphasis on symphonics and a bit of classic heavy metal elements almost makes it Guardians-worthy. When the symphonic are blended with the guitars and drums, it's more than just symphonic black metal. It's an amazing cinematic experience!

"Tridentium" is the 4-minute intro. Despite being a little long for an intro, the dramatic orchestration leading into the metal instrumentation should get you pumped. The furious "Ascent" is a killer start to the symphonic black metal action. The raspy harsh vocals are accompanied by fast guitars and drums, even having some shredtastic soloing. Variation can be heard in the different moods and pacing. Very well done! The different elements each have their own standing point in the 7-minute "As Seen in the Unseen". Then "The Qryptfarer" has some early black metal from Celtic Frost, blended with the deathly progressiveness of later Job for a Cowboy, plus more symphonics.

When I first heard "Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel", i thought it started underwhelming, though it gets better as it goes on. "Repository of Divine Transmutation" is another highlight that builds up throughout all the way to the climax. Another special track, "Slik Minnes en Alkymist" has a hard rock-sounding intro that then paves the way for dark epicness, especially in the chorus and bridge. The song's lyrics are all in Norwegian. That and its heavier yet atmospheric sound may have some think of their first two albums that were entirely in Norwegian. Incredible symphonics, never too overpowering! "Phantom of the Nemesis" cranks up the dark symphonics expected in Guardians bands like Nightwish and Powerwolf. "The Exonerated" punches through with a more straight sound.

Then comes "Recognizant" which may just be the best song of the album. The blend of aggression and epicness is on point, and that's what I've heard this band has in albums like Death Cult Armageddon, which I should check out later. In saying that, choirs don't appear much, which I'm OK with, since too much of that would've ruined the broth. The tempo is sometimes lower to counterbalance with the speed, and there's also atmospheric piano, memorable guitarwork, and eerie vocals that are sometimes spoken. Everything's rightly balanced in that majestic song. "At the Precipice of Convergence" is a little more deathly with the symphonics of Starkill and the progressiveness of Obscura. "Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions" also has some deathly progressiveness from Pestilence, but their symphonic black metal sound is still around. The band ends this part of their journey with the 4-minute outro, "Gjoll". It's one of the best instrumentals I've heard in this genre, and well-deserving of a highlight.

Symphonic black metal is best executed when majesty is blended equally with aggression, with some bits of heavy/death/progressive metal here and there. I might just be up to checking out Dimmu Borgir earlier material at some point to give more justice to their legacy. Give this album a spin and be rewarded just like I have!

Favorites: "Ascent", "As Seen in the Unseen", "Repository of Divine Transmutation", "Slik Minnes en Alkymist", "Phantom of the Nemesis", "Recognizant", "Gjoll"

I've pretty much just fallen off from alt-metal after my recent departure from The Gateway. I've moved away from alt-metal bands and even some bands that mix the genre with others like metalcore and industrial metal. When this Mushroomhead album XIII ended up as a Gateway feature release, I thought I would give this band and album another go. And I have to say...

I still enjoy this! The experimentation I can admire when blended with the accessibility they've gained after their first 3 albums that were self-released. I've considered Mushroomhead a standout band in alt-/nu metal, and revisiting this excellent album made me restore that thought.

Opening track "Kill Tomorrow" has some of the stoner-ish vibes of early Black Sabbath given a more anthemic alt touch. "Sun Doesn't Rise" is the first single, a commercial yet metal banger with a catchy chorus sung and growled by vocalists Jeffrey Nothing and J Mann, respectively. The band gains some strength in "Mother Machine Gun", which has some moody piano. Then we have some smooth emotion in "Nowhere to Go". And some heaviness in "Becoming Cold (216)".

"One More Day" is more of a gothic-sounding power ballad with violin and female singing, the latter performed by Devon Gorman. That's the kind of experimentation I love that they didn't have too much of in their underground releases, though the earlier heaviness would carry on into subsequent tracks in this offering... "The Dream is Over" is so d*mn brutal with guest vocals by Meshuggah vocalist Jens Kidman. "The War Inside" explores breakneck speed which makes another highlight. "Almost Gone" has more of that old-school Sabbath twang in the riffing which I don't mind. "Eternal" is more focused on speed and roars. A little tiring but still great.

"Our Own Way" is the most melancholic track, with nothing but sorrow in the piano, guitars, and vocals. I love it! Though it's only surpassed by the 8-minute epic "Destroy the World Around Me". The doomy drama of that track I think should've ended the album right there. However, it is followed by the one track I find somewhat weak, track number "Thirteen". It sounds a little too creepy and almost comes out as filler. And I'm not too crazy about their cover of "Crazy" by Seal, though it's still OK.

If this album ended with that 8-minute epic, I would've consider Mushroomhead's XIII a perfect album enough to make me reconsider abandoning all of alt-metal. Still the majority of this release has satisfied me. Who knows if I might revisit their later albums someday? Well, never say never!

Favorites: "Kill Tomorrow", "Sun Doesn't Rise", "One More Day", "The Dream is Over", "The War Inside", "Our Own Way", "Destroy the World Around Me"

Throughout the 90s, metal was declared a somewhat "dead" genre when it's plagued with what elitists consider talentless and lame. However, the genre never died. It's far from dead. There are many bands who have reached their breakthrough in the 90s yet don't get a lot of credit. Virgin Steele is one of those bands, with their late 90s material having picked up where the glory of classic metal died off when the 80s ended. The irony is how their 80s albums turned out somewhat shabby with not much commercial success, but if your favorite album of theirs is Age of Consent, you do you. I'll just have fun with their 3rd grand masterpiece in a row, The House of Atreus Act I!

The first act of a two-part saga, it consists of 22 tracks that are either interludes or moderate-length songs, with a couple 7-minute epics. Basically a similar format to Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth from the previous year. The sound is kinda like a blend of Blind Guardian and Manowar, though that song-interlude ratio may be hard for some people to sit through. The entire offering is like the soundtrack to a musical play/film, based on the trilogy of Greek tragedies, the Oresteia.

The prologue of the saga is the War of Troy, told entirely in the opening track "Kingdom of the Fearless (The Destruction of Troy)". Fast intensity and lyrics of war make this your friendly neighborhood power metal anthem. The 7 and a half minute length fits well with the long convoluted war. Fantastic start! The next track "Blaze of Victory (The Watchman's Song)" is a dark ballad that starts where the story really carries on, after the war. Agamemnon comes back home to his wife, and a watcher was hired to look out for Agamemnon's blaze of victory. Next up, "Through the Ring of Fire" is a more upbeat track in which Agamemnon is glad to be back home. It is followed by not one, not two, but 3 interludes; "Prelude in A Minor (The Voyage Home)", "Death Darkly Closed Their Eyes (The Messenger's Song)", and "In Triumph or Tragedy", all telling different moods surrounding Agamemnon's return. They all probably would've worked better as one track, but the album is too perfect for me to change anything. The following track "Return of the King" refers to, of course, Agamemnon. However, we get a glimpse of the sideplot where the queen is planning her revenge, and the elders, who have overheard her, warn the king. In the 6 and a half minute "Flames of the Black Star (The Arrows of Herakles)", Agamemnon reclaims his throne but is cursed by Klytemnestra.

Again we end up with 3 more interludes that could've been indexed as one track but weren't and that's still OK; "Narcissus", "And Hecate Smiled", and "A Song of Prophecy". The first and last of the interludes add to the dark mystery, although the second one is a short metal track that's more dependent on the story. Cassandra's prophecies are dismissed by Agamemnon who doesn't know his actual fate. In "Child of Desolation", Cassandra dies an innocent death, lamented in the form of a power ballad that this beautiful song is. The interlude "G Minor Invention (Descent into Death's Twilight Kingdom)" seals Cassandra's fate. Another interlude, "Day of Wrath" begins the planned assassination of Agamemnon. And so it commences in "Great Sword of Flame". The heavy speed of the song suits Agamemnon's final fight that he would ultimately lose.

"The Gift of Tantalos" and "Iphigenia in Hades" are two more interludes, telling the emotions of two different characters. The former is in the perspective of Agisthos with his happiness and rage, and the second is in the perspective of Agamemnon's wife Klytemnestra with her happiness and sadness. Very well described! "The Fire God" introduces another character, Agamemnon's daughter Electra, enraged with Agisthos and Klytemnestra. The vocals are some of the angriest David DeFeis sounds here. Anyway, Electra asks the Fire God to strike vengance against the two, which he suggests her young brother Orestes to do years after he is taken to Phocis for safety. "Garden of Lamentation" is a short ballad-like interlude with Electra's farewell to Orestes after taking him away from the kingdom, with help from the Elders who challenge Agisthos who is the new ruler. More of that part of the story is told in "Agony and Shame", a more complex progressive song. All that belonged to Agamemnon now belonged to Agisthos. "Gate of Kings" is the final full song here. Electra and Orestes have one final motivational conversation with one another. The task at hand that each person has will someday be completed, and there's still hope even with each other's distance. Such a hopeful power ballad! With that, they each part ways to fulfill their role in the quest to restore order to the kingdom, and the outro "Via Sacra" is the end credits theme, and an effective way of saying "To be continued..."

Whether or not you want to understand the story more while listening to this album, you can't deny the absolute high-quality music it contains. The music and lyrics tell the story really nail it. Any listener of any kind of music should check this masterpiece out along with their previous two albums. One of the greatest stories ever told in metal!

Favorites: "Kingdom of the Fearless (The Destruction of Troy)", "Through the Ring of Fire", "Flames of the Black Star (The Arrows of Herakles)", "Child of Desolation", "Great Sword of Flame", "The Fire God", "Agony and Shame", "Gate of Kings"

I can't tell which one's the best Virgin Steele album, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II or this one, Invictus. They both have flawless glory in their own right, but which should forever hold the throne? I'll guess we'll find as I review this stunning work of art...

With Invictus, Virgin Steele descend further into chaos, speed, and might. The vocals, guitars, bass, and drums are as glorious as in the previous album. The keys here are more mystical though, sounding so cinematic even when mixed with the guitars. They've taken the classic heavy metal of Manowar and cranked up the power metal aspects to 11 or higher. Invictus, despite its long length, has true consistency!

"The Blood of Vengeance" is a two-minute spoken intro narrating what happened before the story and what will happen during then. The title track slices through with its heavy riffing and David DeFeis' gravelly singing occasionally hitting falsetto. The soloing from the keys and guitars impresses me, and that chorus is so wicked ("Fall on your sword, fall on your knees, die like your son nailed to his tree"). One of the best songs by the band and 90s heavy/power metal! DeFeis' work shall be praised. Reminding you that this part of the journey through Heaven and Hell has only started, "Mind, Body, Spirit" continues it as another well-done track. Even though the chorus is great, everything else almost outshines it. The entire bridge including the solo is some of the best guitarwork to be found in this offering. "In the Arms of the Death God" follows as another short interlude. "Through Blood and Fire" jumps in with more of the mind-blowing keys and guitars, with a great chorus to go with it. "Sword of the Gods" is another epic 7 and a half minute track. The structure is simple yet complex, with some galloping riffing for the first minute and a half, reprised in the last minute and a half.

"God of Our Sorrows" is a sorrowful one-minute interlude, though I think it would've made more sense if it was embedded with the next one... "Vow of Honour" shows DeFeis attempting some operatic falsetto. Holy sh*t, how high can this dude sing!? Almost competing with other heavy/power metal vocalists! "Defiance" marks another epic highlight. The final chorus and outro covering the last minute and a half has the flawless glory I've expected in this album. They still stand defiant! "Dust from the Burning" just pulls off some straight-on rock, which is still good. It segues to a 22-second interlude, "Amaranth".

"A Whisper of Death" in a 9-minute epic that helps exemplify the epic heavy/power metal sound. And that's just the start of the final half-hour stretch of glorious songs. "Dominion Day" continues that streak. Sometimes it sounds ballad-esque, other times it's full-on crushing. Another one of the best songs here! "A Shadow of Fear" is darker than anything Virgin Steele made before this album. The vocals still shine as they often do. Then comes a brief 22-second reprise of the "Theme from 'The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'". And now, the grand finale, the 10-minute epic to end all epics, "Veni, Vidi, Vici". The title already hints at what the band has done. They came, saw, and conquered all their foes to become kings of epic storytelling metal. This shows Virgin Steele at their most legendary and concludes the saga exactly as it should.

Now back to the question I've asked in the beginning of this review: Is Invictus the best Virgin Steele album? Well I'm gonna place it at number 2, just a slight percent below Marriage Part II. You have to appreciate this masterpiece to appreciate true metal or even true music. This is epic power that barely any other band has conquered!

Favorites: "Invictus", "Mind, Body, Spirit", "Sword of the Gods", "Defiance", "A Whisper of Death", "Dominion Day", "A Shadow of Fear", "Veni, Vidi, Vici"

Virgin Steele's pinnacle era was the second half of the 90s, particularly 3 masterpieces to round it off big-time. Which one of the trio is the best? Perhaps their best album and one that I can once again consider one of the best 20th century heavy/power metal albums after this revisit, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II!

The golden era is only the second of 3 different eras of Virgin Steele, and it can beat the other two eras by far. Those other two being the classic heavy metal era of the 80s that ended with a strange turn into hard rock in Life Among the Ruins, and the more progressive yet divisive current era starting with Visions of Eden. The 1994-2000 era consists of 5 albums connected into two sagas, all deserving of 4.5 or 5 stars. Marriage II is the second part of a trilogy and might just be the highest point of their career.

Right from the start, they fire away with "Symphony of Steele", which after a one-minute keyboard symphonic intro, blasts off into their blend of the power metal of Helloween and the heavy metal of Manowar. A brilliant highlight "Crown of Glory" follows with mind-blowing energy and sorrow. That intro is filled with beauty and melancholy ("Bury me beside the endless sea, raise my ashes to wind"). "From Chaos to Creation" is more than just an interlude. It's a short blast of the epicness and heaviness to be expected as the album progresses. It leads to "Twilight of the Gods", continuing to blur the lines between Germanic and Greek mythology. Superb power metal there! "Rising Unchained" keeps up the earlier tracks' motive, with some of the best music and vocals in the album ("Don’t cry for mercy, for you know there will be none").

"Transfiguration" is a more ballad-ish track, which I guess can break up the fast heaviness for a bit. "Prometheus the Fallen One" is the first of two long epics, structured with intense wrath. The second epic and the most special track is the 10-minute "Emalaith". It starts off sounding like a power ballad then becomes more progressive and diverse. I'm not kidding when I say that Virgin Steele's own "Stairway to Heaven". After that, "Strawgirl" follows as another shorter ballad. Excellent guitar leads, but it sounds more like a cheesy ballad than anything. The lowest point of the album while not affecting its perfect score in any way.

"Devil/Angel" pretty much destroys all the soft cheesiness as a total speed demon. Clearly this band has listen to Judas Priest's Painkiller album! The riffing and chorus are so memorable. "Unholy Water" is the closest we have to their earlier 80s hard rock/metal sound, and it works well with the more serious lyrics. "Victory is Mine" is the greatest way out for this massive album, filled with victory and revolution. Well we still have the "Revisited" outro that is like the end credits theme for this album until the next one.

So yeah, I still love this Virgin Steele offering, even after that few-year break from it before revisiting. So gather around, people, and witness Heaven and Hell getting married, 'til death do them part!

Favorites: "Crown of Glory", "Twilight of the Gods", "Rising Unchained", "Prometheus the Fallen One", "Emalaith", "Devil/Angel", "Victory is Mine"

5 years before this second attempt at reviewing this album, when I was trying to restore my earlier melodic heavy/power metal taste, there are some bands I hadn't checked out yet until that point, such as Running Wild and Virgin Steele. Sometimes an attempt at bringing back something from the past ends up falling flat, and when that happened then, I've forgotten about those bands for a few years. But with my Guardians interest back and stronger than ever, it's time to revisit Running Wild's grand pinnacle!

Death or Glory still stands as one of my favorite 80s speedy heavy/power metal albums, with total synergy in the music and lyrics. This epic classic of an album is what helped the whole "pirate metal" idea catch on and be expanded further decades later by Alestorm and later Visions of Atlantis.

The album opens with what I still think is the best track here and one of my favorite songs of the 80s heavy/power metal sound, "Riding the Storm". It is an absolute diamond gem of a song. The mid-paced intro sounds like it could've influenced the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, then speeds up into a total early power metal storm. The vocals by Rolf Kasparek help shape things up especially in perhaps the best chorus of the album. The soloing and the bridge also rule. An epic start to a glorious masterpiece album! The brilliant strength doesn't end there as "Renegade" is worth following up from that track with more of its energy. There's even a spoken passage before some speedy melodic soloing. The next song "Evilution" is a little weak compared to the rest but still great enough that the album's 5-star rating isn't affected.

Fortunately we have another one of the best songs here in "Running Blood". It's more mid-paced as the dark "witch trials" are called out with the message being clear in the heavy chorus. "Highland Glory" is a great instrumental. In terms of metal instrumentals, it isn't one of the best tracks of the album but it is one of the best of heavy/power metal. "Marooned" has fast riffing melody that sounds so unique. The riffing sounds so melodic, and the drumming is fast but not thrashy fast, all helping separate power metal from speed metal. Also, cool gang vocals at the end. "Bad to the Bone" isn't as highlight-worthy as I once thought it was, yet it's still catchy, especially in the chorus.

"Tortuga Bay" keeps up the great riffing power and choruses. The title track is one of the best title tracks I've heard in 80s heavy/power metal. I absolutely love the soloing there! Then it leads to "The Battle of Waterloo", a nearly 8-minute closing epic, and it's obviously what it's written about. A bagpipe intro leads into battle-ready metal that gets more progressive beyond the first chorus. The CD edition contains a bonus track, "March On" which I don't think is as good as the rest here.

Death or Glory is one of the true best albums of early heavy/power metal. I recommend listening to it all the way through, specifically the 50-minute vinyl edition without that bonus track, the edition I've based my 5-star rating on. All those strong songs have sealed the band's identity as the OG heavy metal pirates. Listen on and sail on!

RIP Majk Moti

Favorites: "Riding the Storm", "Running Blood", "Marooned", "Death or Glory", "The Battle of Waterloo"

Well, time for In Flames album revisit #2! Come Clarity has been known as the band's transitional album between their earlier melodeath roots and their later alt-metal era. There are also some claims that this is the closest the band has gone to metalcore territory ala Trivium. Although I haven't listened to In Flames for several years, aside from their new album Foregone, I remember thinking Come Clarity was a solid album. Now let's see my opinion still stands....

Indeed, Come Clarity is a transitional album for In Flames. However, it still has a lot of the melodeath side of their sound, albeit in a more modern approach with metalcore elements. The alt-metal of their subsequent albums is more prominently used in a few tracks, both the mainstream and experimental ones.

Unleashing this modernized melodeath sound right out of the gate, "Take This Life" is the perfect kick-A way to start. Next up, "Leeches" has odd keyboard effects present, but I like the contrast between the heavy verses and melodic chorus. "Reflect the Storm" has that blend of melancholy and mainstream, particularly in the chorus that shows vocalist Anders Friden expanding his vocal abilities. Adding more to the experimentation is "Dead End" which features Lisa Miskovsky. When I first heard the start of that first verse, I almost thought it was a Paramore song. She sounds quite confident here, and the end result is a lovely duet. Although In Flames has done a few tracks with guest female singing before, that one might turn off some longtime fans. "Scream" brings back their earlier roots without much experimentation, though it's not that impressive.

The title track calms things down as an alt-metal power ballad. The fact that it's chosen as the album's title track foreshadows their later path. I actually loved that one during my time in The Gateway, but now I realize it's not as great as I thought it was. Another indicator of me not being suited for that clan. The braver and heavier "Vacuum" picks up the pace greatly. I can almost say the same about "Pacing Death's Trail". Next track "Crawl Through Knives" was originally meant to be this album's title track. I kinda wish it was though because it's the perfect diverse display of the band's transitional sound. I would recommend that track for anyone trying modern melodeath for the first time.

"Versus Terminus" is another example of trying too hard to sound like the band's earlier selves. "Our Infinite Struggle" makes up for that as a memorable highlight, heavy all the way while only cooling down for the great midsection. Sadly, we have "Vanishing Light" which is the worst track in their melodeath side, not doing anything interesting. "Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone" is one of the band's most experimental songs yet, sounding so haunting yet leaving me confused and wondering why it even exists.

All in all, Come Clarity is simultaneously In Flames' last melodeath album until Foregone and the first to show the mainstream diversity of their subsequent releases that would turn away longtime fans and bring in new ones. Having heard both of that band's eras before, I'm already used to what's been going on in this album and wouldn't totally put it down even at its weakest moments. I can understand the evolution. So although it can never beat the glory of their old-school melodeath offerings, Come Clarity is still pretty good for at least half of the album, and it's hard to deny its status as a major turning point for the band. It's clear as day....

Favorites: "Take This Life", "Reflect the Storm", "Dead End", "Vacuum", "Crawl Through Knives", "Our Infinite Struggle"

Fires in the Distance is an American band from Connecticut that has joined in with October Tide and Hinayana to bring forth melodic death-doom in the past 10 years. They've released 3 albums, the third of which marked the entrance of a new vocalist. This is their new album Circadian Promise!

Their new vocalist Brendan Hayter gives the bleak instrumentation great flavor and holds everything in place. Although the music, especially the guitars, sounds dark and heavy, it actually sounds brighter than other bands of the genre, and suprisingly it fits so nicely. Many of the different moments here sound so grand, whether the vocals are clean or harsh. And the piano and guitars stand out amongst the rest of the melodic death-doom scene.

Opener "Of Radiance and Levitation" sounds so crystal clear in the music. Guitar harmonies and deathly vocals guide you through this dark waltz. It's a true bridge between the melodeath of Dark Tranquillity/early In Flames and the doom-gloom of My Dying Bride/early Katatonia. The soft dreamy guitar/keyboard bridge passes by without ever being forgotten. Beautiful! "To You, Author of My Fade" takes a break from the slowness for some speed to add to the guitar/keyboard atmosphere. Those drums and riffs hit hard, and of course we have those searing screams and sweet cleans. So excellent!

Another track worth hearing is "Lightless Days of a Songless Bird". Even the title sounds so poetic! I love the chorus, though I wish the clean singing could've accompanied it. Also sounding great is the 5-minute "By This Time Tomorrow". The buildup and soloing are way too majestic to miss out on.

"Once the Silence Takes Your Place" has more of that slow power. Everything sounds so straight throughout these 9 minutes, still sounding dark and tight in the music and vocals. Later on in the track is some wild screaming that leads to amazing soloing and more of that clean singing. I would say this would make an amazing ending, but then comes the epilogue... "Agonal Dreaming" unleashes melancholic melody and rhythm from the keys, guitar, bass, and drums. And that's how to end this album smoothly.

I can easily say that Circadian Promise has reminded me about what's so great about a dark depressive style like melodic death-doom. I can enjoy this album more as listening progresses. This shall strike hard and keep you on the edge of your seat for their next album in the future, and that's a promise!

Favorites: "To You, Author of My Fade", "By This Time Tomorrow", "Once the Silence Takes Your Place"

Love is Not Enough marked an excellent comeback for these Massachusetts metalcore masters earlier this year, but what we didn't know was, they already made another album besides that one! Hum of Hurt, released just 4 months later, shows that their flame of creativity has not been extinguished.

This album is more of a companion to the previous album instead of just B-sides. Basically like some of The Ocean's pairs of albums. Love is Not Enough is more of an aggressive throwback to their roots, while Hum of Hurt adds in the diversified sonic fury they've had since Jane Doe. Considering how this was released 25 years after their magnum opus, it's practically coming full circle!

Similarly to how the new August Burns Red album opens, "Slip the Noose" launches into a brief storm of rage. It's like this album's "Concubine"! Then "Doom in Bloom" slows things down, sounding crushing and unforgiving. Now, "It Only Gets Worse"? More like it only gets better! It's just pure chaos just like in the earlier breakthrough years.

Striking me further is "Detonator" and the edge it has in the riffing of Kurt Ballou and the vocals of Jacob Bannon. Such an intense song! Maybe not even a song, but rather a war speech set to metalcore, and that's what I like about it. You may recognize this next track "I Won't Let You Go" from Cyberpunk 2077, with the band credited as Shattered Void. The lyrics of perseverance sound right in both that game's soundtrack and this album. "It’s Not Up To Us" delivers a more minimalistic approach. At least in the ethereal parts in which Bannon yells out to the heavens before more of that chaotic hellfire. Those vocals are more unpredictable, especially during the outro of pain and no hope.

The centerpiece of the album is the 6-minute epic "Dream Debris". Right from the tribal march of drummer Ben Koller and the rumbling of bassist Nate Newton, comes a spectacular slow buildup to a massive headbanging groove. Converge still have their later atmospheric side to go with their earlier math/metalcore, as that majestic gem has proven. As with the previous album's interlude, "It Used to Matter" breaks things up with melancholic strumming to get you ready for the remaining two tracks. The title track has the theme of looking back at regretful decisions made in the past. The 5-minute ending track "Nothing is Over" strikes with the last of this offering's aggression. Nothing dreamy, just triumph and chaos as you would expect from this band.

Hum of Hurt is the counterpart to Love is Not Enough that we never knew about until its announcement. It shows the band's later more adventurous side without losing any of the heavy chaos that mostly shines in the other album. They're both different yet meant to be heard back-to-back. Altogether, the band still have the strength they've had in most of their career. May that strength never wither!

Favorites: "It Only Gets Worse", "Detonator", "It’s Not Up To Us", "Dream Debris", "Nothing is Over"

Just one day before what can be described as the Day of the Beast (6/6/2026), two of my favorite metalcore bands have each released a new album. Those two bands being August Burns Red and Converge! Unlike Converge, August Burns Red doesn't seem to have any plan of releasing one album this year and surprising us with another one later this year. They've taken their time...

August Burns Red is already over two decades deep into their career, and they've already just dropped their 11th album. Close to one album every two years! If only Trivium could've continued that pace... Despite the album being titled Season of Surrender, August Burns Red will never surrender. Not when they have some heaviness to unleash.

Already at a punishing start is the opening track "Legion", getting straight to the point with Jake Luhrs' vocal fury. The progressiveness of their previous album Death Below hasn't been left behind as there are still some tempo changes. The guest appearances aspect hasn't been taken out either, and the first of this album's guests, Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada screams out a brief verse. Although there's some occasional melody, it's all just killer chaos. And there's more of that in "The Nameless" with the heavier metalcore roots to make me happy from the rage. Luhrs bellowing "DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGERS!!!" makes it clear that they're throwing back to the era of that album. "Behemoth" has even greater rage. An absolutely perfect return to their sound from 20 years ago, and then some. We have an Architects-style "BLEGH" 30 seconds in, plus a heavy breakdown a minute later followed by an even more crushing one shortly after. This band really should get more credit for enhancing metalcore, both now and long ago. "Den of Thieves" is more nostalgic in the Gothenburg-infused guitarwork. The guitar soloing shows how much of a hero guitarist JB Brubaker is.

He continues to shred in "Sonic Salvation" with some oriental vibes. Polaris vocalist Jamie Hails unleashes his screams, even duetting with Luhrs. The lyric "I NEED AN OUTLET FOR MY ANGER!!!" couldn't have been any more fitting for both vocalists' raging output. When Hails does his cleans, they're some of the only parts of the album having clean singing. Despite ending so quickly after all that blasting, it's perhaps one of the metalcore tracks of the year! The one other track with clean vocals, "Cerebral Malfunction" features the two Make Them Suffer vocalists; Sean Harmanis and Alex Reade. The recent atmosphere and earlier aggression are in great contrast. The ethereal singing by Reade and the guitar shredding by Brubaker are the closest the band has gone to power metal. Such a distinct standout! The guitar/synth interlude "Tears of the Cloud" follows. It segues to the heavy yet melodic "Whispers Like Splinters". They simultaneously have more heaviness and melody than before, and that breakdown slays.

Heading further back into their roots is "S.O.S." Same with the ironically titled "New Horizons", which sounds like a B-side from one of their earlier albums. As much as I enjoy those previous two tracks, there should've been something new to add to the album's second half. That's where the 7-minute closing track "Forged by Failure" comes in. Heavy groove alternating with soft atmosphere gives the structure more variety, sounding a bit like Parkway Drive. A massive epic just like that of their previous two albums!

August Burns Red's new album has cranked up the metalcore hard. Everything's in great balance between the old and the new, pleasing fans old and new. With the band just firing away with their breakneck music, they won't stop their studio creativity and live energy any time soon. Keep the flame burning!

Favorites: "The Nameless", "Behemoth", "Sonic Salvation", "Cerebral Malfunction", "Whispers Like Splinters", "Forged by Failure"

The amount of female-fronted bands in metal has grown over the years. And there are some bands who, after years of being all-male, add in one or two female members. I've been enjoying those kinds of bands lately. They're mostly symphonic metal though, and while I've had my on-off fondness for that genre, I felt up to exploring female-fronted bands of classic heavy metal. Seeing how well things turned out with listening to Benedictum, I shall have no problem with this band Tower...

Tower has released 3 albums and an EP. Vocalist Sarabeth Linden, guitarists James Danzo and Zak Penley, bassist Philippe Arman, and new drummer Keith Mikus have gathered together to perform their towering sound. Their 3rd album Let There Be Dark was recorded and produced by Arthur Rizk, with cover art made by Jared Fleming.

The album opens with "Under the Chapel", sounding punky in the guitars and drums, similar to NWOBHM. Sarabeth Linden's vocals can sound operatic while rocking out. The track also has a music video. Next up is the title track, with faster and more intense guitars and drums to mosh to. Sarabeth once again blows my mind with her singing. "Holy Water" has a creepy brief intro of a church sermon that then leads into another full-speed banger, having that US power metal vibe.

The incredible "And I Cry" begins sounding like a ballad, then they become more energetic in the second half and keep you hooked in no time. "The Well of Souls" is a short interlude. What follows is another hidden gem, "Book of the Hidden". And then one more half-minute interlude, "Legio X Fretensis".

You'll certainly be headbanging to "Iron Clad". Then "Don't You Say" is a slow yet brilliant track. The guitar duo sound so enthusiastic in the faster second half, and when they work together, they can prove their skills without problems. Sarabeth's vocal power shines the most in the impressive 6 and a half minute closing epic "The Hammer". The different melodies are so mesmerizing, and once it ends, you'll be begging for more.

So yeah, I enjoy Tower's contribution to the classic heavy metal revival. The different tempos work when placed right. The intense guitars and drums suit the unstoppable vocal force of Sarabeth and her talented greatness. The two interludes are a little disruptive, but every other track has given Tower a promising path in their career....

Favorites: "Let There Be Dark", "And I Cry", "Book of the Hidden", "Don't You Say", "The Hammer"

Checking out that Ihlo's second album Legacy made me up for doing the same with their other album, the 2019 debut Union. The album spawned two different categories of listeners; the fans who think it's brilliant and the purists who think they're ripping off other bands. I'm closer to the former category, finding potential brilliance in this album. At the time, this UK djenty progressive metal band had a 3-man lineup of vocalist/keyboardist Andy Robison, guitarist/bassist Phil Munro, and drummer Clark McMenemy. They would expand that lineup for touring shortly after this album's release. And while they're not copying bands like Tesseract, Haken, or Leprous, the influences show...

Tesseract is actually the most common band to compare Ihlo to, since they're djenty prog-metal bands from the UK. They don't sound that identical to each other. If there's a Tesseract album that sounds like Ihlo, it would be Altered State. What they do is add more melodies to balance out with the heavy downtuned riffing. And the vocals are all clean singing, flowing smoothly with those rhythms and electronics. There actually a couple issues that don't make Union as amazing as Legacy. Here the production sounds like it's a little too much. Even though there's real drumming, it almost sounds like they were programmed. But what am I to judge? The sound still impresses me and the band was really making their leap into the scene.

The opening title track is a solid start to this album and the band's discography. You already know what they're going for; progressive songs while making simple catchy twists. "Reanimate" is greatly structured as the riffing blends in with the strong choruses. I guess if you wanna be technical, that's the actual first taste of Ihlo, being the first single, and one of my favorite ones at that! "Starseeker" starts off tough then leads to more ambient verses. The band is in full force is in the chorus and the ending section.

"Hollow" is the best song to put in the middle of the album. There's a lot of electronic texture, with a few bursts of heaviness to make that song a highlight. "Triumph" almost lives up to its name. Beautiful riffing melody to bless your djent heart!

We're already getting to the climactic last leg of the album, starting with "Parhelion". Lots of insane synthy prog-metal talent! A nice stylistic homage to Periphery from start to finish. "Coalescence" ends the album as a 15-minute epic. This is where the band put in all their strength and talent to make a djent symphony full of riffing and ambience. The best for last has to be the glorious second half, when riffing rhythm and ambient melody collide for an out-of-this-world spell of hope.

All in all, Ihlo show their influences while having the uniqueness people seem to overlook. The blend of melodies and riffing show what geniuses those guys are, and if you stick to the bitter end, you get to witness all of its grandeur. Lots of creative energy in Union, though they would have more of that in their next offering....

Favorites: "Reanimate", "Hollow", "Parhelion", "Coalescence"

I've checked out this band Genitorturers before, and I thought their material was pretty great. However, what was holding me back from fully enjoying this band is the amount of NSFW and BDSM they have in their aesthetics and lyrics. While I don't totally mind all that, it's obviously not the kind of band to share in the world outside the internet. With that said, I'm up to revisiting a release from this sex-fueled electro-industrial rock/metal band...

Flesh in the Law is a release made in around 2001 or 2002, compiling new tracks and live renditions of earlier tracks. They still have this kinky fetish sh*t that's actually kinda cool and intriguing if you're used to hearing about it. The music can entertain me quite well.

First track "Lecher B***h" is best known for appearing in the soundtrack for the video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Sadly for me, it's f***ing bad. This is where I draw the line in the band's BDSM themes being too on the nose. "Public Enemy" is better but not that exciting. Luckily we have the title track which I absolutely love and has let me know about the better side of the band. "Guns Are Good" is also a good favorite of mine.

Now the live tracks are in the same kind of mixed ratio as the new tracks, starting with the great "House of Shame". Then "Terrorvision" falls as flat as those first two tracks. "All Hell Breaks Loose" makes up for it with its sheer intensity. "120 Days" is a good encore yet it has made me remember the original version from the debut that I prefer.

Besides the energetic music, the vocals of Gen have that perfect primal edge that fits in well with the sound. And honestly, the usage of electronics blended with this metal sound is similar to that of one of Fear Factory's earlier remix releases. Maybe if this band wasn't so BDSM-heavy, they would have the mainstream success Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails have had. Still, Flesh is the Law is a good EP worth listening to. Just skip the bad tracks and keep the highlights to your own self-entertainment....

Favorites: "Flesh is the Law", "House of Shame", "Guns Are Good", "All Hell Breaks Loose"

Since forming in 1997, Elvenking has made their nearly 3-decade journey of blending the power metal of Blind Guardian and Helloween with the folk metal of Skyclad. They were one of my favorite bands of that sound when I was listening to a lot of those two genres at the time when this live album first came out. And revisiting them all those years later, the best live renditions of songs from their first 8 albums are all in here!

The Night of Nights consists of a special concert filled with different guests. Two hours of material from all their albums at the time in incredible live quality to please fans new and old. Released in December 2015, it was a spectacular early Christmas gift that has something for every Elvenking listener.

The folky intro "The Manifesto" starts it all. I was kinda hoping it would leading to that 13-minute epic "King of the Elves", but that doesn't happen. At least we really blast off with a classic in "Trows Kind", which I once thought was their own take on DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames". But that's nothing compared to the highlight that is another track from The Winter Wake, "The Wanderer". You can really rock out to the happiness and sorrow from the guitars and violins. It is one of those tracks that test out your enjoyment for this band. If you love that song, you'll love this band and the rest of this offering. Otherwise you're out of here. Everything has the right amount of cheese in this Gamma Ray-gone-Skyclad sound. "Runereader" from Red Silent Tides has the band's typical including and epic blend of metal sections and acoustic bridges. "Pagan Revolution" is fun banger of folky power metal worth many listens. The guitars, drums, and vocals are all energetic without ever relying on overproduction. This is probably my second-favorite track of Pagan Manifesto behind that 13-minute epic.

"She Lives at Dawn" is a short melancholic interlude from their acoustic/hard rock album Two Tragedy Poets. Nothing much is added here other than a nice break from all that metal fun. "Jigsaw Puzzle" is a wonderful surprise, originally in their only album without lead vocalist Damnagoras, Wyrd. Lots of Maiden-esque guitar and bass melody there. "Elvenlegions" is another short track that can still provide a lot from the band. Amazing as f***! "The Cabal" is quite catchy, and I can hear why that was released as a single. Another short atmospheric interlude "A Prayer to Cernunnos" is exclusive to this offering, basically just some eerie narration.

"Moonbeam Stone Circle" shows an increase of maturity in the band's sound, though it's still their usual folk/power metal. The melody/rhythm interplay stays strong as ever. Then comes a drum solo by Symohn with background electronic noise, aptly titled "Symohn's Bash". Quite a unique addition to the setlist! The amazing "From Blood to Stone" follows. Despite being pretty much all acoustic, I enjoy the non-electric riffing and the chorus I can almost sing along to, "Fall-ing, fall-ing!" One of the only tracks I love from Two Tragedy Poets, and one of the only acoustic folk tracks I love in general. We finally get a song from the band's classic debut Heathenreel, "Skywards". It also starts off sounding acoustic then rises into metal, even heading close to black metal. "Disillusion's Reel" allows you to take a breather as an ethereal acoustic ballad.

Then disc 1 ends, and disc 2 begins with "Elven Aftermath", an intermission track with samples of songs that weren't performed. The band comes back on with perhaps the centerpiece of this entire offering, the debut's epic "Seasonspeech". The original track included guest vocals from different vocalists, with each one representing one of the 4 seasons. Here the band stands by that aspect with two guests, female vocalists Chiara Tricarico and Whisperwind. In between the metal sections is a flute-infused acoustic bridge. And we can't forgot about the glorious ending climax. You want something from the Era album, you got it with "Through Wolf's Eyes", which is more folky while still metal. And how about the sole track chosen from the "controversial" The Scythe, "The Divided Heart". The riffing and soloing has certainly made that track a memorable one. "Neverending Nights" is another great epic! It dives deep into winter darkness, a little unlike their happier side of folky power metal. Very well done, those not as festive as "Seasonspeech". Some more headbanging power metal comes on in "The Winter Wake", which has more experimentation, particularly in the original version's guest vocals by Destruction vocalist Marcel Schmier. A solid way to end the concert, before the well-deserved encore...

As the encore approaches its start, an orchestral overture "Era Theme" plays. Then comes one more song from Era, "The Loser". This is the song that marked Symohn's entrance into the band, since Era was his first album with Elvenking. His drumming is out of this world, in perfect synergy with the folk and metal sides of the coin. No sh*t, just THE SH*T. He can do all this complex stuff at ease, and it just adds to the fantastic magic of this song. And the fact that they saved that song for the encore shows how much confidence he and the rest of the band have. There's one more track for the encore, but that doesn't come until after the flute/string intro "To Oak Woods Bestowed". You all know where this is going... The show ends with the one track that started their journey, and also the one that got me into listening to Elvenking, "Pagan Purity". The vocals and guitars shine for their last round, the latter assisted by two more guests, former members Jarpen and Gorlan.

The concert can be viewed on DVD or listened to in two CDs, and if you get the DVD, you also get some music videos they've made over the years and a teaser for Pagan Manifesto. The Night of Nights is a night for new and longtime Elvenking fans to remember, and you don't wanna miss out on getting your hands on this live gem!

Favorites (one or two tracks per album plus one new track): "The Wanderer", "Runereader", "Pagan Revolution", "Jigsaw Puzzle", "Elvenlegions", "Symohn's Bash", "From Blood to Stone", "Seasonspeech", "Through Wolf's Eyes", "The Divided Heart", "Neverending Nights", "The Loser", "Pagan Purity"

The first time I heard this band was when I was listening to a song from their debut Union in an Infinite playlist 6 months before this review. I thought the song was a nice stylistic homage to Periphery from start to finish. And now I can say the same about their new album Legacy! They're a new addition to the melodic modern progressive metal league of Leprous, Haken, The Contortionist, and Tesseract.

It took 5 years for this British progressive metal/rock band to make this follow-up to 2019's Union. Part of the delay was due to the hardships of the COVID lockdowns. But now they're here to deliver us this progressive offering. Also, don't mind the small bit of electropop elements I seem to pick up on.

Kicking things off with ethereal electronics is "Wraith". You already hear both the production and talent from the two key members of the band; guitarist Phil Monro and vocalist Andy Robison. They, along with the other members, work together to craft this complex structure in which ambience turns into metal grace, practically channeling the way of Devin Townsend. A melodic opening track to get you hooked! "Replica" is more emotional yet calm. Soon the melody builds up into more technical riffing. The blend of melody and heaviness is so unpredictable! Then comes the heavy "Source", in which the riffing and synths have stronger power in the second half. It's greatly direct while hinting at the diversity that would come in later tracks.

The clean "Empire" continues the complex structure though more prog than metal. Although it starts off reminding some of Porcupine Tree, eventually there would be more of the heavy riffing. It then leads to the short interlude "Storm". Personally I think it should've been called "Storm Coming", because it sounds more like the calm before the storm. On second thought, we're still far from the storm as "Mute" is little soft but quite addictive! Everything flows smoothly throughout these 8 and a half minutes. The vocals are quite remarkable too. I kinda wish they would go as djenty as Tesseract though. There are many different layers of spacey ambience. And if you're wondering when the heaviness would hit, it's at the 7-minute mark, starting the climactic outro, leading up to some final spoken lines like "You'll never shine as bright". Quite wonderful, though again it could've been a little heavier. The loss described in that track still stands in "Cenotaph", let out in defiance via crushing riffing. Things would get more atmospheric every now and then while tension lurks. Andy's vocals also help make that track another ambitious highlight. Everything's executed well in top-notch production, and there's no denying the horizons they fly over.

There's some brighter light in "Haar", another short direct track. It's a nice way to settle down after that towering pair of 8-minute tracks and get geared up for the monolithic finale. But before that, we have the title track, with the beat guiding you through the atmosphere. While it doesn't have a huge amount of impact, it can get you hooked for the album's ending climax. The climax being the monumental 10-minute epic "Signal". Everything's in beautiful flow. The band lets the beauty drift by, only saving the heaviness for when it's the right time. In the end, the track and the album closes the way it should. Fantastic!

This beautiful album Legacy has all the melody and power you can get. Well, maybe a slight more metal heaviness would be ideal, but that's OK. I look forward to what path they would take. The modern progressive metal/rock shaped up by VOLA and BTBAM is in the good hands of these young British lads!

Favorites: "Wraith", "Source", "Mute", "Cenotaph", "Signal"

I seem to have a small curse of not encountering a band until shortly after a longtime member has passed away. I've already discovered In Vain last year shortly after the tragic passing of their longtime keyboardist/clean vocalist Sindre Nedland. This is my first time checking out a Harm's Way album, following a recommendation from Vinny when he submitted a track from this album for a Revolution playlist, just a month after their longtime guitarist Bo Lueders left the world. RIP

I'm quite thankful for this recommendation because what an album this is! Common Suffering shows many different modern elements in their metalcore sound, taking it through diverse horizons beyond their earlier albums that are apparently more hardcore. They've given an older sound new and fresh life!

Striking hard right away is "Silent Wolf", already getting their straight-up metallic hardcore kicks. The riffing doesn't light up with "Denial" cranking things up in the undeniable heaviness. "Hollow Cry" is a more evolved song that I love. It takes on the sludge-ish sound of later Converge with an alt-ish edge. "Devour" has one of the most hardcore breakdowns in recent times. I may need some neck pain medicine after all that vicious headbanging.

Then there's the experimentation of "Undertow", an amazing highlight featuring Kristina Esfandiari (King Woman). It has a more haunting industrial sound, and I don't know whether it would be for The Revolution or The Sphere. If you see this track in a later playlist for one of those clans, you know which one I pick. It's so different and powerful, and you can forgive the band for placing that track here. Well done! "Heaven's Call" is another perfect track. Just pure heaviness that I'm glad was submitted to a Revolution playlist. "Cyanide" maintains the heaviness as another favorite track of mine.

"Terrorizer" can very well define industrial hardcore, if "hardcore" wasn't used in the more electronic sense. "Sadist Guilt" has strong riffing rhythm that can cut like a blade through glass. Then finally we have "Wanderer". The diversity of elements is much more apparent in this spectacular track than the rest. It sounds so organic and makes me look forward to what they will do next in their direction, if they choose to continue in memory of their fallen guitarist.

Common Suffering is aptly titled for the band's hard work of making the album and coincidentally for the grief of losing one of their members that were with them for a long time. You can tell in the former from how much heart and soul the band has put in their sound. And there are twists into different genres while staying firmly in metalcore. They can sometimes sound more hardcore or deathly or industrial. The heavy rage can really bite down, draw blood, and leave scars, showing the emotion that has stemmed from their work. Harm's Way can really add variety to the more extreme side of metalcore/hardcore. No harm no foul about that, right? Just chaotic rage at its height!

Favorites: "Hollow Cry", "Undertow", "Heaven's Call", "Cyanide", "Wanderer"

I think we can all agree in the Dark Moor fanbase that the Elisa C. Martin era is the best. The albums from that era certainly beat the ones with Alfred Romero on vocals, though I still like the new era too. Shadowland is a solid start, and The Gates of Oblivion is the fan favorite. For me personally, the highest peak in their production and classical-infused symphonic power metal sound has to be their second album, The Hall of the Olden Dreams!

The production quality is crystal clear compared to Shadowland, and the neoclassical guitar shredding has the right amount of flavor. Nothing sounds distant. And those vocals by Elisa C. Martin pack a punch in every song.

The intro "The Ceremony" starts the album sounding like it came fresh out of the Old School RuneScape soundtrack. There was a time when I was focusing on more modern and heavier genres and put those instrumentals down as cheesy and sh*tty. But now I can appreciate the classical majesty, just like in the good ol' days of over a decade before this review. Then we really blast off into "Somewhere in Dreams". When I first encountered that song all those years ago, it was love at first hearing. I knew I had to listen to the rest of the album and the band's material right away. It's one of my favorite Dark Moor songs to this day and I'll never get tired of it. "Maid of Orleans" is another popular song from Dark Moor's earlier era, following the 1990s/2000s E-flat-tuned power metal trend. Some of the best vocals by Elisa appear in "Bells of Notre Dame", especially in the verses. She can belt out her vocal melodies that perfectly align with the emotional conflict depicted in the lyrics. And those vocals fit well with the guitar rhythm too. If Disney decides to make a live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, they better include that song in the soundtrack.

Also showing their production improvement is "Silver Lake". The fast riffing and soloing makes the song another highlight in the album and possibly the band. As perfect as this album is, I admit that there's a bit of steam lost in "Mortal Sin". It's still great though. "The Sound of the Blade" has some nice variation as a softer ballad. Adding more variety on the heavier side is "Beyond the Fire" which I enjoy for its lean into Stratovarius-esque territory.

The one track that really threatens the album's perfection is "Quest for the Eternal Flame". The riffing by Enrik Garcia doesn't sound as majestic as the earlier tracks. At least Martin is holding the track up with her vocals, though the verses are losing their flow. The keyboard melodies sound a bit repetitive. And the chorus doesn't sound quite inspired or inspiring. Believe me, I was THIS close to giving this album 4.5 stars. Luckily, "Hand in Hand" saves the day as a fantastic closing track with its divine choruses, riffing, and soloing. I also love the Bach-sampled guitar/keyboard fiddling in the bridge (the same as in Children of Bodom's "The Nail").

I would also recommend the edition released in Korea that includes "The Fall of Melnibone", a 10-minute epic based on the Elric of Melnibone, though I don't enjoy the ballad "Wood's Song" as much. Either way, I highly recommend The Hall of the Olden Dreams for any fan of Dark Moor and power metal. This is where they truly leave their mark!

Favorites: "Somewhere in Dreams", "Bells of Notre Dame", "Silver Lake", "Beyond the Fire", "Hand in Hand", "The Fall of Melnibone" (bonus track)

OK, confession time: I really prefer a lot of the metal music I like to have vocals. Although I enjoy the music, the vocals help guide me through. It's probably why my interest in Animals as Leaders and Liquid Tension Experiment didn't last long, and why I haven't even touched the material from legends like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. But there are a couple instrumental djenty prog-metal/rock artists whose material I absolutely love, those being Scale the Summit and, of course, Australian guitar maestro Plini!

His perfect streak of albums continues in his new album An Unnameable Desire. As always, Plini has his great progressive style that gives an interesting and captivating zest to this instrumental sound. If I were to give this desire a name, it would be pleasure.

"Dorenavant" is the one-minute intro with sonic ambience rising until it stops and makes way for the first full track. We get to an intimate start with the beautiful title track. Then it sweeps into "Ciel". I love this one, especially the production work by Skyharbor's Devesh Dayal and the guitar soloing by Polish guitarist Jakub Zytecki. Plini can still show off his frantic guitaring playing in "Canyon".

He actually goes further down the heavy djent rabbithole than before as evident in the groovy highlight "Now & Then". And even more in the blistering "Manala". With heaviness in the drums and guitars, this is Plini as his most metal! "Vespertine" is more tranquil, but the softness doesn't last long as there's more of the progressive chaos.

There are more apocalyptic vibes in "Ruin". Getting close to the end is "After Everything" which already sounds like the album's epic climax. However, we have one more track deserving all its glory... The metallic 7-minute finale epic "The Time Will Pass Anyway" is absolutely crushing and uplifting at the same time. I should also note the bass work by Simon Grove who has also done the mixing well alongside the mastering courtesy of Periphery's Adam "Nolly" Getgood. They helped make the epic sound so wonderful.

Yeah, as much as we can't deny the undeniable talents of Plini, you also gotta thank drummer Chris Allison, keyboardist Dave Mckay, and the mini-orchestra of John Waugh, Misha Vayman, and Yoshi Masuda, plus the production by A.J. Minette. Strong backing lineup, diverse tracks... The Australian master of modern djent still holds his title!

Favorites: "Ciel", "Now & Then", "Manala", "After Everything", "The Time Will Pass Anyway"

When it comes to weird experimentation (avant-garde metal or otherwise), I prefer when the non-metal influences aren't the main focus and the band has some metallic heaviness to balance things out. That's the problem I had with the 1982 Warning album. 4 decades later, a different band would get it all right within their progressive/tech-death sound, and that is Australian band Growth!

Extreme metal in the 2020s seems to lack experimentation for the sake of going the mainstream route. Growth makes up that in their debut The Smothering Arms of Mercy. It is the first album in an ongoing trilogy that would be continued over 5 years later in their next album Under the Under.

The debut album already gives you a great deal of dissonance in the opening "Cigarette Burns". Things get rough and tough in the furious growls and neck-breaking blast-beats. It is nothing short of a dark twisted frenzy. "The Treatment for Melancholy" isn't as melancholic as the title would imply, as the speed and intensity is leveled up. There's wild guitarwork while making room for mesmerizing melody. "Fortress of Flesh and Bone" takes a break from the face-punching action, starting off softer and more captivating. But don't think you're safe from the monster in the shadows as it lurks around for the right time to attack. Before you know it, the monster of aggression would strike and rip out your heart, leaving it hanging from its teeth, like in the title of this next track...

"Our Lady of the Hanging Heart" is more experimental while flowing in this storm of dissonance. Each instrument has its time to shine, and eventually they all combine to make an intense vortex of destruction. "Lead Us to Our Glorious Times" is more chaotic within the screamed vocals, guitars, and drumming that are all so crushing. Soon we get some clean melodic singing to show a less savage side of vocalist Luke Frizon. "Darkly, It Tightens Its Grip" doesn't loosen the band's grip on how much they can do in the many demonic twists. There's wild riffing hellfire with only glimpses of light in the darkness.

"Soul Rot" has more ferocious riffing and drumming to penetrate your ears and brain to make you find the structural construction and deconstruction worth appreciating. "Something Follows" continues the pulverizing dissonance while having some haunting riffing atmosphere. "Gird Your Loved in Armour While Yet You Wither" is the 11-minute closing gauntlet, and they're not gonna leave peacefully. The technical fury is here to stay until the very end.

If I had stumbled upon this album at the time of its release in late 2020, I'm not sure if I could've made it through this hour of brutality and seldom beauty back then. Now I can, since I've become more experienced with this sound and can find some heavy treats there. The Smothering Arms of Mercy shows Growth without mercy or limits!

Favorites: "Cigarette Burns", "Fortress of Flesh and Bone", "Our Lady of the Hanging Heart", "Darkly, It Tightens Its Grip", "Gird Your Loved in Armour While Yet You Wither"

A week after Green Carnation's new addition to their Dark Poem trilogy, Lord of the Lost have just released another part of their own trilogy, Opvs Noir Vol. 3. That's right, it's the final part of this trilogy of albums that showcase their blend of gothic/industrial/symphonic metal. This ambitious guest-filled saga is coming to an end, and while I still think it should've ended as strongly as Vol. 1, I'm quite satisfied...

Frontman Chris "The Lord" Harms, guitarists Pi "π" Stoffers and Benjamin "Benji" Mundigler, bassist Klaas "Class Grenayde" Helmecke, keyboardist Gerrit "Gared Dirge" Heinemann, and drummer Niklas Kahl are still going. Opvs Noir Vol. 3 is the band's 12th album, and closes this long great trilogy.

Starting things off in an eerie note is "Kill the Lights". Here the verses are kept to a minimalistic style that then leads to a cool chorus. "I'm a Diamond" features Alea der Bescheidene of Saltatio Mortis. Honestly, her vocals adds more melody to this track that's already one of the most melodic ones here. "My Funeral" blends symphonic majesty with heavy dissonance. I love it! Then they really go aggro in the lyrics in "I Hate People", feature the rough vocals of Wednesday 13, plus some catchy riffing.

"The Shadows Within" has an ethereal start before reaching the more intense chorus while staying accessible. "La Vie Est Hell" is based on Les Fleurs du Mal, complete with some French singing by Kissin' Dynamite vocalist Hannes Braun. It's filled with perfect melancholy, which is kinda what I'm looking for in a ballad. "Square One" is kind of an one. The sound is generally synthwave, though I guess it allows Chris Harms to guide his vocals through those dancey verses without having to go edgy. Xandria vocalist Ambre Vourvahis appears in "When Did the Love Break?", and once again, all the vocals match with the soft verses and mighty choruses. So beautiful!

"Your Love is Colder than Death" strikes with their heavy side hard, breaking the earlier lightness with its aggression. Cats in Space's Damien Edwards comes in for the mesmerizing "Take Me Far Away". They really hit it with their respective vocal power. "The Days of Our Lives" is the grand finale of the entire saga. Chris and Gerrit perform their respective roles, shining as the vocals and keys close the gates on a solemn note.

So it seems Lord of the Lost has dropped the experimentation of the first two parts to give things more grandeur in Part 3. It's not perfect, but it's a very solid way to end this trilogy, all in the instrumentation and vocals. Serene, heavy, they can do it all....

Favorites: "I'm a Diamond", "My Funeral", "La Vie Est Hell", "When Did the Love Break?", "Your Love is Colder than Death", "The Days of Our Lives"

The earliest Infinite album is apparently this album by Warning, a short-lived band in Neue Deutsche Welle (different from Neue Deutsche Härte that started over a decade later). They released two albums in 1982 and 1983, then that was it. They split up and never reformed again with both members already passed away. RIP... Would I call their debut album avant-garde metal? I don't think so. It's more like alternating between the then-popular post-punk/new-wave sound and atmospheric doom. And with some of the earliest death growls ever witnessed, I can almost consider proto-death-doom, before even death metal was a thing.

"Why Can the Bodies Fly?" is an interesting catchy start, as the growls run through alongside operatic female vocals. See, this is their new wave-ish side, and the guitars are more like an afterthought. I can almost imagine Therion covering this, though it was instead covered by Austrian death metallers Pungent Stench. "Magic Castle" shows the band's doomy side with slow guitar heaviness, blended with electronic experimentation.

As for the rest of the album, it's just weird-a** sh*t. Emphasis on weird, emphasis on sh*t. As much as I wanna enjoy and appreciate this, I just can't. I also would rather hear Morgoth's cover of "Darkness". Not the most appropriate f***ing release to consider the start of The Infinite. I'll be doing another judgement submission ASAP....

Favorites (only tracks I even slightly like): "Why Can the Bodies Fly?", "Magic Castle"

Apparently the guilty as charged culprit of being the very first progressive metal album is the (as of now) sole album by Seattle band Culprit, Guilty as Charged. Unfortunately, that theory has been debunked. I'm not sure how this album got tagged as progressive metal, when the sound is really just heavy metal and an early example of US power metal. And while there are prog-metal elements in the ways of Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime 5 years later, it's not enough to consider it prog-metal gate-opener...

Mislabelings aside, this is some great-a** sh*t! This is true classic heavy metal from Seattle, years before Nirvana's grunge sound took the city by storm. Such a shame they only lasted one album, though they've recently reformed with a live album and compilation. And the energy they have is like what Riot were doing at that time.

The 6-minute title opener has some heaviness in the guitar while staying melodic, which adds to the ambition. The fast pace has great variation to keep listeners awake. It's pretty much a grand example of the sound from both the album and the band. Also showing their heavy metal sound is "Ice in the Back". F***ing killer vocals and lyrics there! "Hell is but a flame..." When Jeff L'Heureux sings his highs, I get chills down my back like the title would imply. "Steel to Blood" continues pushing the guitarwork forward.

"I Am" is another great track, though sounding a little too mainstream. "Ambush" levels up the memorability as the catchy chorus is in sync with the focused instrumentation. "Tears of Repentance" is an amazing highlight.

Slowing things down is "Same to You" which has the melodic emotion of UK bands. The slow intro transitions through a mighty scream into that US power metal gallop that would be then adopted by German bands. With those f***ing powerful vocals and guitar, it's practically a bridge between Riot's first 5 albums and Thundersteel. "Fight Back" instrumentally made me remember a YouTube musician I forgot about for a while, Edward Sitnikov. I prefer his material though. "Players" plays off as a decent ending track.

All in all, Guilty as Charged is a solid underrated album, and more people need to hear about this band. A 2000 re-release includes a few live bonus tracks from one of their one-off reunion shows during their 25-year split including a cover of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy". The leads and riffing throughout the songs make this a great offering. This was basically what people expected in heavy metal; lots of that 70s melody with a dash of the aggression hinted in later years or even later genres. What are you waiting for!? Wake up and smell the Culprit! The band Culprit's material, that is....

Favorites: "Guilty as Charged", "Ice in the Back", "Ambush", "Tears of Repentance", "Same to You"

I'm not too surprised that I've never heard of Mirrorcell until sometime this week. They released their debut album Long Nights in Lovescape (sounds like if someone spent all night using an AI dating app) two months ago. It's an album that can go back and forth from ethereal to intense, but it ends up inconsistent with only a few exciting tracks.

The album's sound is basically alt-metalcore with some shoegaze. I find the more shoegaze side of them a little too much, often interfering with the times when the band is meant to go heavy. As a result, the offering is plagued with generic tracks. And in the few that are actually fun to listen to, it's because of the experimentation they add to the sound. It's really only then that I realize the band's true potential...

I'm not gonna go through most of the first half of the album in detail because of how sh*tty it is (the Cane Hill feature making me remember why I'm done with that band), the worst offending track being "Otherside". It sounds worse in the composition than everything else and shows how f***ing generic ALT-metalcore at times, which is part of why The Gateway is no longer for me. Let's just skip through some tracks to the ones I like, starting with a reminder of this album's 3-star rating, "Hurt Me". An incredible highlight with well-executed electronics and breakdowns. It has really gotten me hooked with fun catchy melody. I consider it the album's true standout!

After a couple more bad generic tracks, we have "Ichi", which deserves attention for its VCTMS guest feature and its intense heaviness. I heard that it's a common song to start listening to Mirrorcell, but that would've raised some people's expectations too high. Either way, another fantastic track! I also love "U(phoria)" (Wait, did I just admit my love for the band Phoria? I'm not into art rock!). "Prey" is a solid beautiful ending track.

All in all, I would consider Long Nights in Lovescape a decent album, just not really a great one. The alternation between generic and anthemic tracks is just underwhelming for me. Still they're a new band with some potential, so I'll give them the benefit of a doubt. They just need to improve on their sound and seal it as something unique. I have nothing totally against shoegazey alt-metalcore, yet the generic sh*t is what made the sound stop being one of my favorite metal styles in the first place. There's still some good in the fusion, they just need to really let it out. Otherwise, we would have another decent yet generic release like this. We'll see what the future holds....

Favorites (only tracks I really like): "Hurt Me", "Ichi", "U(phoria)", "Prey"

Anytime I see at least two bands that I enjoy in the "for fans of" part of an album review, I feel the need to check out and review the album myself. Such is the case for Saxy's reviews for this album and that Archspire one. And they also happened to be those two tech-death albums in a week! What are the odds?! Seems like tech-death with some slight touches of math/deathcore is the hot metal topic of this month. Though for this Growth album, I say it's more like progressive tech-death...

This Melbourne-based band released their second album Under the Under over 5 years after their debut. Apparently, the two albums form part of an ongoing trilogy like what Green Carnation and Lord of the Lost are doing right now. Most of the 6 tracks here are 9-minute epics of heaviness and experimentation.

"Remember Me as Fire" kicks things off with no time to waste, filled with guitar fury and bass picking. Within the aggression is some melody to make an incredible contrast. The title track begins with ominous guitar/bass strumming. And that's just the start of a 9-minute ride of multi-time riffing. Well it doesn't cover all 9 minutes, as the second half has clean melody and clean singing by vocalist Luke Frizon, at a baritone range that I can probably do myself.

You can hear more of those clean vocals in "Slings That Shatter", sounding more emotional than the previous track. It helps with the desperation for recovery that the lyrical concept is centered upon. The melody is greatly balanced with the chaos in the music, thereby making this one of the most well-rounded tracks of the album. Although nothing new is brought into "Pain is Never Far Away", it displaying their raging moods quite well. They continue kicking things up in the drumming and riffing, showing their progressive almost djenty side. Not a total loss there!

We get some buildup in "Forward, Further, Spirit Killer" which wanders through technicality. As great and heavy as it is, I was hoping for a little more adventure. Luckily, I'm about to get my wish... Closing track "Death Cannot Hold Me" is both f***ing heavy and progressive. This is what I really want to hear from this band for diversity's sake. Nothing's holding me back from enjoying this epic!

Under the Under has great consistency and a heavy/melodic blend that should catch the attention of open-minded listeners. I wish the structures were more balanced and diverse in some songs though. Still, Growth have made a progressive tech-death blast. Something Rivers of Nihil could've done instead of going the mainstream route....

Favorites: "Remember Me as Fire", "Slings That Shatter", "Death Cannot Hold Me"

Archspire are known for their ultra-fast tech-death sound. And I mean ULTRA-FAST, like going as fast as Sonic. In fact, they're probably one of the most well-known tech-death bands to be heard beyond the underground today. Actor Jason Momoa, who you may know as Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison from A Minecraft Movie, once had two members of the band appear in an episode of the show See. Archspire have so much speed in them that not even death can catch up. They're TOO FAST TO DIE!

This gem of speed and glory wouldn't have been possible without a crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign to help them out without a record label. With $125,000 raised, vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron, guitarists Dean Lamb and Tobi Morelli, bassist Jared Smith, and new drummer Spencer Moore continuing taking the metal realms by storm.

"Liminal Cypher" has a soft melodic intro before unleashing the usual speed in the riffing and vocals. Complex guitarwork and brutal blasts add to the technicality. One impressive track is "Red Goliath" which continues the technical violence. The guitars and bass are in quite a rapid pace, and I'm surprised they're not broken in half by now. Great searing melodies too! You do have to wonder if "Carrion Ladder" is actually fast or just sped up. The music and vocals are insane, even when there's ethereal majesty.

"Anomalous Descent" doesn't lighten up the fury maintained throughout the song. The vocals continue to attack as much as the instrumentation. Every album needs a small break from the action, which is where "The Vessel" comes in with its calm intro. And when the brutality comes back on, it has some interesting melodeath-like guitar.

Up next, "Limb of Leviticus" cranks up the heaviness and speed that would stun even the most legendary guitar gods. It's a sonic firestorm of riffs and harmonics, apart from a soft bridge allowing you to take a breather. Following a smooth outro from that track, the next one "Deadbolt the Backward" has some more of those high-speed chugs and harmonics. The title finale is a perfect send-off with the last bit of destruction from the riffing and vocals that would turn a mosh-pit into a black hole when performed live.

Did I mention that they have a new drummer in Spencer Moore? Luckily, he's able to pull off that Sonic-speed drumming the way Spencer Prewett could. Archspire have made a fast complex masterpiece that is Too Fast to Die. They gotta go fast!

Favorites: "Red Goliath", "Carrion Ladder", "Limb of Leviticus", "Too Fast to Die"

Lord of the Lost isn't the only band with a trilogy of albums having been released this year and last year. Green Carnation already have their own trilogy going on, titled A Dark Poem. The second part Sanguis was released just 7 months after the first part The Shores of Melancholia. And just like Part I, this part continues the band atmospheric gothic progressive metal sound, shining as bright as ever! That should help them stand in the prog-metal league alongside Amorphis and Opeth.

Now this alternation between heavy anthems and soft ballads may put some people off, particularly in a short 6-track album. However, I'm quite used to those kinds of jumps in some bands. Though a slight change in the order would set the style a little more straight.

The 9-minute opening title epic kicks things off hard. Music comes from the heart and mind, and they clearly have some melancholy going on, along with groovy keys. So amazing! It is followed by the ballad "Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold" which goes as light as late Anathema. I would change a couple small things about it though. 1. Shorten the title so you're not just repeating it with one letter change. 2. Put it before the title epic as the album's intro, it sounds better that way. Other than that, good track!

Then things speed up in "Sweet to the Point of Bitter". Don't expect anything extreme in the vocals though, it's all clean. "I Am Time" has more melancholy in the music and the smooth vocal modesty of Kjetil Nordhus. In that sense, this is like a more progressive take on Demon Hunter's more melodic tracks.

"Fire in Ice" is bookended by an audio sample that I think is from Lord of the Rings. The music itself has the dark winter sorrow of Wolfheart (minus the harsh vocals). It's another long epic (though not as long as other progressive metal epics out there) that I enjoy, to end the action on a sweet and not bitter note. "Lunar Tale" is an uplifting ballad that is the most distant from the band's usual sound, even having some lovely flute by Ingrid Ose.

The Dark Poem saga may not be over yet, but so far those first two parts have quite impressed me. They're well connected to each other while each being their own offering. Sanguis maintains the strength while adding different moods to their writing. And I look forward to the third part to conclude the journey later this year or next year!

Favorites: "Sanguis", "I Am Time", "Fire in Ice"

I'm pleasantly surprised by the amount of metal albums coming out in March. We already got hard-hitting new releases from more modern heavier bands like ERRA, Lost Society, Neurosis, and Poison the Well. And on the last Friday of that month, Iron Savior released a cover album, and another new album has arrived from... Myrath, with Wilderness of Mirrors! They have pleased me with their talented strength once again.

March just so happened to be the month that I've actually started listening to Myrath full-time after about 10 years of hearing about them but brushing them aside. With their 7th album, they continue to step up their game, with slight improvement in the production. I also loved how audible the bass is now. As always, the amount of worldwide influences makes Myrath one of the most diverse and versatile bands around. Middle Eastern symphonic progressive metal is a style that Myrath can perform at ease, and that's something worth praising a lot.

"The Funeral" is a complex opening track, and the one that encouraged me to listen to Myrath, via one of the monthly Infinite playlists. I honestly wasn't expecting oriental progressive metal to hit me so hard, but I'm glad it did. One of the greatest tracks here is the catchy "Until the End", in which vocalist Zaher Zorgati duets with Amaranthe female vocalist Elize Ryd. "Breathing Near the Roar" has left me breathless with its Middle Eastern take on the neoclassical progressiveness of The Human Abstract.

"Les Enfants du Soleil" (Children of the Sun) has touched my heart. The French lyrics are quite well-done, considering the fact that keyboardist Kevin Codfert is from France, and the band now reside there. "Still the Dawn Will Come" has catchy rhythms worth dancing and headbanging to. From the start of "The Clown", that song has a sound closer to heavy/power metal, and it's the somewhat generic kind. Well it's not bad, though it could've been improved for the album rating to be raised up to perfection. "Soul of My Soul" is another excellent single with different layers.

"Edge of the Night" has the catchy melody of Amaranthe, but replace the electronics with Middle Eastern vibes. I can say the same about "Echoes of the Fallen" which is an odd yet brilliant standout. Although it sounds more alt-ish, the progressiveness and the climatic chorus help the track stay good. All that's missing is for Ryd to guest appear in that track as well. "Through the Seasons" ends the album on a refined note.

All in all, Wilderness of Mirrors may be tied with Karma as my favorite Myrath album that isn't the glorious Tales of the Sands. It's too spectacular to ignore. Myrath needs to be appreciated more, and they shall!

Favorites: "The Funeral", "Until the End", "Les Enfants du Soleil", "Soul of My Soul", "Echoes of the Fallen"

Battle Ballads... That's an album title can either be aptly titled and have mostly ballads, or be misleading. Fortunately, it's the latter. I say "fortunately" because it's another good album from these Faroese metallers Tyr. In truth, there are only as many ballads as there are in a DragonForce album; one or two. The rest are power metal anthems with some melodic harmonies and bombastic orchestrations.

Oh yeah, this offering continues the band's later power metal direction, with their earlier progressive folk metal style in fragments. Their power metal side is in clearer display than before. However, the difference has caused less balance in their sound. Still there's a lot to look forward to, particularly in some of the first few tracks.

"Hammered" starts the album as an early hint at this approach. It's quite fun and hammering! Also a great way to introduce their new lead guitarist Hans Hammer, with the song title fitting well for that occasion too. Another 3-minute metal tune follows, "Unwandered Ways", yet it doesn't impress me as much as the surrounding tracks. "Dragons Never Die" is yet another 3-minute track while being another incredible standout. I especially love its chorus.

One of the most diverse songs in the vocals is "Row". While frontman Heri Joensen continues his unique singing, he also tests out some death growling (not as much as in Hel's opening track) and throat singing. Sadly it doesn't reach the heights of those earlier highlights. Still not a bad song though. Up next, "Torkils Dotur" is one of 3 songs with Faroese lyrics. It has quite some climatic emotion for a ballad. "Vaelkomnir Foroyingar" has more of their native language, while having a more straight direction in the music and vocals. However, their attempt at adding speed and heaviness comes out a bit weak and out of line. Thankfully, they still have their power in "Hangman".

"Axes" levels up the quality, showing that they still got it after around 25 years. The somewhat title track "Battle Ballad" is one of the mightiest tracks here. Everything's a small journey in this song! It's almost like Devin Townsend helped produced it alongside the album's actual producer Jacob Hansen. The bass should still be as audible as the rest, honestly. The closing "Causa Latronum Normannorum" starts off promising yet falls flat, compared to at least the previous two albums' ending epics.

Battle Ballads seems to take on the simple tight aspect of songs being mostly 3 to 4 minutes long each, similar to Valkyrja. The problem with their new album is, most of the progressiveness of their previous albums, including Valkyrja and Hel, have been discarded. At least a lot of the unique vocals by Heri Joensen is still around. And the formula they have is never downgraded to generic. Plus I am grateful for those other two albums I've checked out that make me up for more of this band. So although Battle Ballads doesn't reach that amount of greatness, nothing is jinxed, and Tyr is a band I'll never forget....

Favorites: "Hammered", "Dragons Never Die", "Torkils Dotur", "Axes", "Battle Ballad"

There's no arguing with the fact that Tyr is the most, and probably only, notable Faroese metal band. They're literally the only thing some people in the world, including myself, know about the Faroe Islands. I actually have heard of Tyr around 10 years before my new reviews, but their earlier albums from the 2000s had more of a doom-ish folk/prog-metal sound that was too dark for my bright melodic teen self at the time. However, Heri Joensen and co. would discard most of their earlier doom with fast power metal in the harmonic guitars. Of course, there;s still some of the folk/progressive part of their identity. All of that makes one of the best albums I've heard in folk/power metal!

Hel is ambitious as... well, Hel. 13 tracks cover 70 glorious minutes. Most of them are each 4 to 6 minutes long, with two 7-minute epics to bookend the album. Some persistent listening may be needed for a full rewarding experience. And just the word Hel (only one hockey stick) and artwork are enough for a great dark first impression, alongside the song titles that are as power metal as the actual tracks.

The 7-minute opener "Gates of Hel" would be quite a surprise for any longtime fan of the band, particularly in the first one or two minutes. The riffing sounds so crushing and deathly, complete with harsh vocals performed by Heri Joensen himself! Some might think, "What is this, Amon Amarth?!?" Anyway, that part is as fantastic as the rest of this song. I would love to hear more heavy growl-infused tracks like that from the band. Starting the second third of "All Heroes Fall" is some perfect soloing talent. The shredding that occurs in conjunction with the supporting riff-wrath is perhaps the best here. Next up, "Ragnars Kvaeoi" is the first of two Faroese-sung songs. It's quite great hearing those kinds of lyrics fit in with the atmosphere and folk-fueled instrumentation. Metal fury can sound so soothing in "Garmr", named after one of the hounds of Hel.

The lyrics are at their highest peak in the beautiful "Sunset Shore", especially in the chorus. We then have the melodic "Downhill Drunk", and nothing ever goes downhill there. If you're up for some really powerful riffing, that's what opens "Empire of the North", and they especially hit hard in the verses. That, along with the big layered production, help make that track another epic highlight. "Far from the Worries of the World" is another example of melodic strength. Same with "King of Time".

Some more of the greatest soloing occurs in "Fire and Flame". Then "Against the Gods" levels up the massive riffs and rhythms. We get more of the firey soloing in "Songs of War" from temporary lead guitarist Atilla Voros. "Alvur Kongur" closes it all as another 7-minute progressive epic, from the clean intro to another metal extravaganza.

However, Hel needs more praise in the metal community. If I only get to listen to half of this album, it would still sound complete. This may just surpass DragonForce's Extreme Power Metal the best power metal album of 2019 for me. Some might take some time to get used to this album, while others, such as myself, would love it instantly. Still, you may want to pay close attention for the best of this dark voyage to Hel. Once the clean guitars at the beginning get you hooked, you're all set. With any luck, Tyr might just be one of my newfound favorite bands of folk/power metal. Will I dive into more of this band's catalog? HEL YEAH!

Favorites: "Gates of Hel", "All Heroes Fall", "Sunset Shore", "Empire of the North", "Fire and Flame", "Against the Gods", "Alvur Kongur"

Y'know, I can enjoy many different metal genres as the experienced metalhead I am. Sometimes it all depends on my mood. And there was a time when I was so g****mn focused on the modern heavier genres like metalcore and industrial metal that I was blowing off the more melodic genres I once enjoyed like power metal and folk metal. I'm glad I can balance my metal palate with both sides of the coin now and can find the appeal of some bands, like this one that was just recommended to me elsewhere, Tyr!

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago off the coast of Europe, owned by Denmark. Tyr have brought those islands to greater prominence by unleashing their folk/power metal sound to the world. Valkyrja is their 7th album, and they had a temporary drummer in Nile's George Kollias, replacing founding member Kári Streymoy.

Jumping right in is the catchy riffing of "Blood of Heroes". Heroes shall be remembered when they die in blood and glory. The music sounds clearer in "Mare of My Night", as the lyrics tell the tale of a woman's struggle. "Hel Hath No Fury" continues that lyrical subject. Leaves' Eyes ex-vocalist Liv Kristine guest appears in "The Lay of Our Love". Taking some traditional native motives, it's one of the most beautiful ballads I've heard, even for a heavier metalhead like myself. The vocal alternation works like a dream.

It is followed by the anthemic highlight "Nation" with emotional soloing. Then we get some faster thrash in "Another Fallen Brother", which is quite catchy. "Grindavisan" is filled with doomy majesty in the occasional marching tempo and choirs. Although the lyrics are entirely sung in Faroese, it is one of my favorite tracks here.

"Into the Sky" exemplifies the band's typical Nordic lyrical theme, centered around Valkyries and Vikings. "Fanar Burtur Brandaljoo" is another Faroese-sung track worth listening to. The lyrical output by frontman Heri Joensen sounds so mystical, whether or not you can understand it. "Lady of the Slain" is another fast song. They've clearly taken some techniques from well-known thrash bands to make another highlight. The closing title epic is too glorious to put into words. Just listen to believe!

All in all, my first actual full-album Tyr experience in Valkyrja already shows excellent promise. Everything's listenable and never dull. What would've made this 100% perfect would be some additional folk elements that would give it the folk/power metal zest of Ensiferum, but it all works greatly as it is. Ride on, my heroes!

Favorites: "Blood of Heroes", "The Lay of Our Love", "Nation", "Grindavisan", "Lady of the Slain", "Valkyrja"

As much as I enjoy how talented the members of Myrath are, one of them that I think stood out well amongst them is keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha. His keys and strings help give the band's sound that magic Middle Eastern folk touch. He also sang in their debut Hope, having that Russell Allen-esque edge. Bummer that he left in 2020, though we didn't know until a couple years later because of the pandemic. Taking his place is longtime contributor and Adagio keyboardist Kevin Codfert!

This small change in lineup helped the band continue to step forward. That and the amount of time the band ended up having for this album compared to Shehili, also due to the pandemic, helped give the band a little more strength in writing. As a result, Karma is another amazing album, almost reaching the glory of Tales of the Sands.

Starting the album is "To the Stars" which has a kick-A groove boosted by the incredible drumming skills of Morgan Berthet, and of course the soaring vocals of Zaher Zorgati. Kevin Codfert's keys crank up the orchestral value, which explains the band sounding more symphonic and Western than ever, and he also does some wicked soloing. "Into the Light" is another excellent track to get you pumped up. This one's more melodic and mid-tempo with a catchy chorus. This shall get the live crowd moving. Their earlier Middle Eastern vibes are still present in "Candles Cry", specifically in the strings. The catchy chorus has different layers in the vocals and instrumentation and help make any listener anywhere welcome. The keys in "Let It Go" make that song a little too much like 80s rock, but that's OK. Still far better than that song from Frozen.

"Words are Failing" is another one of my favorite tracks in the album, getting you hooked in the strings and vocals. More of those keyboard string melodies shine before ending greatly with the powerful guitar soloing and final chorus. The anthemic "The Wheel of Time" has some funky bass. The chorus encourages you to be yourself, and the bridge explodes into some heavy power. The keys ended up drowning out most of the instrumentation in "Temple Walls", though that's really my only complaint for this entire album. "Child of Prophecy" starts off soft and chill in the keys and vocals, then guitarist Malek Ben Arbia unleashes some savage riffing, leading to another inspiring chorus.

"The Empire" adds in a bit of mid-paced power metal similarly to Almah and Serenity. And even more in "Heroes", the way German bands like Helloween and Masterplan would do it. Closing track "Carry On" has heavy darkness that was almost entirely absent in the album up to that point. Nonetheless, it has the theme of perseverance as the hero narrated by Zorgati declares that he will carry on, be the one, and find a way.

Myrath has made an album that comes to the perfection of Tales of the Sands, at probably the higher part of the 4.5-star tier. They continue to show how well different sounds from across the globe fit well together. United by metal!

Favorites: "To the Stars", "Into the Light", "Words are Failing", "The Wheel of Time", "Child of Prophecy", "Carry On"

Another adventure awaits in the lands of Myrath. Shehili refers to the Southern winds blown across Tunisia, and just like those winds, the notes and compositions would blow you away. This kind of feeling of mystical as f***!

Oriental metal was first invented by Orphaned Land with their 1993 demo The Beloved's Cry and 1994 debut Sahara. Fast forward 25 years and Myrath have been making album after album of kick-A metal with emotion and Middle Eastern instrumentation. Melodies and rhythms are performed quite well in the metal and orchestration. The songs are all brilliantly mixed. And while there's not a lot of variety, it's still enough to display their usual progressive folk metal sound of hope.

The brief intro "Asl" consists of oriental woodwind and vocal chanting before the folky prog-metal kicks off in the next track... "Born to Survive" is a solid catchy example of that sound. "You’ve Lost Yourself" exemplifies that even further with its unbreakable metal heaviness gone folk combo. The vocals soar as guide you into the memorable final third with that bridge and solo that shall be remembered. And there's more of that masterful soloing and soaring vocals in "Dance", a Syrian dancer determined to follow his dreams despite being on the run from ISIS. And d*mn, those keyboard melodies can really shine without being too overwhelming.

Now things get a little darker with "Wicked Dice". Same with "Monster in My Closet" which has more aggressive riffing. That's the kind of music to both dance and headbang to. Slowing things down is another majestic highlight, "Lili Twil". Although it's a cover of an old Tunisian song, it has been more progressive guitarwork not too far off from Dream Theater, fitting well with the Arabic vocals. ''No Holding Back'' stands out with its keyboard orchestrations and percussion, giving us promising melodies and rhythms.

"Stardust" starts off with sorrowful piano that makes me think it would lead to a song in the style of Amaranthe, Galneryus, Xandria, or Delain. However, it instead leads to a symphonic ballad with slight heaviness. More melodic drama comes in ''Mersal''. Guest appearing is Tunisian singing veteran Lotfi Bouchnak whose dark range has brilliant contrast with the melodic light of Zaher Zorgati. Theatrical orchestrations and riffing appear again in "Darkness Arise". You gotta appreciate the talent guitarist Malek Ben Arbia has. The closing title track does grand justice to the melodic prog-folk metal sound of Myrath and Orphaned Land's later material.

With all that said, I'm glad Myrath still have what it takes in Shehili. They have shown us that there's still hope and joy in a world of hate and war. They've motivated us with these anthems of wonder. Awesome rhythms, inspring vocals... They all sound so unique. Shehili is an excellent powerful release. So turn it on and let it be the soundtrack to your journey through these majestic Middle Eastern lands!

Favorites: "You’ve Lost Yourself", "Dance", "Lili Twil", ''No Holding Back'', "Mersal", "Shehili"

If you're familiar with the Arabic language, you would know that Myrath is Arabic for Legacy. I guess this means that this album is the band's self-titled one. And you know that when a band releases a self-titled album, it often means that the album is highly representative of the band and their sound. Well with this album showing them discard the long complex song structures for a more accessible route, it's definitely the start of that different era.

These Tunisian progressive folk metallers have their catchy unique sound on display through 11 tracks. The Middle Eastern folk/symphonic aspects are even more apparent than their earlier releases. As a result, diverse experimentation is abound! It's already clear that their writing is as well-done as fellow oriental metal band Orphaned Land, to the point of almost rivaling them. As for the lyrics, the theme of freedom and hope has been around since the beginning. It's never tiring as long as it can motivate listeners, and even the band as well.

The cinematic folk intro "Jasmin" shall blow you away. And "Believer" shall blow you away harder than a hurricane! It is their catchiest song so far, with passion and power in the optimistic lyrics and exotic melodies. The chanting vocals sound EPIC. I can just visualize those Middle Eastern lands so well with this masterpiece of a song. The music video was made by two of the producers for Game of Thrones. The song is a gem that should really get you into the emotion of this album. The band still have their earlier more progressive side in "Get Your Freedom Back". It's almost like a sum-up of their first 3 albums and what's to come later in this one, all in 4 minutes! The progressiveness in the riffing is fused with the folk/symphonic elements. We even have a brief bridge of funky bass and drums. All catchy and progressive, similar to Orphaned Land.

On the flipside of their sound, "Nobody's Lives" takes on calm melancholy, complete with an Arabic-sung melodic chorus. The guitar rhythms flow through until stepping aside for more of those folky symphonics and some spotlight in the vocals. "The Needle" has darker intensity in the riffing and keys that sound closer to power metal. The catchy chorus will once again take over your mind with all its passion. We then get the epic "Through Your Eyes", which is where the magic really happens, especially in the piano harmonies. "The Unburnt" has some references to A Song of Ice and Fire. Those Game of Thrones producers should've made a music video for that one.

True standout "I Want to Die" is filled with epic glory, with sorrowful strings and smooth vocals. You know what, that should've been the theme for that James Bond film No Time to Die instead of that Billie Eilish song. Another progressive track "Duat" has some Ayreon-esque spacey keys. It's like a futuristic twist on their usual Middle Eastern folk-oriented sound, and that makes another brilliant highlight. Then we dig into the past for some old-school piano in "Endure the Silence", which is unusual yet shall catch your attention. One more track that is a folk-fueled rocker is "Storm of Lies". It really ends the offering as one more summary of the band's new direction. The Japanese edition includes instrumental "karaoke" versions of that track and "Believer".

All in all, Legacy has some of the most emotional diversity from Myrath, and it makes sense that this is their de facto self-titled album. As excellent as it is though, the vocals and symphonic are a little too pompous for me in some cases. Maybe it would've been perfect when I was in the more melodic metal zone at the time of the album's release. Now I prefer hearing the power from the guitars, bass, and drums that end up drowned out in those couple missteps. The surrounding albums have a greater amount of heaviness to balance out with the ambition. Still, Legacy has helped seal the band's position in the new league of melodic progressive metal. Their legacy shall carry on!

Favorites: "Believer", "Get Your Freedom Back", "Through Your Eyes", "I Want to Die", "Duat", "Storm of Lies"

In an age where melodic prog-metal giants like Dream Theater and Fates Warning are going strong decades into their careers, some listeners feel up to giving the newer and younger bands a chance. And some of those bands add something different to shake up the sound. One band being Tunisian oriental metallers Tunisia! Tales of the Sands is their 3rd album and is another step forward for the band after Desert Call which was in turn a step up from Hope. That may seem odd to say when they've switched gears in their compositional songwriting out of long epics into shorter songs, but what matters is how it's executed, within the vocals, guitars, percussion, and strings.

This kind of direction shows that Myrath is more than just the Middle Eastern Symphony X. From this album on, the lyrics alternate between English and Arabic, the vocal range is more diverse, and the drums and synths' ethnic vibes are stronger than before. Each song tells its own tale, no matter how short and long. Yet another case of how aptly titled Myrath's albums can be.

"Under Siege" is an awesome track to start with. It sounds close to the power metal of Iron Savior while throwing in the usual Middle Eastern instrumentation along with some background singing and chanting by Clementine Delauney, later known as for her vocal work with Serenity and Visions of Atlantis. It is followed by the more harmonic "Braving the Seas". The riffing almost borders in on metalcore while everything else is generally power-ish prog-metal. "Merciless Times" shows less mercy, as the blend of heavy riffing and symphonics remind me of Trail of Tears, albeit with Middle Eastern vibes and no growls. They bring back some Dream Theater-isms in the title track.

There's some more of the heavy low-tuned riffs in "Sour Sigh" (sounds like the kind of upset noise I would make). The dark heaviness that commences after the cinematic intro fits so well, even when the vocals are all cleans and no growls. "Dawn Within" pretty much continues the idea of giving the Finnish power metal of Thunderstone and Warmen a progressive oriential twist. More of that metallic melody appears in "Wide Shut".

It's also interesting hearing some electronic experimentation in "Requiem for a Goodbye", another track that pays off well in the rhythm and melody. "Beyond the Stars" has hammering aggression while Zaher Zorgatti continues his delicate yet strong singing. The original album ends with the great catchy "Time to Grow". Electronic keys pave the way for the rest of the exciting instrumentation, all in perfect synergy. Towards the end is some fantastic soloing from the guitars, bass, and drums, heading into the final chorus. A fantastic way out! The U.S. bonus track "Apostrophe for a Legend" is a top-notch rocker that should've been in the original album.

Like I said, all songs are short catchy anthems. There are none of the long epics from their first two albums. I mean it would've been nice to include at least one of those here, but it's perfect as it is. There are also no ballads, which is great because we wouldn't want the flow disrupted, would we? As amazing as Desert Call is, Tales of the Sands takes the throne for its consistency and clear production. Every twist they make gives the sound the memorable zest it needs for constant listening. This really shows the band's passion at its highest peak, and they don't lose their focus one bit. It has given the melodic progressive metal scene some hope after all those years of bands just imitating Dream Theater and Fates Warning. Myrath's talent shall be heard beyond the sands of time!

Favorites: "Under Siege", "Merciless Times", "Sour Sigh", "Requiem for a Goodbye", "Time to Grow", "Apostrophe for a Legend"

Melodic progressive metal has been shaped up in the US by Dream Theater and Symphony X. Then bands from other countries combine the genre with power metal like the Brazilian Angra and the Norwegian Pagan's Mind. And in between is one band from Tunisia that can combine power-ish progressive metal hooks and Middle Eastern vibes, Myrath. They're pretty much the band anyone thinks of when they encounter the phrase "Middle Eastern progressive metal" along with Orphaned Land. This kind of blend shines in both the heavier tracks and the ballads. You can pretty much listen to this while traveling a mystical desert as the winds call your name. That really makes the title of this album quite apt, Desert Call!

Myrath is the kind of band that would likely please the more melodic metalheads than the more extreme ones. It's probably why I waited until my recent return to the more melodic side of my metal taste to check out this band. At least the more extreme metalheads would enjoy Orphaned Land's earlier death-doom material. Desert Call is filled with melodic prog-metal anthems that can lean into rock or power metal but either way place the riffing side-by-side with oriental instrumentation and... Oh yeah, the vocals. Zaher Zorgatti has taken over on vocals that can drift through in both English and his native language. I kinda want more of keyboardist Elyes Bouchoucha's singing though.

From just the first half of "Forever and a Day", you know how excellent things are gonna get. Besides the true vocal power of Zorgatti, guitarist Malek Ben Arbia has taken on some strong riffing not too far off from Symphony X. Bouchoucha's keyboard atmosphere adds a lot as well. And the rhythm section consisting of bassist Anis Jouini and drummer Saif Louhibi help make that rhythmic impact behind the melodies. All of that has given me more hope in my exploration of melodic prog-metal and even power metal, and we're just getting started with this offering. "Tempests of Sorrows" has that guitar groove punching through the vocals, percussion, and oriental strings. The title track is where the band really master the synths, guitars, and bass in another standout.

Next up is the beyond wild madness of "Madness". The guitarwork in the opening is so crushing and frantic before leading into more of the vocals and strings. The dark insanity makes this one of the best tracks of the album. The 11-minute epic "Silent Cries" has wonderful guitar, keys, and percussion. I love it, though I prefer the debut album's epic. We breathe in some lighter air in "Memories", a soft yet progressive ballad. I wouldn't say it's super great, but it's far less generic than the song title.

Then we pump up the heaviness in "Ironic Destiny". And even more in "No Turning Back". There are some certainly some Angra-gone-Middle-Eastern vibes in the percussion and keys. "Empty World" kicks things up high, already sounding really heavy in the guitar within the first 30 seconds. I enjoy the vocals in the chorus along with the powerful guitarwork especially in the solo shredding. "Shockwave" is just full-on progressive power metal, as the atmospheric synths follow suit with the strong catchy metal instrumentation sounding close to Heavenly. And those lyrics are worth rocking out to. Also you don't wanna miss out on the US edition bonus track "Hard Times".

Symphony X and Angra fans wanting to hear that kind of sound come from the Middle East should definitely check out Myrath including this album Desert Call. Almost everything sounds so memorable and unique. It's a step up from their 2007 debut Hope, and the band would only get better in subsequent releases which, despite having simpler song structures and no more of those long epics, are still fun and enjoyable. But for now, hear this inspiring call!

Favorites: "Forever and a Day", "Desert Call", "Madness", "Silent Cries", "Empty World", "Hard Times"