Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

I listened to a few The Human Abstract songs before but didn't feel interested enough to really enjoy the band. They're a band that combines metalcore elements with classical influences, mostly in the beautiful chords and acoustic passages. Yeah, that was when I was moving away from the classical-influenced metal I lost passion for...

Nocturne is kind of a metalcore album with primarily Northern European-driven components. The dueling guitar harmonies and rhythms both have active skills combined with sweet melodies, all in a style that reaches out of Between the Buried and Me at the time while exploring the neo-classical grandeur of Symphony X. The band prefers to be more adventurous than safe, which is attempted by a very minimal amount of the bands, thereby emphasizing pivotal directions through roads less traveled.

Already when the first track "Harbringer" plays, the classical acoustic guitar really shines in the intro, sounding like a medieval bard's lute. Then the neo-classical heaviness carries on, featuring a great infectious clean chorus. "Self Portraits of the Instincts" continues the cool neo-classical metalcore mix while having clean choruses with catchy melodies and emo-ish clean vocals in contrast with the strong hardcore growls. The breakdowns are definitely worth headbanging! The title track is filled with impressively perplexing time changes. However, there's painfully clean singing in the middle that don't fit the heaviness ("No wonder here, just an echo resounding") He channels his inner Greg Puciato or Rody Walker better in the solid screams. "Crossing the Rubicon" continues the complex time changes while getting caught in guitar tornadoes.

Then there's the classic acoustic interlude "Sotto Voce". Choral keyboard textures enchant the fast "Mea Culpa", where the group really nails the blend of technical grace. The neo-classical soloing in celestial instrumentation is some of the most epic in this album. The "I failed and I don’t know why!!" breakdown is so d*mn emotional in the vocals. Epic song! Next one "Movement from Discord" once again has catchy clean choruses with unleashed clarity. "Channel Detritus" once again has shining classical guitar in the acoustic passages. Good mix of epic and extreme!

"Polaris" continues those soft acoustic passages and infectious clean choruses. However, the clean chorus starts to get a little hackneyed at this point. In "Echelons and Molotovs", the otherwise ridiculous drum fills are more appropriately placed where there's more speed and bass. "Desiderata" is another pleasant acoustic instrumental with classical guitar. Ending track "Vela, Together We Await the Storm" is an aggressive headbanger with the best guitars you would hear here, both flamenco and electric.

Though Nocturne is really impressive, its style isn't really as mind-blowing as it would've been in 2006. Still there's some fresh air of classical distinction. It's worth checking out if you're up for something a little more artful!

Favorites: Harbringer, Self Portraits of the Instincts, Crossing the Rubicon, Mea Culpa, Channel Detritus, Vela Together We Await the Storm

Was there ever a time when someone says something that is a line from the song unaware that a few years later you would hear that exact same thing in a song? "What would it take for things to be quiet?!" (from "Louder Than Thunder") yelled my mom who can't stand loud metal music, when I was watching the music video for The Devil Wears Prada song "First Sight" on TV, 5 years before this review. I wasn't interested in metalcore back then even though that was a good song/video. And during my great transition to metalcore a couple years later, I wasn't into this band enough to fully listen to them. Now, reviewing one of their albums, these guys are certainly never quiet!

I'm sure other metalcore fans have heard of The Devil Wears Prada (named after the novel, NOT the movie, which was released a year after the band's formation) as well. They stormed through a couple albums before this one and extensive live performances such as the 2008 Warped Tour. Then they reached the third chapter of their tenure, With Roots Above and Branches Below!

The opening track "Sassafras" already tells you what they're going for in this album. The vocals range from metalcore screams to death growls. Guitar breakdowns are often accompanied by synthesized piano/violins. The drums keep changing from slow grinding to furious rolls, as the bass runs. And it has a melodic clean chorus, a first for the band! But that of course means more of that mundane verse/chorus structure they've never had before. For a witty song title like "I Hate Buffering", that song has killer guitar melodies for everyone (except my metal-hating mom) to enjoy. Another nonsensical title, "Assistant to the Regional Manager" (reference to The Office) is still a great metalcore mix of epic and extreme. "Dez Moines" is filled with moments singing and screaming alternating between each other every minute.

"Big Wiggly Style" might look like a rap song title, but thank the Lord it isn't. It's just your friendly neighborhood metalcore! The riffs in "Danger Wildman" are just wild, inspired by A Life Once Lost. "Ben Has a Kid" continues the singing/screaming alternation. "Wapakalypse" is another witty song title with the song mixing melody and brutality.

"Gimme Half" is once again half epic, half extreme. "Louder Than Thunder" is a rather ironic name for the song, not just because it's a melodic mellow ballad, but also I don't think even metal performances can be louder than thunder, and that's why (don't laugh) I'm scared of thunder. Still an interesting album highlight! After that soft ballad, "Lord Xenu" closes the album in epic heaviness.

With Roots Above and Branches Below is excellent and worth its place in any heavy fan's library. It's many Christian metalcore fans' love at first sight! (Note; My mom can tolerate metal much more now)

Favorites: "Sassafras", "Assistant to the Regional Manager", "Dez Moines", "Ben Has a Kid", "Louder Than Thunder", "Lord Xenu"

Still Remains is still remaining one of the few proper metalcore beasts of bands. The metalcore scene has been trapped in the repetitive invasion of emo bands that soil the genre. Of Love And Lunacy is one of those few incomparable metalcore releases, despite a few small similarities. This ain't the whiny sh*t-core scene, so Design the Skyline fans should leave this territory and design their own skyline!

Of Love and Lunacy contains a metal frenzy of intelligence with doses of hardcore added in an amount that people can respect, plus some interesting atmospheric sounds, all in a greater metalcore work of art than Converge. The vocals and instrumentation are always interesting, often brilliant, and sometimes progressive.

Starting off the album is "To Live and Die by Fire", beginning with drumming and bad-a** guitar riffing, complemented by interesting background keyboards. The lyrics are simplistic yet offer complexity in the vocals, which are in a frenzy of hardcore death growling. With all that, I thought to myself, "Wow... Now that's metalcore!" Next song "The Worst Is Yet To Come" is another one of the best yet to come with epic clean choruses that make the song storm across heaven. The typical verse-chorus structure is mixed around into something more exciting. "In Place of Hope" starts with drumming and riffing followed by a long "FAREWELL!!!!" scream with a cool pulsating effect. "White Walls" isn't as epic as Between the Buried and Me's "White Walls", but it has special leads and a great chorus that still makes this song an album highlight.

Another notable song is "Bliss", written in a careful progressive mix of Shadows Fall and Nightrage. The breakdowns never annoy or bore you, equally blending with the rest of the content. "Cherished" is a catchy song about "being only human" and "waiting for something more". It's like a cry for God for human perfection. "With Everything You Have" is just a piano interlude. "Kelsey" is I assume to be about a girl named Kelsey trying to break free from addiction and learn from mistakes. The lyrics treat the Bible like a gun, ordering to point the gun and pull the trigger so that "I'll soak it all in".

"Recovery" once again has the killer Shadows Fall/Nightrage blend and epic clean chorus in a more over the top fashion, complete with corny lyrics and dramatic keyboards. "I Can Revive Him with My Own Hands" is personally the absolute album highlight with all the album's flavor. It has a serious guitar riff and sick metaphorical growled lyrics. The lyrics are far more interesting than in that Killswitch Engage album I listened to, Alive or Just Breathing, making that album sound kid-friendly in comparison. The guitars keep your attention running. Brilliant drumming and mature metalcore vocals continue on as lyrics continue shivering down my spine with serious emotion. Hardcore growls really end the song in a killer band ("I can revive him with my own two hands!!"). "Stare and Wonder" is another song worth good listening. "Blossom, the Witch" starts with techno effects before unleashing more heaviness. It has everything; drums, bass, singing, screaming, growling, squealing, guitars, and time changes. Amazing!

Of Love and Lunacy is an album that has intense emotion, caustically great metal, and brilliant musicianship. The songs flow from one another and are never isolated. They all have the album's original flavor, but it's the uniqueness that makes each song different while still related, emphasizing the album's artistic luminosity. The riff-craft is all set in perfectly timed drumming and great keyboard synth moments. The clean vocals are as memorable and mesmerizing as the growls. I would certainly recommend Of Love and Lunacy for anyone looking for interesting metalcore brilliance. This band still remains!

Favorites: "To Live and Die by Fire", "The Worst Is Yet To Come", "White Walls", "Bliss", "I Can Revive Him with My Own Hands", "Blossom, the Witch"

When making a debut studio album, there are some things you need to think about deciding; the feel for the album, the central themes, and each song's style. Give them all some time so you can let the album grow and glow without forcing the beauty. That's exactly what Protest the Hero did! After playing some Happy Go Lucky punk rock, they decided to brainstorm an album and story to compose that's far different, and that took them 2 years. 2 YEARS!! A long time for a 10-song album! However, that's what makes some albums the best, by taking the longest time. With that and their more progressive sound, Kezia just made part of my top 10 of 2005!! And apparently, many metalcore fans and critics rate it the #1 album of 2005. Well sure, but there are other bands who also made awesome in 2005. Either way, what an accomplishment!

Kezia is not just an album but also a story, which is what concept albums are, right? It has everything you need for a story; interesting characters, plot twists, and poetic language. There are 3 parts of the story, and each part is in the perspective of a different character with their view in the story. You'll see what those characters are as the review moves along. We barely know anything about those characters when we start the story, but as the twisted tale goes on, we learn much more about them song after song. I'll describe the song structures, how good they are, and the story analysis, all in this review. (SPOILERS COMING!!)

Act I: The Prison Priest - "No Stars Over Bethlehem" starts with a piano intro, the background noises begin to rise louder. Then the song starts right away! You get launched into an insane song filled with religious views from the priest. The main story has barely even started yet so you don't know what's even going on. Not the best song, but definitely not bad at all. The guitars are pretty epic, and you might very well feel like you're in Bethlehem. Nice tranquility! In "Heretics and Killers", the guitar playing sounds both different and similar to the previous song, and that's kinda a small problem. Despite the differences, the guitars have a similar sound, and as a result, the songs ends up being repetitive. Despite this, the song's still good. Rody Walker really nails the over-the-top singing over the acoustic section with background tranquility. The priest believes that after God has fortified life, God has forsaken him. The priest now feels like an impersonating beggar, leading to the central conflict. Again not the best, but still so good. "Divinity Within" shows the band finally thinking more about the story, and it's already the last song for this act. Once again, it sounds too similar to the other two songs in the act, but it gets made up by the incoming awesomeness. Some earlier said lyrics were repeated more dramatically ("I watch my temple fall to pieces"). Then the song gets slower and more melodic that makes me want to break into emotional tears. So now we know the priest's connection to the main character, Kezia, a young girl who has committed a crime so terrible that she was sentenced to death. The priest has to ask the "Any last words?" question and condemn her to death. He regains his religious plight but he's hesitant against what he has to do. He doesn't feel like has the right to keep or take people's lives. The "final words" question hangs in the balance when the song and act ends. What happens next? We'll have to find out in the next act. Anyway, that's a great fitting closure to the first act!

Act II: The Prison Guard - "Bury The Hatchet" starts the act fast and heavy, and you have a different feeling about this act. Based on the toughness of the guard, the guitars are more aggressive and the lyrics are gruesome. The guard is also the executioner who's responsible for killing prisoners. He's been trained to do his duty without remorse. Simple yet cruel. The heaviest song to attract metalheads! "Nautical" is the shortest and least important song here. It's just a tribute to the band's earlier political punk style. I suppose this was used as more of the angry guard's rants. The guitar work is too average. The worst song but not terrible enough to detract the 5-star rating. "Blindfolds Aside" is a catchy song. The guitar work isn't super impressive but it gets put aside for the amazing vocals soaring into an emotional climax. The solo and the bridge that follows are beautiful. You already know how profound Protest the Hero were thinking when composing. Similar to the first act, it's the third and last song in the act that's has filled with an emotional climax of power. There's even a beautiful acoustic ending with female singing by Jadea Kelly. The song is set in the same place as "Divinity Within"; the execution. After all that unnecessary ranting from the previous track, the guard actually feels some sympathy towards Kezia. So now we're seeing quite a guilt trip. Kezia gives the guard a choice of fates; kill her and feel guilt for the rest of his life or abort the execution and let himself control his life. The execution's about to start, and what does the guard to choose? Again we don't know, so this is it. We're down to one more act, and maybe then the story would be complete. Best track of the second act!

Act III: Kezia - "She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods" begins the story of Kezia herself, and boy is it a sad one! The melancholy is reflected in the usage of the slightly sad but still furious guitar. By the end of this song you would really feel it. The combo of both male and female vocals plus the slow guitar represents the feeling of sympathy for Kezia. It's not a pretty history for her. When she was younger, her mother was killed by possibly Kezia's father. That really sets off the actions later on in the act. Great emotional song! Next track, "Turn Soonest To The Sea" is filled with obscure sexist references, including a reference to Vesta, the Greek Goddess of empowerment. This is my second favorite song here and the longest of the album at over 6 minutes. Everything you ever hope for is thrown all over the place. The great sing-along ending is very catchy and my favorite part of the song. In the story, Kezia has grown up in a world where sexist men dominate. Every women has to live up to ridiculously sexist standards from social obligations to labels. The reason Kezia is in jail and about to be executed is more likely to be because she tried to empower females therefore causing treason against the male reign. The concept is so wrong yet interesting. It's an amazing track worth listening to so many times, but it leads to the last and best of this act. That song is "The Divine Suicide Of K.", the absolute best track here! This song is at the brink of making me cry and wet my pants. It continues the whole "best for last" technique for each act, and this is no exception! The song is so emotional and mind-blowing. Many different parts and placed around in amazing order. The male vocals are teary and the female singing is at its strongest. In the middle of the song, the guitars really float in clouds of emotion. The climatic perfection returns! The overlapping singing/screaming combo is more glorious than you can ever believe. And the female vocals really end the song slow and steady. So now it's really time for the execution. Maybe the ending would finally be clear. Will the priest neglect God? Will the guard free Kezia? Will Kezia accept her fate? The answer is... PSYCH!!! There was no proper ending! You took a journey that just stopped in a bang and a cliffhanger. The finale track, "A Plateful Of Our Dead" is just a separate message that clarifies the point of this album. Good satisfying finale!

Kezia is indeed one of the best albums in the Melodic Metalcore clan challenge and one of the greatest progressive metalcore albums in general. Protest The Hero are some of both the most talented musicians and the most amazing storytellers, greater than most other albums I've heard and stories I've read. I would recommend this album to any music listener and story reader out there. Thank you, Protest the Hero, for this grand-masterpiece. Not to sound like I'm in love with someone, but... I love you, Kezia!

Favorites: "Divinity Within", "Blindfolds Aside", "She Who Mars the Skin of Gods", "Turn Soonest to the Sea", "The Divine Suicide of K."

One exciting thing about this band is its challenging inaccessibility, which is practically unknown and now seems underrated. You would have to be as good as you can for people to remember your band and their name. HORSE the Band is never taken down by that problem, with Desperate Living being memorable enough to hit the mainstream. The music really rules! It sounds like a decent mix of Enter Shikari and Machinae Supremacy.

The album starts with peace and fury switching back and forth in "Cloudwalker", featuring SNES synth-pads and aggressive screams. The title track is a greater display of HORSE's 8-bit metalcore power. They have more of their potential in "The Failure Of All Things", sounding like a Game Boy battle soundtrack. The rhythm at the end grabs your throat while the guitar punches your face that's already melting from those intense 8-bit synths. "HORSE the Song" crashes in with maniacal vocals and drums, before accelerating into thunder-crashing guitars and spiraling 8-bit melodies beyond control.

"Science Police" is full of Spandau Ballet-infused metalcore. That's an interesting example of HORSE taking a turn around the broader music spectrum. "Shapeshift" is indeed a shape-shifting song, not just in the instrumentation, but also the usual harsh vocals switching to the softer ones by Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu. "Between the Trees" shows a more psychotic side of intrinsic ambiance, keyboards, riffs, and versatile vocals. Then the instrumentation becomes surreal in "Golden Mummy Golden Bird".

"Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding" has a short yet big deck of power chords and melodic vocals sung by two of the other band members. "Big Business" makes me think of that Bette Midler film from the 80s my mom likes to watch. Speaking of the 80s, that song's bluesy section is more furious and twisted than any song you would ever hear from Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster. The astonishing but dubiously titled "Rape Escape" is an expansive 7-minute epic ranging from mathcore to keyboard breakdowns to Mike Patton-esque emotional vocals. After all that madness, it ends with haunting reflective piano by professional pianist Valentina Lisitsa, playing the complex Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. However, the album doesn't end there. We still got "Arrive", a pounding anthem with life-force coursing into your body.

Desperate Living is better than that Enter Shikari album and electronic metalcore album, having more technical imagination with exciting timbres and complex structures to keep your attention running. With this, HORSE has been given enough distinction to be a special HORSE in the horse field. It's something not easy to achieve for a band that adds fury into good conventional music. Still I think this album would have a more complete effect if it had some use in its excessive weight. Desperate Living is a refined album with barely any spoken-word clichés or flat moments. It's satisfyingly powerful, thanks to my synth-metalcore interests at full spark!

Favorites: "Desperate Living", "The Failure of All Things", "HORSE the Song", "Shapeshift", "Golden Mummy Golden Bird", "Rape Escape"

Reviewing albums from bands you've never listened to is always the craziest part of any clan challenge because you never know how well they'll turn out for you. Well seeing how much I like Brock Lindow's contribution in the Demon Hunter song "Beauty Through the Eyes of a Predator", I got a slightly good feeling about this band...

36 Crazyfists had already released a couple albums before this, 2002's Bitterness The Star and 2004's A Snow Capped Romance, which I heard that the latter is a huge leap forward from the former with catchy melodic choruses mixed with sonic aggression. 2006 saw the release of this album Rest Inside the Flames! 36 Crazyfists managed to stabilize the band and expand it larger than the overrated "bigger" bands.

The album opens with a crazy killer song, "I'll Go Until My Heart Stops" which has the band's typical fast aggression and terrific melodies. The vocal skills of vocalist Brock Lindow give the song great vibes, and he goes until the song stops. I've just started the hard part of the Melodic Metalcore Clan Challenge, and already I'm hearing the best song in that part so far! "Felt Through a Phone Line" shows the band improving on maturity, both musically and lyrically. There's more melody and clean vocals added to the screaming aggression. It really grows on even the heavy fans. I would listen to "On Any Given Night" on any given night! "Elysium", featuring Howard Jones from Killswitch Engage, is the most aggressive song here. It has some of the more familiar elements of 36 Crazyfists, but with heavier guitar riffs.

"The Great Descent" is not really an epic, but it has an epic vibe and it's longer than all the other songs in the album. A strong highlight! "Midnight Swim" reveals Lindow's gentler vocal side while maintaining the intensity. "Aurora" perfectly captures all of the band's catchiness in one song, thereby being the catchiest song on the album. Another one of my personal favorite songs here is "Will Pull This in by Hand", having a great riff in the middle that would be one of the greatest riffs in 2006. I bet this song would kick a** when they play it live.

We Cannot Deny the impeccable "We Cannot Deny" having cool vocals from Lindow and Milligram/Only Living Witness vocalist JONAAAAAH JENKINS!! (sorry, cannot resist that meme) "Between the Anchor and the Air" has dense rhythms that help the band really knock Linkin out of the Park (get it??). The album closes with the acoustic ballad "The City Ignites", which is pretty surprising. Why did they give the most metalcore-ish song title to the softest ballad?! Still a fitting ending!

People say that this is a big step from A Snow Capped Romance, and they're probably right. Those people who listen to 36 Crazyfists would recognize the old sound they've fallen in love while hearing the band's more diverse development. There are much softer and much heavier moments. Brock Lindow really handled the vocals well and did his part in giving the album its deserving brilliance. While Rest Inside the Flames is mainly a metalcore album, it might be a more suitable album to be purchased by alt-metal fans. The softness doesn't open well for the heavier metalheads like myself, but if you're a fan of metal that is a tad softer, this will blow your mind away....

Favorites: "I'll Go Until My Heart Stops", "Elysium", "The Great Descent", "Will Pull This in by Hand", "We Cannot Deny"

To h*ll with my split from melodic progressive metal! This album is absolutely brilliant!! Why did I leave my more melodic epic metal taste behind for so long, despite my love for progressive metal?! Seventh Wonder is a true wonder! *tears of joy*

Let's start with the fact that the vocalist Tommy Karevik is also the current vocalist for Kamelot, and some Kamelot songs are touching and emotional, as much as gothic metal bands like Sentenced and Elis. Seventh Wonder, however, released a groundbreaking progressive metal album worth shedding a lot of tears. (SPOILERS COMING!!) Mercy Falls is a concept album about a man who was in a car crash and ends up in a comatose world called Mercy Falls. Inspired by The Human Equation, huh?

Almost similar to The Human Equation intro "Vigil", the intro "A New Beginning" begins with a car crash. Then it kicks off an epic orchestral tune that builds up to metal, along with noises and voices related to the incident. After that, the doctor and the man's wife dialogue really start the story. Doctors are still trying to wake the man, while the wife visits him and, before leaving, turns her radio on to comfort him. "There and Back" is another instrumental, and an awesome overture to set the tone for the story and the album. Welcome to the first real song, "Welcome to Mercy Falls", and enjoy the awesome melodies! Another song that makes me jump for joy is "Unbreakable". It has a happy chorus, plus a soft part with a very good bass solo. "Tears for a Father" is a soft 2-minute interlude/ballad with more of Tommy's emotional vocals.

"A Day Away" is a kick-A uplifting song with an awesome chorus. "Tears for a Son" is another small emotional "Tears" interlude/ballad. Then we kick the prog metal back to high gear again with "Paradise", another well-written song. In "Fall in Line", the lyrics combined with melodies can be challenging, but I got used to them faster than other owners of this album. Nothing in that album can get better...except for this next song, "Break the Silence"! They put some of the most awesome melodies in that song along with a brilliant lineup. The layered vocals sometime before the chorus sound as they instruct you on what to do for this song, "Let the music play! Let it go all the way!!"

"Hide and Seek" is as awesome as that previous song, but a close second. There's a long intro before Tommy's vocals return. I absolutely love the awesome melodies! The build-up to the chorus and the chorus itself is so perfect. More prog calls in "Destiny Calls"! Then things get emotional again with "One Last Goodbye". It is an absolutely stunning performance by Tommy and his sister Jenny. There's a beautiful background melody with more spoken dialogue from the doctor and the man's wife, which is a little out of place but still part of the story. After hearing a heart monitor flat-lining (my third album review to have that), the important interlude, "Back in Time" has a surprising twist; a few years ago, the wife told the man that her son was not his, which shocked him into crashing the car. That flashback was the last thing the man remembered before dying. "The Black Parade" starts aggressively before adding happy melodies. The chorus and keyboards are just epic! Perfect ending to a perfect album!!

Despite this 5-star rating, this album deserves more stars! A+++!!! This albums is so amazing and emotional. Until now, I've never realized how much emotion a concept album can have. I do not regret letting my earlier epic metal taste infect my current extreme era just by listening to this album. Why wouldn't I love it? I'm not guilty of losing my epic metal virginity again, nor embarrassed for shedding a few tears. It's my new favorite progressive metal album and a must-have for passionate music lovers. You won't be disappointed one bit. The epic progressive metal side of me is back, baby!

Favorites: "Welcome to Mercy Falls", "Unbreakable", "A Day Away", "Fall in Line", "Break the Silence", "Hide and Seek", "The Black Parade"

Riverside is another band I was never really interested in, even after listening to a few songs. But I don't think I have to worry about that as much as not listening to Opeth, at least I don't have to worry in this website, because this band has been more progressive rock than metal in most albums with this album Anno Domini High Definition and the previous one Rapid Eye Movement being the only Riverside albums metal enough to be here. So all worries aside, let's get into this review!

Riverside has the amazing ability to create a wide music range from melodic progressive rock to dark heavy metal, similar to Opeth but without the extreme metal. I heard that after the progressive rock sound of their first two albums, they went to a different direction in their third album Rapid Eye Movement, having a darker atmosphere and heavier sound. The softer fans dislike it while the metalheads love it. This album is supposedly the first Riverside album outside the Reality Dream trilogy and entirely heavy. And yes, this is gonna be something different...

The opening track, "Hyperactive" can start a little confusing. After beginning with a calm atmospheric piano intro, the piano fades out into excellent heavy riffing, followed by great vocals, all in constant hyperactive movement. One of the best 6-minute songs in progressive metal! Beginning with addictive bass, "Driven to Destruction" drives you through heavy riffs and light piano, played together with melodic vocals. The second half of the song gets heavier with more prominent keyboards.

The most unusually experimental song of this song is 3-part 9-minute "Egoist Hedonist". The first part, "Different?" starts in calm slight melancholy before evolving into a heavy riff. The second part, "Hedonist Party" is the most original moment in the album, inviting a party-sound guitar and brass section for a more fun and relaxing time. Is that the true meaning of "Party Rock"? The third part "Straw Man Dance" shows that no party can be complete without a dance, inviting a harp and more guitar for something suitable for a belly-dance, leading to an epic impressive ending. However, "Left Out" is the only song here that needs to be left out, being melancholic and calm in a much different approach with a new vocal style. The technical melodic sections are in contrast with the atmosphere and lyrics. Still a good song but could be better.

Finally, the 12-minute epic, "Hybrid Times" makes sure that you've heard everything from the band and this album, unleashing some of the most intensity they've ever had. Beginning with thrilling piano, this song is original enough to leave out the overused verse-chorus structure, a similar strategy in the other songs. The band keeps moving forward with their technical skills, pushing them to their heaviest and most complex ever. The song is half-instrumental, but the vocals really show their more memorable, aggressive side ("OBSESSION!!!"). The theremin really adds to the complex sound. Then things start calming down with the best guitar solo here. Soon it rises to the climax, when theremin and blast-beats collide!! The 3-minute ending is softer but more impressive than anything the band has done before, with atmospheric electronic effects and chill-inducing vocals, and finally the album ends, with everything they had out of their system. One of the greatest progressive metal epics yet!

There's almost nothing bad about of this album, with the bad stuff being very little. The songwriting is flawless, causing the songs to be much different than each other with unusual structure. Their instrumental skills can be clearly heard, proving once again their incredible talents. The album style overall is much different than the band's earlier ones and almost every other progressive metal album there is. They've created nearly 45 minutes of progressive metal that keeps the listener in attention throughout without losing it, ending with one of the most impressive epics ever. To sum it up, Anno Domini High Definition is a great example of technical, complex, progressive metal. It's nearly completely flawless with no sign of ideas running low. You want original high definition progressive metal? This is for you.....

Favorites: "Hyperactive", "Egoist Hedonist", "Hybrid Times"

Ihsahn is known as the main founder of symphonic black metal band Emperor, but I only know his guest contributions, similar to Devin Townsend; guest vocals on the songs "Thorn" and "Contaminate Me" by Leprous and string composition on the songs "Chronic" by Leprous and "Snøfall" by Trivium. And while his solo material still has (gasp!) the forbidden black metal, I heard it's more Opeth-like with acoustic moments, soothing bass, and a bit of clean singing. This album After has a few of those softer moments alongside the usual extreme metal with jazzy saxophone and bluesy guitar work.

Another good thing about this album is the production, heavy and beefy especially in the drumming. The guitar has a good heavy lead tone to go with the fantastic rhythm and solos. However, the bass is a little too pushed away; it still appears but in low toned-down frequency. The saxophone perfectly fits the album sound with its rough rawness but it can't keep up with the speed of faster tracks and ends up out of place.

"The Barren Lands" is an awesome opening track, starting tender before getting crispy. But it just had to end so suddenly! "A Grave Inversed" is a stream of blasting black metal, but sadly it's one of the weakest tracks here and the whining sax not catching up does not help. The title track is more in the intermediate level of quality.

"Frozen Lakes on Mars" has a great chorus, the best of the album! "Undercurrent" is one of two great 10-minute epics. It starts with a 30-second monstrous riff intro, then calms down to acoustic for the next 3 minutes and after that, it's back to the heavy chaos.

I have nothing to say about "Austere", except it's the weakest track of the album. "Heaven's Black Sea" is another intermediate-level track. The other great 10-minute epic is the slower "On the Shores", which is more of a jazzy black-doom piece with the raging sax fitting perfectly well, creating a film-noir atmosphere. A mysteriously massive way to close this album!

After is overall a good solid album by Ihsahn, NOT the best one I've listened to, but the black metal sound is at a more tolerable level for me. Mixing experimental saxophone with jazzy guitars and extreme drums is an interesting move. A sweet recommendation of dark jazzy avant-garde metal!

Favorites: "The Barren Lands", "Frozen Lakes on Mars", "Undercurrent", "On the Shores"

Ghost Brigade is another band that I never listened to...until now. But I heard some people think Ghost Brigade is a group of Katatonia wannabes with their first two albums Guided by Fire and Isolation songs, but that comparison is getting old. Ghost Brigade has their own hybrid harmony of styles such as progressive and melodeath with small sludge influences. But this style still sounds a little like Burst meets Before the Dawn. Too bad the combative harsh vocals lack distinct aggression.

Isolation Songs is meant to compound the listener into persisting isolating misery in a good way, but ultimately some things are a little disappointing here. Like I said, there are some people who think this band is a melodeath rip-off of Katatonia, due to each band's similarities, but Ghost Brigade have their own sound to touch upon. However, that attempt in originality isn't at its strongest light and got them stuck too close to their Katatonia influences, along with the aforementioned Burst and Before the Dawn. While that affects the instrumentation, the guitars are still a good driving element that helps level some songs up.

The opener "Suffocated" is too dull and empty in the grooves, so that's a miss. "My Heart is a Tomb" is far more superior, starting with a flowing acoustic intro then driving into powerful chords and a clean chorus. That's a nice blend of influences from the last few Sentenced albums and Amorphis at the time. "Into the Black Light" continues the band's Amorphis influences with a nice groove intro that still sounds a little radio-friendly.

Things get torturous in a great way with "Lost in a Loop", striking your head with sludgy riffs, big hooks, and harsh vocals harder than a sledgehammer. One of the album's strongest songs! "22:22 - Nihil" takes you on a nice swim through instrumental ethereal beauty. "Architect of New Beginnings" is another great example of harsh vocals conveying fitting images. The well-conveyed images continues in the 9-minute "Birth". The images conveyed are some of the most interesting, but the music is not really engaging for a 9-minute epic.

"Concealed Revulsions" has a cool acoustic intro, enough said. Reaching its dynamic peak is "Secrets of the Earth", with emotive melodies alongside bitter screams, keeping up the band's Amorphis-like folk metal influences. The powerful storming 6-minute closer, "A Storm Inside" begins humble and mellow before the powerful storm escalates. Excellent ending for this album!

Despite the vocals being a bit inconsistent and having an obsolete lack of depth, this album shows that they can work around bringing their better influences to light and making up for the overused ones. Isolation Songs is another album to keep yourself isolated in the progressive melodeath realm....

Favorites: "My Heart is a Tomb", "Lost in a Loop", "Architect of New Beginnings", "Secrets of the Earth", "A Storm Inside"

Now this band, Dir En Grey, would've been a band I would listen to full-time, except... I DON'T KNOW JAPANESE!! Well maybe not most Japanese, but I've learned some when talking to a younger Japanese friend of mine, and the word "Nani" (What?!) is all over the internet. But if I have to review a mostly Japanese album to progress through a clan challenge, then consider it done! Dir En Grey's hard, eclectic, hard to label experimental metal sound would make them Japan's Into Eternity, if not for their visual-kei roots and appearance. Their eighth album Dum Spiro Spero (“While I breathe, I hope”) shall be delivered as an impressive Japanese extreme metal collection.

If there's one thing Japanese musicians (pop, rock, or metal) always have, it's the iconic clean singing. That's what Japanese anime shows usually have. The band's vocalist Kyo has that great singing gift. He can really show off his soaring vocal hooks while still doing harsh vocals, all at artistic ease. Call him the "Japanese Devin Townsend" if you'd like, but there aren't really many Western metal vocalists who can try every trick in that guys' book.

The opening "Kyōkotsu no Nari (Cry From a Lunatic Bone)", begins with soft melodic piano before things become experimental with wordless screams from Kyo, sparse guitar work, and strange percussion. The first actual track, "The Blossoming Beelzebub" kicks off the downtuned distortion of guitars and bass and rolling drums. Don't expect any shrieking yet! Kyo starts singing in high falsetto that almost sounds like a female opera singer with tension building. The progressive interval might explode into action but it still doesn't. Great song but it just doesn't have what the heavier fans wanted... Until the furious "Different Sense", complete with powerful riffs, vocals ranging from growling to shrieking, and blast-beats. There's still some clean singing and melody though. "Amon" is an awesome song that sounds like Amon Amarth in some parts.

"'Yokusō ni Dreambox' Aruiwa Seijuku no Rinen to Tsumetai Ame ('Nesting Within the Dreambox', or Cold Rain and The Philosophy of the Mature)" (one of the lengthiest song titles I've ever read) has beautifully surreal clean singing one moment, then Deathspell Omega-like chaos with omniscient heavy bass and frantic shrieking the next. "Jūyoku (Carnal Desire)" once again has the band going berserk with sonic extreme metal while having gorgeous melodies, broken apart by sledgehammering death metal riffs, giving way to longer harmonic lyrical passages. Man, there are some times when Kyo sounds like one of Jim Carrey's meltdowns in Liar Liar! "Shitataru Mourou (Tricking Ambiguity)" continues that pattern, with transitions from J-rock to tech-death and vice versa while the lyrics transcend. In "Lotus", Kyo continues to shine with his beautiful clean singing over extreme instrumentation. A potential anime theme! The clean singing keeps going in "Diabolos", the album's long theatrical 10-minute epic. It's filled with melancholic atmospheric alt-rock that later builds up into rapid-fire death/thrash metal, before the storm strips back to the calm.

"Akatsuki (Dawn)" is the best song here. I love it! That song reminds of Gojira in the instrumentation, not the vocals. But what's also close to being the best is "Decayed Crow" which is the most death metal song of the album that sounds like if Mike Patton joined Suicide Silence. "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami (The Violence And the Darkness Of the Burning Heat Entwines In My Heart)" (another one of the lengthiest song titles ever) is once again ultra-heavy with a blend of clean singing with a frantic mix of growling and shrieking. That song was in the Saw 3D soundtrack, a year before the rest of the album. After all that wild heaviness, the power ballad "Vanitas (Emptiness)" starts with an acoustic melody before getting slightly heavier dynamics. More balladry is hinted in the closing track, "Ruten no Tō (Tower of Vicissitudes)" with a poppy power metal section before unleashing the last of the brutal chaos for this album.

Dir En Grey's Dum Spiro Spero is one of the most intense albums I've ever heard with sonic diversity and avant-garde heaviness. I wish I could come back for more, but the Japanese lyrics are absolutely difficult to understand and lowered down a potential masterpiece for me. I so need to learn more Japanese in the future....

Favorites: "The Blossoming Beelzebub", "Different Sense", "Amon", "Lotus", "Diabolos", "Akatsuki", "Decayed Crow"

I listened to Dream Theater, then Symphony X, and then... Circus Maximus? Once again I listened to a few songs from this group, but NAH. Too bad I never got fully interested in this group in my earlier epic metal taste because they would've fit between the progressive Dream Theater and the progressive/power metal hybrid Symphony X. Circus Maximus is mostly progressive metal with a bit of power metal, and this album Isolate is their second chapter, first being (you guessed it) The 1st Chapter!

I heard that with Isolate, the band stepped away from some of their progressive territory with the album being half prog, half more straightforward. Many of the songs range from 4 to 5 minutes in length, but there's still an acrobatic 4-minute instrumental and two lengthy songs. Even the power metal aspect has been reduced, so this is pretty much just melodic progressive metal with less emphasis on progressive. The lyrical themes are more emotional and psychological, and there's nothing harmful about that, it's just that the grand themes are removed. This is Circus Maximus' Human Equation!

We get to a grand start with "A Darkened Mind", filled with heavy sparkling grandeur. "Abyss" has a poppy chorus but it works really well, being delightful and catchy while putting crushingly sonic pressure. "Wither" is more upbeat than Dream Theater's "Wither" but their progressive heights are still withering a little.

"Sane No More" is an insane instrumental feast that gives the band's progressive side more of the spotlight. "Arrival of Love" has cheesy lyrics and simplistic music that makes the band sound like Charlie Dominici-era Dream Theater, but still comes out pretty well. "Zero" is a ballad that starts with just soft dramatic piano and vocals before heading into slow and steady prog rock.

"Mouth of Madness" is the 6-part 12-minute epic of this album and it really builds up into a big substantial difference. However in my opinion, Caligula's Horse's "Graves" suite (from my previous review) is slightly better, but they're both sweet epics. And if you thought that was the end of the album, WAIT!! There's still a couple songs left, starting with "From Childhood's Hour" a pleasant synth-prog rock tune. And finally, "Ultimate Sacrifice" is still differently substantial but a great recap of much of the sound each previous song had. The ultimate progressive metal closer, besides the aforementioned "Graves" suite and Between the Buried and Me's "White Walls"!

Progressive metal fans might be more up for an album like Isolate, while power metal fans who have already listened to The 1st Chapter would be disappointed, even though most songs only have small bites of prog. This is far more of a small step than a giant leap for prog kind, but it's still a good quality melodic progressive metal release by Circus Maximus. While not as awesome as the previous albums in The Infinite Modern Challenge, the level is still acceptable....

Favorites: "A Darkened Mind", "Sane No More", "Mouth of Madness", "Ultimate Sacrifice"

Relapse Records, one of the more unique metal record labels out there, is pretty much responsible for helping Burst boost their tiny popularity into higher fame. Very few metal fans have ever heard of that band until they were signed by Relapse to make their previous two albums Prey on Gold and Origo, which caused a strike of sonic gold! Seems like both albums showed a post-progressive metalcore combo that left Burst fans wanting more metal innovation. And they got it after the band's 3 years of extensive touring from Europe to America with the metal gem, Lazarus Bird, a great way to close their career!

The opening track "I Hold Vertigo" begins with some steady chugging rhythm that would soon lead to a roller-coaster of unexpected twists with no time to prepare. After that typical metalcore riff, monstrous melodies and electronic sound-waves start building up. My own complaint about the song is the 30-second outro riff that keeps starting and stopping after the rest of the instrumentation stopped. That's just piercingly repetitive and annoying, but doesn't affect the rest of the album's perfection. The artistic guitar skill development in "I Exterminate the I" is proven by the clever spacey guitar leads. "We Are Dust" starts soft for the first 3 minutes, than becomes harder, better, faster, stronger (NOT the Daft Punk song) than those other two songs, especially the well-constructed "6 Million Dollar Man" guitar approach a little after the 4-minute mark.

"Momentum" does the same thing of starting with a soft psychedelic 3-minute intro before a volcanic eruption of metal shatters the mood harder than glass, but that heavy part goes on for only a couple minutes. "Cripple God" is another album favorite, charging in with intense riffing and raw vocals that resemble Mastodon. Now that I think of it, this album is like a more ambient hardcore Mastodon. Then there's a beautiful softer verse before exploding into a furious attack of classic Metallica. "Nineteenhundred" has plenty of good moments where they explore more Mastodon and Opeth dynamics while still forging their own sound.

The next track, "(We Watched) The Silver Rain" starts by building up a rhythmic fill from calm to storming in the first two minutes, then calms down and, near the 3-minute mark, starts a bass transition. Then clean vocals enter and go on in extensive amounts with beautiful melancholic riffing for the rest of the song. There's still plenty of heaviness and yelling, just not as much as the clean parts. The intro of the final track, "City Cloaked" is a clean guitar passage with powerful emotion for the first two minutes, before being overpowered by the last band's progressive heaviness. And finally, the last 4 minutes is an ambient clean guitar outro that soon fades into oblivion. The best, least abrupt way to close a band's final album, other than The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Dissociation"!

It's hard to hear a band like Burst whose music doesn't catch on with the world and is almost forgotten. But at least they got their own sections in metal music magazines and have received critical success with this album and Origo. And the fact that they're signed to the titanic Relapse Records helped with a little more buzz. I'm sure not a lot of you have heard of, let alone heard, this band but consider yourself lucky to find something this complete. After a 3-year gap, the band found their potential of masterful composition. Even though Burst is dead (NOT literally dead, just split up), this great work of art they have created shall remain immortal!

Favorites: "I Hold Vertigo", "We Are Dust", "Cripple God", "City Cloaked"

Think about this album in this scenario... One night, you're just lying down on your bed trying to sleep, when a brilliant bright light shines through the window. You look out the window and see a giant spaceship! You run outside and enter the spaceship, and it's a special spaceship that can give you an actual tour from Earth to the edge of the Solar System. Cool scenario, right? But that's NOT what Terminal Redux is about! This concept album is about something different but a cool sci-fi theme...

Almost 5 years after Outer Isolation, Vektor shows a new piece of sky-high expectations. Terminal Redux is their first ever concept album, telling the story about an astronaut using immortality to gain vast power and ends up in existential crisis, and a great metaphor about the space-thrash band themselves.

"Charging the Void" is a great epic to prepare for the incoming elements of this album. New elements are mixed with older ones from previous albums. Another thing new is clean singing, here being sung by what sounds like a soul choir, bringing to mind Disney film soundtracks such as Frozen and Moana. Fortunately, that does NOT cause harm to the band's music and instead adds more atmosphere. Of course, the other new element is the superb concept, but we'll use the scenario I made up throughout this review. The spaceship you are in blasts off from Earth and begins the tour to the edge of the Solar System. "Cygnus Terminal" is the first example of calmness mixed brutality in this album. In the original concept, this song lets you know more about the all-controlling Cygnus Regime with the astronaut's power rising within. Meanwhile in my scenario, the spaceship passes Mars during the Solar System tour. "LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)" is one of my personal favorite tracks in the album and the most aggressive one too. It is the fastest track here and has some of Vektor's sickest riffs yet. There's a stellar breakdown after the first 3 minutes, like what?! Wicked! That song has lyrical commentary about how the world is dependent on technology nowadays.

"Mountains Above the Sun" is a well-placed melodic instrumental break for anyone who wants to take a breather. The only heavy part is the last 15 seconds, though it sounds a little too bluesy. Meanwhile, the spaceship makes a quick pit-stop near Jupiter to get gas. Get it?? It's a gas giant, LOL!! "Ultimate Artificer" is NOT the ultimate Vektor song, but it definitely makes up for that boring interlude. In the original concept, this song is about the astronaut's ultimate goal to restore order for the galaxy in a matter of life and death. Meanwhile in my scenario, heavy gravity of Jupiter begins to pull the spaceship down and everyone on-board has to flip switches to activate hyperspeed. "Pteropticon" is another aggressive song and a better contender for the ultimate Vektor song. The spaceship breaks free from Jupiter and hyper-speeds through the rest of the Solar System, continuing the tour. "Psychotropia" is another psychotic highlight. "Pillars of Sand" is another song that starts calm before the chaotic storm. After the spaceship passes Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, a shocking discovery has been found; Pluto is destroyed and reduced to numerous asteroids (a good theory about Pluto no longer becoming a planet). Then some missiles appear out of nowhere and begin hitting the spaceship. You put on an astronaut suit and helmet with tons of air supply and shoot yourself out of the airlock. You manage to escape just in time for the spaceship to be hit enough to collapse and explode.

"Collapse" is, in my opinion, probably the weakest track of the album, maybe even by the band, while still standing strong. The first half is a cheesy power ballad with David DiSanto's attempt in clean singing that isn't so great but doesn't affect it too much. In my scenario, after watching the spaceship explode with everyone in it perishing, you float in the remains of Pluto and lose hope in returning home. As jazzy clean guitar strumming plays and the growling coincides with the clean singing, you begin wondering what those missiles were about and why they destroyed the spaceship. When the heaviness returns, which greatly makes up for that unstable first half, you notice another spaceship run by an alien army from another galaxy who are planning on destroying the Solar System from Pluto to the Sun. You don't know what to do about it, but luckily there's an asteroid heading your direction, so you land safely on it and begin riding the asteroid.

The epic finale "Recharging the Void" is what you're all here for. This is my #1 favorite of this album, maybe even by the band! Every single element of Vektor are compiled smoothly here. What's even more interesting is the small samples of many of the previous songs in this album to remind of your amazing adventure so far. Well currently, you're riding the asteroid and you find another giant missile following you, and riding that missile is the alien army leader. You find a Lightsaber-like weapon in your astronaut suit pocket, and the alien leader also has a Lightsaber-like weapon. You and the alien leader engage in epic Lightsaber battle until you manage to cut off a fin of the missile, causing the missile to turn the other way and hit his spaceship, destroying it and killing himself and his alien army, accidentally. As the soul-like singers and David's clean singing return in a softer ambient part, you feel relaxed and confident, glad to be on your way back to Planet Earth. As the song builds back up to heaviness, you realize that considering the speed and size of the asteroid, it might actually end up destroying Earth. You start to panic, again not knowing what to do. As the guitar riffing comes in at 3 minutes left, you find a keytar in another pocket on your astronaut suit and start playing the sh*t out of the keytar to over-energize the asteroid in an attempt to destroy it. That climax is BEYOND epic, almost reminiscent of some of the greatest Wintersun epics ("Starchild", "Sons of Winter and Stars", etc.). When the asteroid is about to break, you jump off as it explodes into small chunks floating in other directions. You saved the Earth!! However, you're still in the same speed as the asteroid and heading toward Earth, so you have no choice but to accept your impending doom as you enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn into dust and ashes as you fall fast. Right at the final "YOU!!!" ending, your ashes hit the ocean and sink into nothing. And then you wake up from that epic dream, lying on your bed, all fine and everything. End of scenario!

Following the perfect streak of the first two Vektor albums, Terminal Redux might actually be one of my favorite metal albums of 2016. This is a true tech-thrash masterpiece with as much sci-fi as Star Wars. Metal and Sci-fi shall NEVER DIE!

Favorites: "Charging the Void", "LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)", "Pteropticon", "Psychotropia", "Recharging the Void"

One super easy and interesting technique in looking for new bands is to find them on websites such as Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, and of course, this website Metal Academy. And let me just say that Vektor is one of the greatest bands I've ever found in 2020. They manage to unleash progressive riffs and thrashy blast beats, alongside lyrics bringing to mind one of the greatest sci-fi movie franchises of all time, Star Wars! And this album is the second part of the band's own trilogy!

Outer Isolation helps listeners visualize the story of ONE MAN, floating in space, thinking about life and the surrounding cosmos. You might think a story like that would be boring, NOT helped by generic thrash and lengthy progressive solos you might be tired of. No way! Vektor has recreated all of that into something new and fresh through eight thrash tracks with sci-fi themes. After the awesome fast Black Future, Outer Isolation features a few slow passages that are almost symphonic to keep the listener interested and let them know that there's more than just chaotic speed.

The 10-minute (a length more common in progressive than thrash) opening track "Cosmic Cortex" begins with one of said slow passages, welcoming the listener to the future sci-fi imagery the album creates. That atmospheric spacey intro really lets the clean guitar chords fly until they're fractured by tech-thrash riffing you can find in bands Voivod and Coroner. After that retro-thrash instrumental third of the song, it speeds up as David DiSanto screams his way into the song beginning his shrieking vocals. There are a few sections in the song where the guitars and bass interlock before heading into separate sections, then return for the furious blasting chorus. "Echoless Chamber" shows some tension building as tempos rise and fall. At over the 3-minute mark, we end up in a valley of solos similar to classic Megadeth, and the brilliant drumming helps bring excellence to the song. "Dying World" is another bone-breaking progressive thrash track.

"Tetrastructural Minds" is one of 3 tracks in the album re-recorded from their demo Demolition, and man is it chaotic! The song starts sounding decently like Slayer, even including a Tom Araya-esque b*lls-grabbed scream before beginning the vocals. Then we take a break from the speedy riff action with a counter-balancing beautiful instrumental passage, before the chaos continues again. "Venus Project" is the second song here originally in Demolition. It starts with another beautiful soft intro before unleashing the usual heaviness. Once again, there's a strangely superb sci-fi-ish guitar solo before a jazzy chill out, then after that, more killer chaos! "Dark Creations, Dead Creators" is shorter (at only over 3 minutes) and more direct, but it still has some violent speed similar to Death Angel.

"Fast Paced Society" is the third and probably the least superior of the 3 Demolition tracks and a good way to describe the modern fast thrash scene. Vektor has proven to be in that society with their fast blast-beats between flashing dexterity and frantic procession. The rare dissonant chanting vocals are a little weird, though. The title track is the other epic for this album (this time, over 8 minutes) and a great description of what the band is, deep and considerate while going over the edge of head-exploding pace of madness. It's a shame they've never re-recorded the remaining song in Demolition, "Moonbase", because that's a longer epic that would've made this album more complete.

I wish I could rate this album more than 5 stars because of the album being so abstract and standard-surpassing. What an album Outer Isolation is! I can't wait to review the next and last (for now) part of the Vektor saga, Terminal Redux, and see how that goes. The band's career may seem short-lived, but let's hope Vektor can live longer!

Favorites: "Cosmic Cortex", "Tetrastructural Minds", "Venus Project", "Outer Isolation"

The metalcore scene is a bit strange, only being as relevant as nu metal from 20 years ago. It becomes much harder to be taken seriously by people outside the scene, and it's rarer to any metalcore classics released in the 2010s than in the 2000s. Experimentation with other genres is a route used by many current metalcore bands to try to gain more attention, and unfortunately, that causes some initially metalcore bands like Bring Me the Horizon to switch to mainstream pop rock, replacing diminished breakdowns with massive powerful chorus. Parkway Drive is one of the bands who have done that but they still have their metal!

Parkway Drive released Ire in 2015, and that album began their mainstream direction, just by adding classic heavy metal elements without losing heaviness. That resulted in Ire being an impressive metalcore classic, but for the heavier metalheads, not as awesome as their albums before it. The band thought perhaps their new album Reverence would strike up more revered success. Sadly, it marks their transition from most of their metalcore into classic heavy/alt-metal.

But that doesn't mean there can't be an incredible opening track of promise, "Wishing Wells"! It starts with an acoustic intro that soon transforms into classic-sounding metal with the metalcore elements of furious riffs and brutal vocals, along with more poetic lyrics than other metalcore bands have attempted. Like I said before, that's the song my alt-rock-loving brother suggested I listen to despite being part of their least metalcore album that made me interested in this band. Thanks bro! "Prey" continues that classic melodic sound with a shuffling beat and riff with epic harmonic guitars in the bridge. That song, along with the more powerful mixed up "Absolute Power" deals with the theme of political fame and fortune. "Absolute Power" is similar to the earlier Slipknot in the riffing.

"Cemetery Bloom" is a somewhat cheesy progressive ambient ballad/interlude with ominous strings and chanting. That track is a tribute to Winston McCall's wife and her selflessness. Seguing from that intro is "The Void", an Avenged Sevenfold-like modern metal track with a melodic chorus too similar to Five Finger Death Punch. That guitar solo is a sweet touch, though. "I Hope You Rot" sounds more like epic power metal in the guitar melodies and melodic chants, while the lyrics describing a case of child abuse in a Catholic church. Sadly, the song fades out at the point when the guitar gets really good.

"Shadow Boxing" introduces something different to the band; clean vocals and piano! It's a dark epic song, despite the strange rapping vocals throwing me off. "In Blood" is another strong track, though not as remarkable or expanded in the sound. "Chronos", at 6 minutes and 20 seconds in length, is both the longest track of the album and the longest one ever made by the band. The first half of the song is the typical metalcore fare before that half is wrapped up by a killer guitar solo. Then there's an ominous soft break before the second half really begins with a strong guitar melody building up to a climatic guitar solo followed by symphonic strings. Now that's epic! Sadly it all fades out when it's at the point of greatness, but it might as well because we don't want it to run for so long. That's what fade-outs are for, right? Closing the album is the outro ballad, "The Colour of Leaving", leaving behind clean guitar and orchestral strings, alongside Winston McCall clean singing and talking before walking off into the unknown.

Overall, Reverence has both great strengths and not-so-great weaknesses, but when it comes to experimentation, they really managed to avoid the direction their metalcore peers took which was betraying their own sound by changing to pop rock. Instead, Parkway Drive continues their metalcore heaviness of their previous works while having this new melodic classic sound that continues their quest to find a better experiment. For now, this album would surely get mixed reactions, both from the mainstream and classic listeners who would recommend it to their peers and the heavier metalcore listeners who would avoid it at all costs. Reverence is pretty much of a step down from Ire and other previous albums, but if you're more open-minded, lots of good things can be found here....

Favorites: "Wishing Wells", "Prey", "I Hope You Rot", "Shadow Boxing", "Chronos"

Since their 2003 formation, Parkway Drive have garnered international fame from large tours and festivals. Each album showed a change of sound while sticking to their main metalcore style. However, this next sound change is gonna be quite different...

Ire shows a great progression for the band into a straighter heavy metal sound overpowering their previously defined metalcore, emphasizing the metal in metalcore. But they haven't completely moved away from hardcore elements such as breakdowns and harsh vocals. Still the band has what it takes to make a decent 11-track album giving you 48 minutes of refreshing heavy metal/core!

"Destroyer" gives the album an epic start with marching drumming, riffing, and a repeated chant of the word "destroy", rising from soft to powerful. The song is so original and interesting, and it sets the stage for the rest of the album. "Dying to Believe" is much rawer, bursting through the great gates of aggressive metalcore similar to Trivium. "Vice Grip" is a much stronger metalcore song than most of the album, and it's an excellent choice for the album's lead single; a catchy anthem about perseverance rebelling against opposition. "Crushed" is the album's second single, starting with a monk-chanting intro before turning a groove track with heavy guitars and drums. The lyrics are political but used in a powerful way, especially in the first verse.

"Fractures" is another good track with the band's earlier metalcore sound, but it's not personally interesting for me. "Writings on the Wall" is different from the rest with a soft symphonic marching sound and whispering vocals, all similar to some Mushroomhead ballads. I love that piano outro! The heaviness returns with a "GO!!" in the mid-paced "Bottom Feeder", starting with an interesting 30-second riff intro. The guitars, drums, and vocals are all in interesting interplay, especially in the gang chorus that makes that song a phenomenal track. "The Sound of Violence" has violent fury that sounds exciting for the band to play live.

"Vicious" starts with Eastern Asian-like melodies before entering the portal into the mid-paced metal realm. There's an interesting relaxing solo before a vicious breakdown. "Dedicated" shows the band's last bit of dedication to the earlier brutal metalcore. Winston McCall screams, "YOU CAN'T BREAK ME!" a few times throughout the heavy groove among other angry lyrics. "A Deathless Song" is a killer 6-minute finale, opening with an uplifting acoustic intro before the melody transcends into heavy overdrive. The lyrics are as epic as the song while having a few hilariously cheesy lines like "Let me be your drum of war and love." I still like it! The deluxe edition has a shortened version of "A Deathless Song" with guest vocals by Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive, along with a couple other bonus tracks.

I kinda like the new direction in Parkway Drive's sound; keeping their metalcore roots while sounding less restrained due to the straighter addition of heavy metal elements. It's works nicely on most cases, but falls flat on its face in a few moments, like those funny cheesy lyrics in that last song. Well hey, you win some, you lose some....

Favorites: "Destroyer", "Vice Grip", "Crushed", "Writings on the Wall", "Bottom Feeder", "Dedicated"

G'day mate! Welcome to Australia, the "land down under"! I have a few friends who live there, in this website and in the outside world, but I hope they can survive the HUGE bugs and creatures that can eat you up and swallow you whole. Anyway, one of the best things in Australia for me are the bands, and one of those bands is Parkway Drive! I'm sure metalcore fans would think of this band whenever they think of even Australia itself. They've been dominating the metalcore scene in both Australia and America.

Atlas is Parkway Drive's 4th full-length album and once again might be an honorable mention for the top half of Parkway Drive's discography, possibly one of my favorite metal albums in 2012. I've been a Parkway Drive fan for a few months now and I can see their improving progression throughout their tenure which is kinda hard for a genre that hasn't been progressing. Their previous album Deep Blue is something different; a concept album with different production. Many fans love it while others hate it and prefer their first two albums. I'm in both of those fan categories! Either way, you're gonna love Atlas as much as their previous albums.

The intro track "Sparks" opens the album with a classical vibe; acoustic guitar over an orchestral march. Soon it starts building up in heaviness before crashing into the next track, "Old Ghost/New Regrets" begins the metalcore action with a killer 30-second riff/verse. That song's lyrics are about past war creating present atrocities in our world ("Bleed the earth, bleed her 'til her heart no longer beats"). "Dream Run" sounds really cool in the beginning rising from lo-fi to high-quality originality. "Wild Eyes" has epic background chants and a cool bridge. The lyrics continue the theme of was from the past causing atrocities in the world today, this time in an anthem that you can sing and shout along to. VIVA THE UNDERDOGS!!

Then it segues to "Dark Days" with lyrics about the sustainability on the Earth. Sounds cheesy but convincing! Next song, "The River" can be considered the long middle epic of this album, a bit like the previous album's "Alone", except there's a longer song later in this album. The intro sounds similar to that song's intro, this time with clean female background vocals. After that intro, the next couple minutes with the riff, verse, and chorus are a great blend of epic and extreme. More clean female vocals come later in this song. "Swing" really swings through the heaviness of their previous albums, continuing the theme of world issues, here about politicians corrupting the world. Make it turn or burn! "The Slow Surrender" opens like a song from the Don't Close Your Eyes EP, but it's much slower like as slow as a power ballad. The bridge has Winston McCall's vocals record-scratched up like a DJ, like WHAT?! I didn't think Parkway Drive would ever add anything the band can't replicate live!

The title track is more progressive, once again having the classical vibe of acoustic guitar over orchestral background. "Sleight of Hand" starts with a slow intro similar to a couple songs in the previous album, then we get into another killer verse riff. Once again we return to the lyrical theme of world atrocities in the past and present. In "Snake Oil And Holy Water", the verse riff is a more diverse flashback to the band's first two albums. "Blue and the Grey" is the true album epic, once again opening in slow dramatic orchestration behind the heaviness. Sometime after the 2-minute mark is a great chord progression of notes. It also has my favorite lyrics in the album, combining all of its present themes in a very poetic manner.

Atlas is an extraordinary album filled with great riffs, drums, and vocals. They really took the time to write note after note and lyric after lyrics, and even though they might sound similar to some songs in earlier albums, they still sound great when you really listen to them well. Both fans from the very beginning of the band and new fans will love this album. There's almost nothing that needs to be changed, and that's how much I enjoy this album. Parkway Drive is truly a metalcore powerhouse and with this album, they still managed to stay on top. This album is worth every single cent! However, we got a much different future for the band in our hands....

Favorites: "Old Ghost/New Regrets", "Wild Eyes", "Dark Days", "The River", "Sleight of Hand", "Blue and the Grey"

I would never exaggerate when I say that Parkway Drive is one of the most popular metalcore bands outside America. They have a highly original stylistic mix of catchy melodic riffs and aggressive brutal breakdowns perfect for moshing. After gaining global success throughout an EP and two albums, the band knew they had to continue doing what they do best; creating original music, going on relentless tours, and building a worldwide fanbase. Continuing the ante, they crafted a follow-up to the excellent Horizons, though that album can never be surpassed. Out of the deep blue rises the album Deep Blue, also known by vocalist Winston McCall as "The search for truth in a world that seems to be devoid of that." An honorable mention for the top half of Parkway Drive's discography, but the guitars and vocals wouldn't be totally same...

Like many bands wanting to improve their greatness, Parkway Drive continue improving their formula and while Deep Blue is not as supremely groundbreaking as Horizons, it's still a well-written album that can please both longtime and new fans. Deep Blue continues the band's superiority of phenomenal battling harmonies and almost perfect melody. Deep Blue has higher accessibility than previous Parkway Drive albums, maybe because they down cleverly written glorious yet gruesome (NOT in a death metal way) lyrics and instead sound distinctly unique with each song having an average 3-minute length.

The album opens with "Samsara", a smooth intro track setting up the tone. It starts quietly before a crescendo into heavy guitars and drums and the first of Winston McCall's vocals. Then it snaps into "Unrest" a short brutal song. Winston's growling vocals of angst for crowds to sing- sorry, SHOUT along as the chaotic instrumentation stomps through. Up next is the album single "Sleepwalker", which is nothing like the previous album's "Boneyards" while still having excellent riffing and amazing ending soloing. "Wreckage" is more calm and melodic than the previous songs so far, while still wrecking harder than a wrecking ball. The tapping after the midway point is so mesmerizing! "Deadweight" really packs a punch with its driving tone with soaring guitars and vocals.

"Alone" has similar elements than that other "Alone" song from the Bullet for My Valentine album; they're both the 6th and longest track in their 2010 third album considered metalcore. Coincidence?? Probably... Anyway, it blends riffing and vocals worth singing along to with a meaningful yet strange slow chorus. "Pressures" continues the catchy songwriting that comes to mind more than anything else in that song. "Deliver Me" is a brutal yet simple fan favorite to keep the live crowd energized. The next track, "Karma" is another album highlight with excellent riffing and a superb solo that would suffocate you with its technical aura before a monumentally memorable moshing breakdown.

The powerful anthem "Home is for the Heartless" can really drain some emotion. It's almost similar to the previous album's "Carrion" with a crowing sing-along chorus too nice to ignore. The third-to-last song "Hollow" is a recording of an old pre-EP song "Hollow Man", now with new and improved production and the chorus much angrier than in the original. That memorable song is so underrated! And now for the best song of the album, "Leviathan I"! It's a supreme anthem!! Why is this song never in live shows?! The music is absolutely superb, storming through a winning chorus with better vocals and percussion than anything else in this album. Finishing the album in a great bang while not being long enough is "Set to Destroy". Not bad, but what makes this song less powerful is the short length. The riffing is songwriting is interesting but, at a measly length of one and a half minutes, seems like a meaningless anti-climax.

It's interesting to see that with all this critical acclaim Parkway Drive has been receiving, the reception is kinda mixed in many of their albums. However in this album, the songwriting and sound is much more mature than previous albums. Deep Blue is a metalcore album that has proven how much good potential this album has its ideas can be leveled up. This is certainly not as super awesome as Horizons, but for anyone who likes heavy music and vocals, you got yourself a metalcore winner!

Favorites: "Sleepwalker", "Alone", "Deliver Me", "Karma", "Hollow", "Leviathan I"

Once again, it was my alt-rock loving brother who discovered Parkway Drive that made me interested in this band. He suggested that I listen to the song "Wishing Wells" from their new album Reverence. But that album was when they were heading into a classic heavy/alt-metal direction. So I listened to that song along with "Boneyards" from one of their metalcore albums, Horizons (this one!), and while they're both great songs, I definitely love "Boneyards", which I'll talk about later in this review.

It is actually almost the entire Horizons album I love. Horizons is one of my recent favorite metalcore albums! Those Aussie metalcore guys have reached global fame with this album, beginning their tradition of anthems that would never be abandoned.

The album begins with the intro prologue "Begin", featuring nice ambient guitar over drum shuffling. A nice one-minute intro to set the mood! Then it's on to the first actual song, "The Sirens’ Song" featuring a shredding intro to take you through a hyperspeed metalcore rollercoaster ride. The greatest rollercoaster ride of 2007 besides the first Phineas and Ferb episode! The audible bass prepares for a brutal harmonic breakdown at the end. "Feed Them To The Pigs" is a song worth moshing, starting fast-paced before a fun groove slowdown. Then the fast tempo comes back to continue assaulting the listener. It makes you want to move with the drums, bass, guitars while fearlessly avoiding losing the heavy path. The massive impact of "Carrion" makes thousands of metalheads in the audience shout along from beginning to end. It has heavy fury together with incredible melody, combining into an emotional mix. The growls of angst from Winston McCall and beautiful guitar melodies from Jeff Ling will keep you headbanging even at the album age of over a decade.

"Five Months" sounds like a mix of two other metalcore bands, Misery Signals and Unearth, in a great way of course. The guitarist leads the band through high notes and progressive tremolos. Breakdowns are more evident, while the varying hooks are something to love. The screaming vocals are haunting yet catchy ("The hours have become irritations!!") After all that heaviness, there a nice soft clean part with no need for singing melody. Then the whirlwind of powerful melody comes back. The aforementioned "Boneyards" is indeed a brutal bruiser with urgent uptempo bursts! A killer flashback to the heaviness of their debut! The finger tapping in "Idols & Anchors" is a great reason why that song is a fan favorite. "Moments in Oblivion" is a great moment to feel like you're on a pirate ship in Arctic oceans. The time changes and grooves range from fast to slow, from relentless to soothing. But don't worry, there's most brutality to come.

The more technically advanced "Breaking Point" has more shredding and finger tapping action as the pirates end up in an Arctic ocean battle with the vikings. However, the song itself is has a little more repetitive feel while keeping the hostile environment and heroic guitars. "Dead Man's Chest" starts as a slower sludgy song with deep riffs and monstrous vocals before picking up speed. The pirates manage breaking into and take back what the vikings stole, the Dead Man's Chest! "Frostbite" is still as great as the rest of the album, but I can't really get into it. The melodies and fast parts are too distant for me. Most of the pirates suffer from the Arctic frostbite. However, the title track finale has everything including hardcore grooves, uplifting melodies and gang shouts, making it one of the most epic metalcore songs ever heard. Bring me those Horizons!

There are only a few albums that can really push the boundaries of metalcore in both the metal and hardcore sides, all in fun and heavy value while in mesmerizing technical power that's difficult to match, and one of those albums in Horizons. There are many other metalcore bands I enjoy, but the one I think is the closest in value and power is August Burns Red. Besides this album and the August Burns Red album Constellations, there's no other metalcore album that can blend beauty and chaos so flawlessly. Horizons is indeed a perfect metalcore album. More horizons await!

Favorites: "The Siren's Song", "Carrion", "Five Months", "Boneyards", "Dead Man's Chest", "Horizons"

Formed in Byron Bay, Parkway Drive began their metalcore journey with two EPs, a split CD with I Killed the Prom Queen and their own EP, Don't Close Your Eyes. After those two EPs, they were all set to record their first full-length and, thanks to Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage) in production, it really started their path to fame. Killing With a Smile gave them a huge ongoing fanbase and established the band to be one of the greatest metalcore acts outside America. But why is it so good?

Killing With a Smile was released in 2005, right before deathcore exploded into the face of metalcore shortly afterwards. Surprisingly, most of the members were never really influenced by metal at that time. For a band like that, they can remarkably understand metalcore and do their best to match it.

The opening track "Gimme A D" hits you hard with their prevalent attitude of wrath. It has all that listeners can be ready for; fast riffing, solid drumming, fantastic screaming, and heavy breakdowns. They have it all! "Anasasis (Xenophontis)" merges inventive riffing with brutal vocals. In the breakdowns, crushing guitars and vicious vocals make sure to maintain the melody in front, a common trait. "Pandora" is another high-quality metalcore song, but they wouldn't hit their stride until the next track. "Romance is Dead" is a 5-minute fan-favorite and a fine Parkway Drive moment. It's a true metalcore gem in every quality a metalcore song can possibly have plus the band's unique furious sound and attitude.

Momentum is gathered to attack the listener with "Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro", referencing a quote from the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and sneaking in a quote in the first 10 seconds from another film Die Hard 2, "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf***er." That song is short but a heavy hitter. And when the song stops abruptly, you think it's over, but BOOM!! One more brutal breakdown hits you in the face! Taking things further than in their EPs, "Blackout" sounds closer to deathcore. "Picture Perfect, Pathetic" sounds a bit pathetic at first when reusing riffs from other metalcore bands, but the extreme heavy breakdown is wicked! "It’s Hard To Speak Without A Tongue" is a standout track beginning with a simple clean guitar riff before drilling drums and thunderous bass come in followed and impressive solo-like melody. The melody fades into a quieter riff to fit it with the growling. That melody is used again the chorus section. An unusually well-balanced song for Parkway Drive!

"Mutiny" begins with another film quote sample, this time from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." It's a good song with great songwriting and riffing. Another fan favorite "Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em" was re-recorded from the Don't Close Your Eyes EP, now with better production and more intense sound. Once again, it sums up everything the band has; crushing riffs, heavy breakdowns, melodic leads, technical drums, and emotional intensity, the latter especially in the ending lead and riff. "A Cold Day In Hell" (not to be confused with the Winds of Plague demo EP) has a catchy lead/riff.

The technical drumming and solid vocals fully showcased are what Parkway Drive is known for, whereas the breakdowns and rough lyrics might not be at its best for most people. But with the album's overall hard energy, every metalhead should give it a listen. A killer metalcore starter pack!

Favorites: "Gimme A D", "Romance is Dead", "Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro", "It’s Hard To Speak Without A Tongue", "Mutiny", "Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em"

Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive started their career with two split EPs; one with I Killed the Prom Queen, and the other with bands Think Straight and Shoot to Kill. After reviewing the latter release, I've realized that I still haven't done the same with their first non-split EP, Don't Close Your Eyes. Considering what a heavy brutal EP this is, having paved the band's way to their first two full albums, I knew I had to share my thoughts about like I had with every other release by the band...

Parkway Drive was formed in Byron Bay and named after the street they lived in, aspiring to connect hardcore and metal together like any other metalcore band. I guess you can say the rest is history, but again I promised myself to talk about this piece of history and what I think of it.

The intro track "..." is certainly a frightening intro in the atmosphere. Asuka from The End of Evangelion repeatedly whispers "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die..." with voices creeping up behind her, leading up to a final scream, "I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!" Then enters "Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em", in which vocalist Winston McCall yells "DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!" almost like he segued flawlessly from that intro. This fan favorite was re-recorded for their debut album Killing with a Smile. It sums up everything the band has; crushing riffs, heavy breakdowns, melodic leads, technical drums, and emotional intensity, the latter especially in the ending lead and riff. Next track "Dead Dreams" starts with the message tone beep of an old Nokia phone then launches into relentless heaviness, though it can't beat the previous track. The usual catchy breakdown comes in with Winston's vocals, though the lyrics of drugs and loathing seem to be unfocused. "Flesh, Bone and Weakness" can very be my favorite song in the EP. Haunting bass kicks in followed by the drums. The growls and harmonic singing (the latter by then-bassist Brett "Lagg" Versteeg) work well for a melodic spice-up that might remind some of Evergreen Terrace. Awesomeness continues to be found in the catchy yet heavy breakdown, along with more of the audible bass riffing.

After all that chaos, the relaxing guitar interlude "The Cruise" can be played at the beach. "You're Over" is another one of the best songs of the EP and the band's early career. The sound is filled with different layers that end with another deep pulverizing breakdown. Now, "Looks Like Yoda"... The metalcore Force is strong in this one. Played live, it can be. So heavy, breakdowns are, but melodic, guitars are. Hmmm... Fast, the drums pound, and brutal, the vocals sound. OK, enough with the Yoda talk! I must admit, the song is a bit repetitive, but it's still great. The title track ends with another metal track memorable until the end of time. Lots of fast extreme bass and drums to fill things up.

The 2006 reissue comes with some bonus tracks, the first two of which are from the band's split EP with IKtPQ, starting with "I Watched" that is a must-listen. Though not as much as "Swallowing Razorblades". With some of the most brutal riffing from the band and more of Winston and Lagg's vocal contrast, it would be hard for Parkway Drive to make an awesome song like that again. You already know what I think of the What We've Built songs, so I'll say no more there. One more track, "Hopeless" is also very solid.

So yeah, "Don't Close Your Eyes" is pretty great for a true start of the band's catalog. With its powerful energy, it's no wonder the release has reached the Aussie album charts. If you enjoy heavy metalcore, you should definitely check out Parkway Drive, starting from this killer EP and working your way through the rest....

Favorites: "Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em", "Flesh, Bone and Weakness", "You're Over", "Don't Close Your Eyes", "Swallowing Razorblades", "Hollow Man", "Hopeless"

When you switch your music taste out one part of a style to another part, some of you might completely forget about that part and focus entirely on the new one. That's a little sad because you would no longer think about the one thing that started your entire interest and shouldn't be taken for granted. Well even though I'm already into the modern progressive/melodeath/metalcore taste, I feel like I shouldn't completely leave behind the one power metal band that started my entire metal interest, and that band is...DragonForce! Formed in the same year I was born and the same year my current favorite band Trivium was formed, 1999, out of the ashes of Demoniac, who are from New Zealand rivaling to the melodeath/black/power metal sound of Children of Bodom at that time, DragonForce has their own extreme signature sound. NOT the kind of extreme usually heard in a Finnish-like melodeath/black metal style (though a few of those elements would be more prominent in a couple songs from their previous album Reaching Into Infinity), but a more extreme expression of the power metal likes of Helloween, along with a few other of my favorite power metal bands at the time; Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, and HammerFall, and even late 80s heavy/power metal band Nitro. DragonForce did it faster and fancier, complete with a cartoonish stratosphere.

For years, DragonForce has been given an equal balance of criticism and praise, and the guitarists have probably overthrown Kai Hansen as the Guitar Heroes, especially when their songs ended up in Guitar Hero with thousands of players of that game pushing their skills to the limit trying to play those songs. However, there are some metal purists who dismiss the band thinking they're a parody of power metal whose guitar shredding is fake. But it's NOT fake, it's real!! That controversy caused the end of the earlier ZP Theart era. ZP Theart was the South African former vocalist of DragonForce, and when he was with the band, the sound was right at a less accessible but more successful level. Of course, we have the lengthy guitar battles between the two founding guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman and the synth sound made by keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov (who recently left the band and that's why he's not in this album), bridging together metal and 8-bit video game soundtrack similar to Machinae Supremacy, but most of the songs from those earlier albums go over the 6-minute mark. With the exit of Theart and the entry of Marc Hudson, the sound became more restrained with accessible songwriting and more songs under the 6-minute mark than over, while being equally balanced with the usual wild technical tempos and shredding. This album, the band's eighth album and the fourth in this new era, is where they really find themselves, hence their style and this album's name, Extreme Power Metal!

The album kicks off in a glorious start with "Highway to Oblivion". After a beautiful one-minute synth intro with Hudson's vocals, the guitars come in, and then BOOM!! We go right into the song itself reminiscent of the band's mid-2000s sound; an almost 7-minute cruiser blending melodic greatness with speed metal riff-rage, bringing back some Inhuman Rampage nostalgia. I personally think that's the band's best song since "Through the Fire and Flames"! The next song "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", despite the long title, also has said mid-2000s sound but cooler musicianship and measured songwriting along with symphonic synths similar to Rhapsody of Fire and Epica. Oh wait, it IS Epica! ...Kind of. Epica keyboardist Coen Janssen steps in as a temporary member for this album, giving many songs here a more epic touch. Then after a small orchestral verse, then it's one and a half minutes of blazing video game synths and a bit of guitar shredding, mixing metal with Darren Porter-like trance. Right after that, the solo crashes in, activating the Shred Machine! More of the musicianship and songwriting come in with "The Last Dragonborn", an epic ballad which, as you can probably guess, is directly about Skyrim. Janssen continues to shine his keyboard skills with Japanese-inspired orchestration over crushing groove riffing that might as well turn this into a Kamelot song. But the intro riff sounds a lot like the one from "Rise of Evil" by Sabaton.

"Heart Demolition" is a more mid-paced structured song with an 80s rock sound mixed with their usually power metal. I'm guessing they're a little inspired by their spin-off band Power Quest. I use to also like Power Quest as much as DragonForce, so I'm all in for that. "Troopers of the Stars" starts with a brutal blast-beat thrash intro, then the vocals come in a verse a little similar to Japanese anime rock theme music (for example, Asian Kung-Fu Generation), and the rest is a nice typical DragonForce song. "Razorblade Meltdown" is another song that looks back at the past, but with more energy and strangely different lyrics, including a bit of Finnish swearing in the verses. Does that count as the first DragonForce song with swearing? Maybe, but I heard once that the band never usually add swear words to their lyrics and "swearing isn't epic" or something like that. "Strangers" is a mid-tempo song that once again comes out as an 80s-inspired power metal song similar to Power Quest and Galneryus. The robotic choral vocals are a little odd and probably not the best for longtime DragonForce fans.

"In a Skyforged Dream" really packs a high-octane melodic thrash punch. I guess you can consider this song a sequel to "Land of Shattered Dreams" (from Reaching Into Infinity) because of its similar song title and vibe. "Remembrance Day" is another tear-jerking ballad, once again reminiscent of Sabaton, this time lyrically. The lyrics are a tribute to soldiers who have fallen in wars, and an epic uplifting chorus that is a little like adding "Fury of the Storm" vocals to the last 30 seconds of "Ants of the Sky" by Between the Buried and Me. The bagpipe intro made me think of that Alestorm cover of the Scottish song "Flowers of Scotland". Also, that verse right after the solo is far more epic than anything DragonForce has ever done. What's really amazing is the band's cover of the Celine Dion hit song "My Heart Will Go On". After a 30-second 8-bit intro, the chaos booms in as the band plays the cover, sounding nearly twice as fast as the original Celine Dion song! That's way better than their cover of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash from Maximum Overload. The Japanese edition bonus track "Behind the Mirror of Death" features the last contributions from bassist Frederic Leclercq before parting ways from DragonForce; his lyrics and songwriting, his own guitar solo, and awesome bass work. Also, that chorus sounds a bit like the one from "The Tower" by Avantasia.

Throughout the band's 20-year existence, they have made a unique run through their similar yet signature sound of speedy power metal. But I have a feeling that sometime after this album, this second 4-album era would come to an end and a third era would start. The band is on a search for a new bassist and keyboardist or someone who can play both instruments, since the band still has no permanent keyboardist and Leclercq is out of the band. Now that I think about it, Leclercq has quite an over 25-year metal history. Before DragonForce, he was in another power metal band Heavenly. Recently, he formed blackened death metal side-project Sinsaenum. And now he's with Euro-thrash legends Kreator! INCREDIBLE!!! Yeah, he left DragonForce to join Kreator. It's been an extreme joyride so far, but soon will be a whole new decade, and the band will eventually find a couple new members. Will a new third era commence? I don't know, but we will have to wait for the fate of the heroes of EXTREME POWER METAL!

Favorites: "Highway to Oblivion", "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", "The Last Dragonborn", "Troopers of the Stars", "In a Skyforged Dream", "Remembrance Day", "My Heart Will Go On"

If you've already read my earlier Make Them Suffer reviews, you know what I think of Neverbloom, their kick-A debut despite some slight repetition that is probably my favorite album to be considered deathcore. But in Worlds Apart, they ditched their symphonic blackened deathcore for a more dominating progressive metalcore sound.

One notable part of the sound that sets this album apart from the previous Make Them Suffer albums is the style of riffing. Their Emperor-influenced aggression is barely even present anymore, having been mostly replaced with Architects-esque riffs that are never bad at all. Those new riffs ranging from melodic to heavy to djenty can successfully dominate. They do their job well and never repetitively. Take that, other metalcore/deathcore bands!

"The First Movement" is not an intro movement at all, unlike in other albums. It's...well, the chorus sung by new keyboardist/vocalist Booka Nile explains what the song is, "It was a beautiful song, the first of many to come , but meant the start of a bond, precious only to one". Indeed, that heavy yet beautiful song is a great hint to the progressive metalcore sound coming up in this album. "Uncharted" has hyper-melodic energy. "Grinding Teeth" is full of grinding riffs, stellar keyboard atmosphere, and crystal-shining female singing. Booka's vocals are much more commonly used than Louisa Burton's vocals in the previous two albums.

If you pay close attention to "Vortex (Interdimensional Spiral Hindering Inexplicable Euphoria)", the part where vocalist Sean Harmanis screams "A-A A-A-A A-A-A-A A-A A", that's actually Morse code for the subtitle's acronym "ISHIE". Cool, right?! The slight Deftones-ish shoegaze influence can be heard in "Fireworks". CAN YOU BRING THEM?!? The soft ambient symphonic intermission tradition continues with the interlude "Contact". Then it segues to "Power Overwhelming" with overwhelming djent power.

After that is the groove-ish "Midnight Run". Next song "Dead Plains" starts soft with mysterious ambiance to open a fresh atmospheric dimension, then the dynamic instrumentation and screaming kick in to help with the variation. "Save Yourself" is the album's epic closer. It is another great way to recap an album with djent-core instrumentation, exquisite growls and screams, and rising female cleans, the latter making that song a more complete closing recap than the one for Neverbloom. Ending that song is an amazing preacher-like spoken word section over more of those female cleans. A massive ending!! SO D*MN AWESOME!!!

You never expect a lot of bands to have greatness excelling in every album, but Make Them Suffer is definitely like that. Every member has great musical talent proven by the album's sparkling production. If you love symphonic/progressive metalcore, I absolutely recommend this album for you!

Favorites: "The First Movement", "Vortex (Interdimensional Spiral Hindering Inexplicable Euphoria)", "Fireworks", "Dead Plains", "Save Yourself"

SOULS. Whenever people see the title of an album or anything that ends with the word "Souls", they immediately of the Dark Souls video game series and its prequel Demon's Souls. Those games are great and the best and all but...f*** it, people! Can't we focus on something else that's great?! The second Make Them Suffer album Old Souls!! Though their music would make a good soundtrack for that game series...

Old Souls is as f***ing amazing as what video gamers think of the Dark Souls games, but it can't beat its predecessor Neverbloom. Their debut album still reigns with heart-felt emotion, brutalized epicness, and glorious intensity. Sadly, many Make Them Suffer listeners only cared about a few great songs enough for the band to continue playing those songs live today. Neverbloom is such as underrated album and I hope they play it entirely for its 10th anniversary tour a couple years now. Anyway, Old Souls is full of songs you can never forget, despite having less of the epic nature from Neverbloom.

The slow melancholic instrumental "Foreword" combines piano and strings, once again having the same epic vibe as Audiomachine/TSFH, except for the deep screams of Sean Harmanis. Then it blasts off into "Requiem" initially sounding like symphonic black metal with its blast beats before gnawing down into killer symphonic deathcore to die for. Then there's "Fake", which is never fake. It's a real punishing song with sharp riffs and menacing views towards hypocrisy and indoctrination that basically say "To h*ll with religion!" A great standout! Next song "Let Me In" has more melodic vocals and emotive lyrics in an effective tale of the throes of redemption. The lyrics are similar to their debut, but their music ain't! Keyboardist Louisa Burton continues her clean singing in more common usage than in Neverbloom.

"Threads" has some more of their earlier brutal delivery. "Through The Looking Glass" is a good break from relentless aggression as a calm electronic-orchestral interlude. You have a bit of time to catch your breath before you get hurled back into the glorious modern metal. "Blood Moon" is a mysterious track with more of Burton's clean vocals.

"Scraping the Barrel" has solid vocals in a mentally stable range from low growls to high screams, making that song another standout. Same with "Marionette" where Harmanis' unclean vocals fit well with Burton's cleans. Burton takes full stage in "Timeless", both in the keyboards and vocals, making this an interesting dynamic song. Finally, the title track has Harmanis and Burton growling and singing together over epic extreme instrumentation, sounding like a heavier brutal Nightwish.

Make Them Suffer have done another great album! Old Souls continues the poetic lyrical nature, driving blast beats, and symphonic/orchestral elements, now towering over the earlier growls and breakdowns for a more interesting soundscape. Many of the songs maintain the fast neck-twisting pace. The emotional intensity is mixed well with the top-notch production. The album might even have more layers and textures than many other metal albums out there. There's so much to love with these 40 minutes. Stop living under a f***ing rock, you can't miss this!

Favorites: "Fake", "Let Me In", "Scraping the Barrel", "Marionette", "Old Souls"

If people are gonna hate deathcore for its unoriginal blend of death metal and metalcore, they should at least try a hybrid between that genre and other influences. One of those hybrids is symphonic deathcore, with bands such as Winds of Plague and...oh yeah, Make Them Suffer!

With the deathcore scene rising and the metal community protesting over that scene because of lack of variation and talent, it can be hard for a deathcore band to actually get people to enjoy the genre. Australian band Make Them Suffer knows just what to do try to get some metal purists to give deathcore a try. The symphonic deathcore idea has already been created by Winds of Plague, but Make Them Suffer really unleash it to the world with a mind-f***ing gem, their debut Neverbloom!

The album starts with a calm symphonic "Prologue" complete with grand piano. It is the Audiomachine/TSFH-esque symphonic calm before the brutal storm. Then it fades away... and explodes into the massive title track! It starts with actual riffing instead of just the overused breakdown. The song is so epic and brutal, and even though it still has the breakdown, the one used in this song is the best in the entire album. There's a lot to progress in this 6 and a half minute monster (a couple more of those long epics would appear later in the album). I love how the bass doesn't cause the rest of the music to be heavily distorted. The piano is also great! It sounds so real, even though it's probably just the electronic keyboard. Keyboardist/pianist Louisa Burton is really talented, offering great soft piano contrast to the deathcore breakdowns and riffing, playing actual piano melody instead of just a few keys. She also provided background vocals in this song, similar to Skillet drummer/vocalist Jen Ledger in their album Awake. Both her piano and vocals add the melodic beauty of their sound. That epic has the essence of perfection! Next song "Morrow (Weaver of Dreams)" has a formula that would be followed later on the album. It has perfect groove-influenced. Once again, piano blends well with the riffing. The bass is really great as well. Excellent song! "Elegies" follows that formula, this time adding poetic songwriting never before heard in deathcore, a genre plagued by sh*tty generic lyrics. The vocabulary is quite large, not just swearing but also a great deal of fantasy terms usually heard in symphonic/power metal.

"Maelstrom" is an absolute f***ing storm of epic and extreme, and I'm not saying it like a brown-nosing fanboy. This is more true epic deathcore power! A breakdown here might seem simple but it's another one of the most powerful in the album. It is the second of the three 6 and a half minute epics. Once again, the lyrics are so poetic that they can be published as poetry without the music. Those beautiful poetic lyrics are brutalized by the powerful screams of lead vocalist Sean Harmanis with a mighty voice ranging from black metal shrieks to death metal growls. The guitar work here is incredible too. The drumming is great, but it drowns out the bass. "Oceans of Emptiness" is another little calm symphonic interlude that serves as a great break from the brutality. Louisa Burton once again sings a bit of soft clean vocals. "The Well" continues the same formula; groove-ish riff-wrath, powerful breakdowns, blast beats, and well-played piano.

"Weeping Wastelands" was re-recorded from their brutal demo EP Lord of Woe, and is the band's longest song at nearly 7 minutes. It's not as special as those other two epics (the title track and "Maelstrom"), but it's still listenable by any means. Album highlight "Widower" has great use of metaphorical imagery in the lyrics combined with instrumental atmosphere. It truly is a descent into nightmarish chaos! In the distorted keyboard intro, you wake up in the weeping wasteland from the previous track having no clue what happened that caused the disaster. Then your memory comes back into your mind in clarity and terror as the music starts with Harmanis screaming "WILL YOU REMEMBER ME?!?!" beginning a vortex of desolated despair. The technical drum speed and ability is best presented in the epic closer "Chronicles". The song itself pretty much summarizes the entire album, taking pieces of everything from previous songs and putting them all into an epic extreme cauldron in just 6 minutes. 6 minutes of epic symphonic deathcore glory! Too bad the female vocals don't return until the next album. Then throughout the ending climax, it sounds pleasantly similar to the title track, and the outro matches the intro, stirring up the theme of everything ending where it began. What an epic ride this has been!

Overall, Neverbloom is a fantastic display of what the band has in store, and they helped deathcore continue going the right direction. The symphonic elements are excellent, never out of place, and they use actual riffing so they don't have to keep monotonously overusing breakdowns. The vocals are great, so are the guitars, the drums are good, and the bass is excellent though needed to take the spotlight more. Their band name is cool too, but they kept insisting that it didn't come from the similarly titled Cannibal Corpse song, much to some belief. Great album worth listening to for some of the most epic deathcore in the world!

Favorites: "Neverbloom", "Morrow (Weaver of Dreams)", "Maelstrom", "Widower", "Chronicles"

HA!! You didn't think I would forget which music video my alt-rock-loving brother recommended I watch and listen that made interested in this band, did you?! Well I'll tell you now before we go deep into this review. That video is "Stabbing in the Dark"! I care more about the music than the videos, so I skipped the video and went onto the song which is incredible! There's also a recent acoustic version featuring Matt Heafy from Trivium whom I think would fit better in the originally heavy version. Anyway, enough personal talk, let's get going with the review!

Ice Nine Kills' previous album Every Trick in the Book gave the band more success than they ever had in previous albums, taking classic dark literature and revamping into modern metalcore. Now the kings of theatrical metalcore are back, with The Silver Scream, an offering of songs based on horror films. This approach is more challenging and easier at the same time. Movies have a more clearly distinct tone than novels because the music can really fit well with the visuals, almost enough that it should've been those movies' soundtracks. This might be less of a challenge for Ice Nine Kills, but that's good because it's easier for people who are more familiar with films than novels to see the band's love for films. So with this delicately balance of talent and skill, did Ice Nine Kills achieve this? The Silver Scream! Coming...right now!!

"The American Nightmare", based on A Nightmare on Elm Street, opens the album with advise about sleep in a radio broadcast, waking you up in a hospital after a long coma following that encounter with Carrie at the end of the first part of this story (from my review for Every Trick in the Book). During the insistent drum beat with smooth vocals by Spencer Charnas, you notice a doctor looking over you. When the loud fast guitar riff and screaming vocals come in, the doctor reveals himself to be Freddy Krueger! The high-speed beat, hooks, and vocals alternating between Charnas and Justin DeBlieck create an otherworldly vibe as Krueger chases you through the hospital maze. Another strong solid album start! You outrun that deranged killer and escaped the hospital. Once your memory gets clearer, you realize it's FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! ("Thank God It's Friday") That's right, it's October 13, 2017! The song continues the tempo and execution in epic chaotic atmosphere, as you end up in a summer camp and get chased through there by Jason Voorhees, until you fall down a gorge and get knocked out. Then you get waken up by a clock ticking and bells in an insane asylum on Halloween ("Stabbing In The Dark"), where you learn that there's a violent villain out to kill patients in the asylum until he finds his target. After the music transits from soft and beautiful to a brutal onslaught of growling vocals, intricate guitars, and heavy drums, you realize...YOU'RE NEXT!! You get chased again by Michael Myers, but you outrun him and escape the asylum. After that, you find out that you're in Texas, but you don't know that someone's spying on you (hint: the camera shutter effect that starts "Savages"). This song, "Savages" is less obvious in the horror inspiration, but if you're a true horror film fan, you might get that this is based on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Once again in the loud intensity, you get chased around Texas by Leatherface, but then you trip on a rock and knock yourself out.

You wake up, all chained up in a large bathroom with another man (Randy Strohmeyer of Finch). Despite the chaos of the song "The Jig is Up", based on Saw, it's actually the weakest point of the album, with a lot of elements mixed together like a jigsaw puzzle without any focus on actual strength. At least they captured the atmosphere of Saw successfully. The Jigsaw Killer orders you and the other guy to battle to the death, and the winner gets to escape. Fortunately, the other guy is a master hacker and assassin, so he hacked into the system, takes Jigsaw's remote and shocks him with the remote, and escapes with you. "A Grave Mistake" is a tender emotional power ballad based on The Crow. In a plot twist, the guy tagging along with you reveals himself to be Eric Draven who is revived to find the murderer of his wife and avenge her. He offers you to help him, and you accept it on the condition that you protect from anymore attackers. You reach the Atlantic coast of Texas and sail away on a boat. "Rocking the Boat", based on Jaws, features original member Jeremy Schwartz, name-drops all of the band previous albums and The Burning EP, and has a killer metalcore breakdown. A murderous shark attacks the boat you're sailing on, but fortunately your assassin partner, who is a professional shark hunter, blows the shark up with an RPG. You both decide to return to the coast and travel to the Rocky Mountains where you find the remote Overlook Hotel. "Enjoy Your Slay", based on The Shining, was originally released a year before the rest of the album, featuring film director Stanley Kubrick's grandson Sam Kubrick. But then you both find out that one of the residents, Jack Torrance is trying to find his family to kill them and is killing other residents. Jack kills your assassin partner and chases you out of the hotel in an early December snowstorm. Fortunately, you have some snow clothes and put them on before heading out in the freezing cold, misleading Jack who didn't care about what he's wearing and ends up freezing solid. You climb down the Rocky Mountains and continue your journey.

You end up in a town of outcasts each waving high their "Freak Flag" which, based on the Rob Zombie-directed film The Devil's Rejects, is the simplest song here, but still a good Revolution anthem. The catchy powerful chorus empowers the audience to sing their lungs out. Love at first listen! The Devil's Rejects is more of a gothic horror film, causing this song to be a nice break from the slasher destruction. But then slaying the matriarchy is Edward Scissorhands (Tony Lovato of Mest) (the emotionally beautiful "The World in My Hands"). He decides to tag along to protect you. Then you both find out it's Christmas! "Merry Axe-Mas" is based on Silent Night, Deadly Night, and filled with jingling bells, hard fast music, growling vocals, and heavy guitar riffs, in contrast the upbeat melodic chorus, as Edward fights "Killer Santa" but ends up losing that fight. You run off before Killer Santa could have the chance to find you. You're stuck hiding in a dark alley alone until someone bites you, it's a werewolf girl (singer/actress Chelsea Talmadge)! "Love Bites" is the actual ballad of the album based on An American Werewolf In London, with a nice catchy chorus. Then the full moon appears and you turn into a werewolf, forming a werewolf duo, you and the wolverine girl. You are now ready for the final horror...

The final song is the chaotic crown of disturbing glory, "IT is the End", and I think you already know what it's based on. It has many elements but they're used much better and features a few final guest vocalists, Peter "JR" Wasilewski and Buddy Schaub of Less Than Jake and Will Salazar of Fenix TX. It is indeed the craziest and most horrific of the album, and I love it! You notice a boy named Georgie talking to a Pennywise the clown in the sewer drain. Pennywise bites Georgie's arm and drags him into the sewer, and you and the werewolf girl tag along with them. You find an underground sewer circus arena, where you are surrounded by all the villains from the scenario of this review and the previous one; the Animal Farm rebellion, Dracula, the cannibal zombies from the plane wreck, the angry mob of Romeo and Juliet's feuding families, the war soldiers, Carrie, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, the Jigsaw Killer, Jack Torrance, Killer Santa, and Pennywise. Throughout the epic ska-metalcore chaos, you and the werewolf girl end in a brutal battle against all of those villains, and during the climatic post-chorus finale, the only villains that haven't been slain are Dracula, Carrie, Killer Santa, and Pennywise. Killer Santa stabs you and the werewolf girl each through the heart, reverting both of you back to normal. While the now normal girl bleeds to death, you're still alive but still bleeding. Pennywise bites your limbs off, Dracula drinks your running blood, and to finish you off, Carrie mentally stops your still beating heart. You lost your life and the villains prevail... Then you wake up in a movie theater. That two-review scenario was all just a nightmare, and you slept through a horror film. You start heading towards the theater exit, glad that the nightmare was over...OR WAS IT?!? (see front cover)

Well that was an epic scenario I've just made in this review and the previous one, but this album is epic as well! The Silver Scream has everything to define the sound of Ice Nine Kills, and it continues building up the elements from Every Trick in the Book into a monstrous feast. The Silver Scream is way more of a complete horror soundtrack than just an album. If you love Ice Nine Kills, heavy metal, and/or horror films, this album is definitely for you, though I'm not into the latter subject. Enjoy this slay!

Favorites: "Thank God It's Friday", "Stabbing in the Dark", "Rocking the Boat", "Freak Flag", "Merry Axe-Mas", "IT is the End"

It's gotta be an amazing feat to adequately adapt classic literature and revamp them for a modern metalcore album. The immense mystique to too difficult to compare. First you read the novel, then you watch its film adaptation once it comes out, and you're so tempted to see find out what other possible way to adapt a novel without having to write a full story or act it out. Thankfully, you don't have to make a film to retell a great novel. Music is an underrated capability to adapt great stories into greater modern works of art. Ice Nine Kills has done every trick in those books to make the haunting books-turned-into-songs album, Every Trick in the Book!

Back in the 2000s, Ice Nine Kills was originally a hybrid of ska, pop punk, and post-hardcore. In the 2010s, their sonic identity became fast theatrical metalcore. The hard work making this masterpiece really paid off, causing the band to headline a couple Warped Tours and currently sit in the main roster of Fearless Records after years in the self-released underground. With this album, you get to hear the best literature you had to read in middle school, composed into enjoyable new-generation metalcore.

The story begins in an Animal Farm, the inspiration for "The Nature of the Beast". A circus ringleader (lead vocalist Spencer Charnas) invites you to the act that opens the album. Spencer and co-frontman Justin DeBlieck sing the evocative chorus for the first time, as you begin to realize that the audience aren't people, they're animals! As Spencer begins his screaming, the ringleader reveals himself to be a wild boar, and you've been tricked into a trap by the animal rebellion. Throughout the twisting and turning epic chaos, the animals chase you all over the farm, determined to seize control and destroy any humans who get in their way. A compelling start to the album! You manage to outrun the animals and escape the farm, then you find a little girl who looks lost ("Communion of the Cursed"). Right when you're about to ask if she needs help, the heaviness begins when you find out that the girl is possessed by a demon! The devil is in the frightening details of this track. The unclean screams segue into a strong clean chorus and a punishing breakdown. During all that, while being chased by the demon girl, you find a couple priests in a church who offer to help exorcise the demon. You accept the offer and despite the demon-girl's (screaming) demand, "I CANNOT BE CRUCIFIED!!!", they crucify her and exorcise the demon out of her. You thank the priests and continue your journey with the girl who's now back to normal by your side. Next location: Transylvania ("Bloodbath & Beyond")! The band puts a unique twist into the story; Dracula is a young brooding vampire similar to Edward from Twilight though slightly younger and the girl's "boyfriend". You'll see why I added quotes to that last word in a second. The girl and young Dracula kiss each other, the girl being unaware that it's actually a "crimson kiss" to poison the girl to death. The superb drumming travels through the great choruses and ravaging near-end breakdown. During that breakdown, you get chased by Dracula but you outrun him and escape his castle.

Then you find a plane wreck with dead bodies...or ARE they dead?! ("The Plot Sickens") The vocals switch from unclean to clean, from low to high, in rapid pace. The "dead bodies" wake up and are actually cannibal zombies threatening to eat living humans, all repeated the line "We'll make it out alive", even though they're half-dead. You manage to outrun the zombies and make it out alive. Then you end up in a medieval kingdom and find one of two "Star-Crossed Enemies", Juliet, who tells you that she wants herself and Romeo to "make like shadows and disappear". Juliet asks you to find some crimson blood to add to a potion drink to hypnotize Romeo into falling in love with her. Fortunately, you have some crimson blood stained on your sleeve and let it drip on her drink. Unfortunately, you forgot that's the same blood from Dracula's poisonous "crimson kiss". So when Juliet gives Romeo the crimson potion drink, he dies. Heartbroken, Juliet takes his dagger and stabs herself to join him in death. Right then, their feuding families were watching the whole scene, and they blame you for their deaths and chase you out of town. After escaping that town, you meet a nice man Jekyll who suddenly has an evil personality, Hyde. "Me, Myself & Hyde" is one of the most entertaining and struggle-focused songs in this album. You ask Jekyll what's wrong, and he says "Go ask Alice," and Hyde shouts "AND GO AWAY!!" You easily find Alice in no time flat. "Alice" features some of the best clean singing from Spencer Charnas he has ever done, while still doing some screaming. Alice is a teenage drug addict who ran away from home to find Doctor Jekyll who knows her well who can help cure her drug addiction. However, Jekyll completed his transformation into Hyde, but he was still able to cure her. Alice and Hyde thank you for the help, and you continue your journey.

Now you're in a frightening war-zone with a girl hiding in a bunker. "The People in the Attic" is a dark melodeath composition based on The Diary of Anne Frank, with strong driving guitar groove and emotional clean/screaming vocals in the perspective of Anne Frank. The girl named Anne Frank is suffering from the typhus epidemic, and she asks you to take her diary writings and publish them. Then she succumbs to the typhus and dies, her last words being an inspirational line, "The path that God has lit grows ever darker though my faith goes further now." You run out of the war, narrowly dodging bullets. "Tess-Timony" is a ballad that initially starts with piano and strings, then before guitar soar in towards the end aside haunting passages that look back in your journey so far ("And for this, I was willing to die, it was all I could do to survive"). Sorry, no "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" action here, too sexual. You finally make it back to your home town, safe and sound...or so you thought! "Hell in the Hallways" closes the album with gore and chaos. As the band uses the last of their guitar energy, you find a bunch of dead bodies and a living girl named Carrie who uses her telekinetic powers to mentally stop your heart. The last thing you hear when you're at the brink of death is Carrie cackling, "WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!?" To be continued...

This. Is. INCREDIBLE!! Ice Nine Kills has made a remarkable accomplishment. They traveled through time to dig up compelling written works of literature and composed songs based on them, creating a perfect adverse effect and a promising future for both literature and music. But the greatest Ice Nine Kills show of all would come in 2018, when they released the cinematic The Silver Scream. But besides that, Every Trick in the Book is a glorious masterpiece. Forget your middle school summer reading lists, listen to this monstrously well-written album instead!

Favorites: "The Nature of the Beast", "Bloodbath & Beyond", "Me, Myself & Hyde", "Alice", "Hell in the Hallways"

I forgot to mention in my last review that Ice Nine Kills in another one of those bands I started listening to because of my usually alt-rock-loving brother. He recommended one of the band's music videos for me to watch and listen (I'll tell you which one it is in a later review). Well I didn't watch the video but I listen to the song and made me interested in this band, and I shared the rest of their discography with my brother. Thanks bro!

So after a couple albums and a couple EPs, Ice Nine Kills released another EP The Predator, then it becomes the prey... The Predator Becomes the Prey features a couple songs from the Predator EP and shines through some of their strongest material yet, until their next two theatrical albums.

The album bursts into heaviness right away with "The Power in Belief", summing up everything from the first two Ice Nine Kills before what's coming next. It has everything including a catchy chorus, heavy tone, and the best screaming vocals. Plus, there's a killer guitar solo that really levels up the metal in metalcore and keeps the tight structure beyond interesting. The band continues emphasizing their heavy side with the vicious "Let’s Bury The Hatchet...In Your Head". The first track taken from the Predator EP, "The Coffin is Moving" fits nicely as if was meant for this album, but the cheesy zombie chorus ("We are, we are the walking dead") could use more work.

"The Fastest Way To A Girl’s Heart Is Through Her Ribcage" continues the metalcore cliche of long titles, while the song itself is dark and theatrical. The lyrics are once again cheesy, this time spoofing Twilight in a seductive manner ("You’d be just as sexy bleeding"). "The Product Of Hate" was originally a standalone single released the previous year for charity for the Boston Marathon bombing and it really fits greatly. It's the bomb (sorry if it's too soon)! "Connect The Cuts" is probably the heaviest song the band could ever do, sounding closer to dangerous deathcore. Chaotic heaviness before the softer side... "Jonathan" is not totally soft, but it's more touching with lyrics about a friend of the band who suffered a disease that made him almost completely blind.

"What I Never Learned In Study Hall" is the second track from the Predator EP, and the third and last part of the "What I Learned in Study Hall" series of songs that started in Last Chance to Make Amends and The Burning EP. Unlike those other "Study Hall" songs, this one is a heavy pop punk song instead of acoustic. It has guest vocals by Tyler Carter of Issues and one of Ice Nine Kills' best hooks. The next two songs before the finale are my least favorite parts of the album while not deducting the 4.5 star rating, starting with "So Long Steven Long" (shout-out to journalist/crime-novelist Steven Long). That song is a little boring despite the brutal parts, and it probably should've stayed in the album's demo sessions. "What Lies Beneath" has a brief addictive riff before the screams get a little irritating that the instrumentation can do without. "My Life In Two" is an uplifting song reminiscent of Chasing Safety-era Underoath with a redeemed message screamed and a beautiful chorus ("I only promise I’m not giving up today").

In the attack of the metalcore clones, Ice Nine Kills shines with a great example of uniqueness metal fans want and metal bands need nowadays. The band would continue in a greater more theatrical direction, that would make metalcore fans say "A Day to Remember WHO?". Ice Nine Kills shall remain a great recent part of metalcore history....

Favorites: "The Power in Belief", "Let’s Bury The Hatchet...In Your Head", "The Product Of Hate", "What I Never Learned In Study Hall", "My Life in Two"

Ice Nine Kills is a band that never really gets mentioned much in the metal community, and I can see why. They started as a pop punk/ska band recording a demo in 2002 that wasn't released until 2009 and their 2006 debut Last Chance to Make Amends. Then their 2007 EP The Burning marked the beginning of their current sound, though still not getting the deserving worldwide exposure. Fortunately, the acquired fans still enjoy that exceptional release in the modern screamo/post-hardcore scene.

With the lineup getting refreshed with the only remaining original member being main vocalist Spencer Charnas, you might think there would be another change of sound from that EP. Yes, but not drastically! The newer incarnation of Ice Nine Kills released their second and first major-label album Safe is Just a Shadow.

"Proximity Mines in the Complex" is one of my favorite songs of the album, and it's the beginning of the modern Ice Nine Kills style you know and love. Spencer Charnas' harsh vocals are now in higher prominence. This song is heavier than anything you would ever hear in their self-released debut and EP, almost impossibly heavier than anything I've heard. That marks the beginning of the band's new life as a metalcore band. I also enjoy "Buildings Burn, People Die" though not enough to be one of my favorites but enough to continue my love for this band. They really developed their sound into something new and modern. I appreciate the heavy riffs, pulverizing vocals, and amazing lyrics, all sounding relevant! "Chris Brown's Latest Hit" (referencing Chris Brown assaulting Rihanna the previous year) has soaring hooks in catchy choruses.

"Newton's Third Law of Knives to the Back" continues the post-hardcore/metalcore strategy of brutal long song titles, while the song itself sounds like a mix of songs from all Spencer Chamberlain-era Underoath albums at that time mixed into one song (another kick-A Spencer!). "So This is My Future" is what I think of the coronavirus situation as of this review, fearing a future of a world of plague and having to stay in our homes to survive. Epic metalcore song! Then we come to the epic 3-track album suite, starting with "Acceptance in the Waves" which is really amazing for the most part. The next part of the suite, "Red Sky Warning" has killer vocal harmonies especially in the right after the midway point. "The People Under The Stairs" is my favorite part of the suite, and another album favorite. It starts with a My Dying Bride-like synth-orchestral intro, but instead of gothic doom, you get blasted by the usual metalcore, in which the epic extreme sound makes otherwise generic verses glorious.

"The Greatest Story Ever Told" (re-recorded from The Burning) is not the greatest song ever heard, but it is a great favorite for me and other Ice Nine Kills fans with fun vocals and dark yet modern lyrics. Every IX fan would really sing along in any live show that has this song. This is a fun song to headbang to the rhythms and sing along the unique enchanting lyrics. Again, NOT the greatest song on earth, but one of the strongest songs in the band's history. "Evidence on Fire" has the last of the hype from this album, containing dark lyrics, melodic vocals, and heavy riffs. After that gripping closing song, listeners would definitely want more!

Fans of Ice Nine Kills' older pop punk/ska sound might end up covering their ears from the metal sound worth a Warped Tour they can't stand, but it's no problem for the heavier metalheads. With the inclusion of breakdowns and vocals that range from harsh screaming to clean whining, those not-so-brave punk fans might see them as a step backwards, whereas the metal fans see them as a leap forward. It looks like Ice Nine Kills gained exposure for this stylistic progression, so let's hope they continue to rise....

Favorites: "Proximity Mines in the Complex", "Newton's Third Law of Knives to the Back", "So This is My Future", "The People Under The Stairs", "The Greatest Story Ever Told"

There's no better way to celebrate the release of Kamelot's new album than with a blast to the past with their live album One Cold Winter's Night! It's their second live CD but their first live DVD, showing the next chapter of their evolution. Throughout their 2-CD setlist, they've played songs from their best era; the albums Karma, Epica, and The Black Halo, and one song from The Fourth Legacy. And it was the best time to record a live album after the immense success gained from The Black Halo.

They play most of the incredible songs well, and the production is in clean balance. Vocalist Roy Khan unleashes his singing energy, while guitarist Thomas Youngblood soars with his impressive leads, as the other members follow.

The Italian cabaret intro "Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso" (A Very Silent Murder) has no use except being part of the original story. The driving title track of The Black Halo is one of the best ever Kamelot songs. "Soul Society" has a radio-friendly chorus while soaring through epic progressive sorrow. "Edge of Paradise" isn't as fast as the first two full songs, but it's worth heavy headbanging. The haunting orchestra and choir from the first interlude returns before the solo, all surrounding by mid-tempo riffing and drumming. Then "Center of the Universe" brings back the fast heavy action, but then it slows and quiets down for a melodic piano bridge with Khan singing alongside Mari. Then the heaviness comes back for the soloing and final chorus. What an epic banger to introduce us to the world of Epica. Then it segues to a nostalgic favorite of mine, "Nights of Arabia", continuing the Middle-Eastern themes and reliving the story of Shahrazad. The female vocals by Cinzia Rizzo mark the first of many guest vocalists Kamelot would have over the years.

"Abandoned" is a true power ballad, far greater than Blind Guardian's overrated "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)". The vocals of Roy Khan are good enough in the first half, but when the song builds up towards the end, his vocals pour out in heavenly grandeur that most other bands try to accomplish but ends up becoming wishful thinking for them. Returning from Epica, Thomas Youngblood's wife reprises her role as Helena, (SPOILER ALERT!!) Ariel's true love who drowned herself in Epica. Then comes a personal favorite of mine, the fast "Forever", still remaining a live staple for the band, though it's messed up a bit by the extension for audience participation, while not as long as in the other live album I Am the Empire - Live From the 013 (2020). After that is a "Keyboard Solo", in which keyboardist Oliver Palotai shows off his impressive classical piano skills on his keyboard. "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" is the most likable single here, a nice melodic contrast with the heavier tracks. The character Marguerite is sung by Simone Simons from Epica, that band who named themselves after the previous Kamelot album. I would enjoy this live version more if it wasn't the radio edit. "Moonlight" starts with an ethereal ghostly touch before stomping through the heaviness the listener wants more of.

That concludes the first disc of the CD version, and the second disc starts with "When the Lights are Down" with a catchy chorus with background choir, once again accessible yet dynamic! It sounds more ambitious and complex than anything the band could've done in Karma, having a Symphony X-like feel in the crescendo of melodies. Then we have a soloing battle between Oliver Palotai (in place of Jens Johansson) and guitarist Thomas Youngblood. Then the 3-part 12-minute epic suite "Elizabeth", based on Elizabeth Bathory, begins with the atmospheric "Mirror Mirror". The female vocals return in the second part "Requiem for the Innocent" which I still enjoy as much as a lot of the album. The catchy final part of the suite and album, "Fall From Grace" ends it all on a fast sinister note. Continuing magnificently is the pounding "March of Mephisto" showing both intricate sound layers and dark aggressive Iced Earth-like mid-paced riffs, as well as complex melodic vocal construction. More detailed yet more accessible! Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath does some growling as Mephisto, lip-synced and acted by Snowy Shaw. But for some reason, they didn't include the progressive keyboard solo originally played by Stratovarius' Jens Johansson. Either keyboardist Oliver Palotai doesn't know how to play it himself, or AGAIN they are just playing its radio edit. Better not be the latter!

The female vocals shine again in the title track of Karma and sound quite eerie. Nonetheless, it's my ultimate favorite of the album, and one of the best Kamelot songs I still enjoy. After that, drummer Casey Grillo performs a wild "Drum Solo" before the grand finale... "Farewell" also starts fast with crushing riffs and drums. When Khan's beautiful vocals come in for the verses, it goes slow before speeding up again. Now that's a finale that you can say farewell to! The "Outro" is where the end credits play, along with a mostly instrumental version of "Abandoned" with the only vocals appearing being the female singing from Mari.

Fans of Kamelot will certainly have a nice treat despite the radio edits and the unnecessary extension in one of the songs. Whether you get the CD and/or the DVD, it's one of the most essential releases for fans of Kamelot and progressive/power metal!

Favorites (one per studio album in each disc, plus new track, despite its radio-edits and unnecessary extensions): "The Black Halo", "Center of the Universe", "Nights of Arabia", "Forever", "March of Mephisto", "Karma", "Drum Solo", "Farewell"

For 25 years, Kamelot delivered some of the most first-class power metal I've heard in my epic taste 5 years before this review. After their first 3 albums that barely shook the world, The Fourth Legacy was established a fast bombastic part of the power metal legacy, Karma had new and improved songwriting, and the epic Epica is a concept album that starts the story based on Goethe's Faust. So what did Kamelot do next? They continued the story in one of the best power metal albums in 2005!

Let me just clarify that after 6 albums in the underground, their lucky 7th album The Black Halo is what brought them to higher fame. And I can understand why, this album is so amazing, one of the absolute best in the power metal genre. No exaggeration at all! It's great, it's powerful, and it reminds us of the importance of liking music. Some Kamelot fans don't think this is their best album, and while I used to like their other albums as well, I don't agree with those fans, and the magnificent talent of this album and Epica surpasses many of their other albums by far. Kamelot's Faust albums are the sun in the band's solar system!

The album has a magnificent start with the pounding "March of Mephisto" showing both intricate sound layers and dark aggressive Iced Earth-like mid-paced riffs, as well as complex melodic vocal construction. More detailed yet more accessible! Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath does some growling as Mephisto, and Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson plays a progressive keyboard solo. Next song "When the Lights are Down" has a catchy chorus with background choir, once again accessible yet dynamic! It sounds more ambitious and complex than anything the band could've done in Karma, having a Symphony X-like feel in the crescendo of melodies. Then we have a soloing battle between Jens Johansson and guitarist Thomas Youngblood. "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" is the most likable single here, a nice melodic contrast with the heavier tracks. The character Marguerite is sung by Simone Simons from Epica, that band who named themselves after the previous Kamelot album. "Soul Society" has a radio-friendly chorus while soaring through epic progressive sorrow. The first interlude "Del Gratia" is a nice break that would've been pointless if it wasn't part of the story.

"Abandoned" is a true power ballad, far greater than Blind Guardian's overrated "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)". The vocals of Roy Khan are good enough in the first half, but when the song builds up towards the end, his vocals pour out in heavenly grandeur that most other bands try to accomplish but ends up becoming wishful thinking for them. Returning from Epica, Thomas Youngblood's wife reprises her role as Helena, (SPOILER ALERT!!) Ariel's true love who drowned herself in Epica. "This Pain" is a wild song that starts syncopated, then later explodes into a thrashy soloing mindf***. "Moonlight" starts with an ethereal ghostly touch before stomping through the heaviness the listener wants more of. The Italian cabaret interlude "Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso" (A Very Silent Murder) also has no use except being part of the story.

The driving title track is one of the best ever Kamelot songs. "Nothing Ever Dies" is another killer song, enough said! But the real gem is "Memento Mori" the band's longest single-part song to date at almost 9 minutes. This is probably my favorite Kamelot song ever and one of my favorite songs ever in my old power metal taste. It's an incredible epic that packs a punch in various places such as the story-writing and marvelous riffs and melodies stacked together for you to keep your eyes on the prize. It also has one of the greatest sing-along choruses I've ever heard. Shagrath and Mari reprise their roles one more time as Mephisto and Helena, respectively. Then when it's all over, we hear Mari's last whispering calls for Ariel. Then the interlude "Midnight - Twelve Tolls for a New Day" reveals that the whole story is a playset as part of a New Year's festival. Then we have one more song, "Serenade" which has a fired-up chorus storming through flowing melodies. And there's no denying that you would want to replay this album again.

Kamelot have created a well-thought melodic power metal album that truly unfolds their talents and concepts to a broader audience. I got nothing else to say about The Black Halo, other than it really speaking for itself. Cheers to one of the best power metal experts, Kamelot. Nothing in this album will ever die!

Favorites: "March of Mephisto", "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)", "Abandoned", "This Pain", "The Black Halo", "Memento Mori", "Serenade"

It was their 6th album, and Kamelot was still a barely recognizable underground power metal band. Nonetheless, their 2003 album Epica would reach the ultimate pinnacle of their sound and lead them to a more prominent record label that would release their next album The Black Halo in 2005 and propel the band to global prominence. What do those two albums have in common? Well they both tell a tale based on an old play, Goethe's Faust. However, while they're both two of the best Kamelot albums, Epica is darker in atmosphere and smoother when flowing through songs and interludes, in the same kind of ratio as Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth. With heavy power metal tunes, amazing ballads (yes, they're awesome), and deep lyrics, Epica is the most underrated work. Vocalist Roy Khan sounds like HIM's Ville Valo trying to sing as high and operatic as Tarja from Nightwish, and that's good because it adds a unique edge to the singing. Perfect vocal talent to fit well with the atmosphere! Guitarist Thomas Youngblood has more talent in heavy riffing, beautiful solos, soft acoustics. His awesome skills help keep Kamelot and its music alive. Bassist Glenn Barry also has talent, and often while drowned out in the guitar waves, still shines in some tracks. Drummer Casey Grillo is also talented pummels in a well-flowing fashion through the beauty of the riffs and melodies. The album is filled with guest members, but two of them definitely need to be mentioned. Miro provides the keyboards, piano, and orchestration that have the most effect in the ballads, while enhancing the heavier songs. Mari Youngblood (Thomas' wife) sings beautifully in a few tracks, in great sync with Khan's vocals.

After all this talk about the team who made the music, it's time to explore the world create for the tale, the world of Epica. Love and loss spreads throughout the saga. A man named Ariel has a great amount of wealth and power but often gets cocky and overconfident. His fate is in the hands of the dark demonized angel Mephisto, intending to lead Ariel into trouble. Helena is a beautiful Maiden whom Ariel is in love with, though Mephisto's sinister mind-games would ultimately cost her life. There's much more depth in the detail in Epica than in The Black Halo, and there's much more interaction between the characters. Some minor characters each appearing in only one song include the Master of Ceremonies and a River Spirit (both voiced by John Wilton). There's also a choir to go along with the orchestration.

The adventure begins with a one-minute "Prologue" filled with static and samples from later tracks that almost causes a Disney-like feeling. Then "Center of the Universe" begins the fast heavy action, but then it slows and quiets down for a melodic piano bridge with Khan singing alongside Mari. Then the heaviness comes back for the soloing and final chorus. What an epic banger to introduce us to the world of Epica. "Farewell" also starts fast with crushing riffs and drums, but when Khan's beautiful vocals come in for the verses, it goes slow before speeding up again. "Opiate Soul" is the first of 4 interludes, and adds some haunting orchestra and choir with the one-minute length.

"Edge of Paradise" isn't as fast as the first two full songs, but it's worth heavy headbanging. The haunting orchestra and choir from the first interlude returns before the solo, all surrounding by mid-tempo riffing and drumming. Following this is "Wander", the first semi-acoustic ballad here. Simply just soft guitar, smooth bass, and beautiful singing. Soon, the chorus adds back some of the metal along with vocal harmony. One of the best tracks here and a rare ballad that I truly enjoy! Second interlude "Omen" is where the beauty dies out for the sound of thunder and soft piano. Afterwards is "Descent of the Archangel", starting with fairy-like synth twinkles before a riff onslaught. Then enters the devious Mephisto, who makes a deal to help Ariel on his quest and claim his soul after death. Rhapsody of Fire's Luca Turilli plays a killer neo-classical solo.

The 3rd interlude "At the Banquet" is where Ariel enters a grand feast as crowded as the Last Supper, with the Master of Ceremonies introducing him. However, Mephisto enters as the "13th guest". "A Feast for the Vain" adds melody to the heavy riffing, as Mephisto makes his introduction. Oh I should note that Roy Khan voices Mephisto here, unlike Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath in The Black Halo. Anyway, that song has some of the best lyrics and heaviness in that song. Then "On the Coldest Winter Night" breaks the heavy tie with another ballad, starting with church bells and soft acoustics. The song is slow in a ballad-like pace, and Khan sings mostly in the Ville Valo-like lower octave as opposed to the Tarja-level falsettos in other songs. It's a good song, but not as much as the other semi-acoustic ballad from earlier. "Lost and Damned" is light on the piano, but a war drum march adds some dark suspense that is leveled up by guitar heaviness after a minute of building up, probably the heaviest here. Another notable track!

"Helena's Theme" includes a pivotal event that would gets us all set for The Black Halo. Helena is pregnant after sleeping with Ariel, but he is still determined to continue his search, and leaves despite her not wanting him to. Heartbroken and wanting to love Ariel after death, Helena commits suicide by drowning in a river, taking the unborn child with her. The River Spirit helps guide her soul to Heaven. Though the town crier in the 4th and last interlude "Dawn" announces otherwise. "The Mourning After (Carry On)" is the first of the great final pair of songs in this album that would define what will happen in the next, with riffs balancing catchy and heavy, and an awesome chorus. Ariel is devastated and angry at himself for what he has done to cause this predicament. "III Ways To Epica" is the last part of the first half of this enchanting tale, where Mephisto convinces Ariel to continue his journey. So that's what he does, as Helena watches over him. The structure in this song is a bit odd, but it's still a perfect way to go out in a bang before continuing in the next album.

All in all, Epica should really be checked out for fans of Kamelot and especially their album The Black Halo, if they wanna hear the band's sound at the best and what leads to the part of the story they know more of. The more global part of Kamelot's journey may have begun after being signed to a greater record deal for their next album, but Ariel's journey is only halfway through. Can he continue his quest with a guardian angel and guardian devil by his side? Stay tuned, and hope you enjoyed this epic album of Epica!

Favorites: "Center of the Universe", "Farewell", "Wander", "Descent of the Archangel", "A Feast for the Vain", "Lost and Damned", "Mourning After (Carry On)", "III Ways To Epica"

Kamelot have been active for around 3 decades now. I've heard of them for over 8 years now, as one of the first ever power metal bands I've listened to and in my personal power metal Big 4 (besides DragonForce, Power Quest, and Dragonland). Their journey began with the underground trio of Eternity, Dominion, and Siege Perilous, which are pretty great but not perfect. It was The Fourth Legacy and this album Karma that brought in the perfection I still love to this day, that continues in Epica and The Black Halo!

The vocals in many of Kamelot's albums are the best I've heard in power metal. Those male clean vocals by Roy Khan are slightly better than Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody of Fire. Khan shines with his great vocal range that stays in key. Also the female vocals that appeared in a couple songs from The Fourth Legacy can be found in this album...

One of the greatest power metal album intros I've heard is "Regalis Apertura", a superb epic overture without going too bombastic. Simple yet excellent! Then comes a personal favorite of mine, the fast "Forever", still remaining a live staple for the band. "Wings of Despair" is another one of the most triumphant songs in power metal, also fast with the guitars leading the way. The chorus really drags me in with its catchy delivery. "The Spell" is enjoyable with spooky keyboards.

The ballad "Don't You Cry" was written in memory of the late father of founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood. The soft music is big on the strings played by a string quartet. It's not weak by any means, but it can take a while to get used to it. The aforementioned female vocals first appear in the title track and sound quite eerie. Nonetheless, it's my ultimate favorite of the album, and one of the best Kamelot songs I still enjoy. "The Light I Shine on You" shows nice guitar crunch and soloing. The guitars in "Temples of Gold" range from acoustic to electric. It's actually a better ballad than the other one here and one of my favorite ballads from the band, though I'm a more "upbeat" listener.

"Across the Highlands" is often confusing and a bit unlike the other songs here. Not really the strongest, but maintaining the album's grandeur. Then the 3-part 12-minute closing epic suite "Elizabeth", based on Elizabeth Bathory, begins with the atmospheric "Mirror Mirror". The female vocals return in the second part "Requiem for the Innocent" which I still enjoy as much as a lot of the album. The catchy final part of the suite and album, "Fall From Grace" ends it all on a fast sinister note.

The album itself ends with nearly 7 minutes of silence in an attempt to round off the band's 5th album's length at exactly 55:55. That pointless aspect aside, Karma keeps up Kamelot's peak streak, though the greatness started with The Fourth Legacy. You can find greatness in the vocals, choruses, and medieval-sounding melodies, all in perfect production. Even the artwork is amazing! Karma remains one of the best power metal albums even after distancing away from the majority of the genre. I would recommend this to fans of Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody of Fire, and Pagan's Mind who like those other bands more than I do. Any metalhead should enjoy this grand offering!

Favorites: "Forever", "Wings of Despair", "The Spell", "Karma", "Temples of Gold", "Elizabeth" (complete suite)

Seeing a review appear here for this album made me remember what a brilliant power metal band Kamelot still is. They're part of my personal power metal Big 4 alongside DragonForce, Power Quest, Dragonland that has shaped my like for the genre and metal in general. Despite moving away from most of power metal, I know my metal taste wouldn't have been how it is today without those bands. They'll forever be my never-forgotten heroes! And this is the first of 4 albums that would prove Kamelot's worth....

1999 was power metal's pinnacle year, along with the year I was born. DragonForce and Dragonland were formed, Freedom Call released their debut, and Rhapsody (of Fire) already had two masterpieces. While Kamelot only had their breakthrough 5 years after, The Fourth Legacy is what allowed this band to ride the notable tide of the genre.

The grand keyboard-symphonic intro "New Allegiance" is a bit pompous for me now, but I still like it. Great hint at their later symphonics! Then the power metal action bursts in with the energetic title track. The amazing singing by Roy Khan speaks of Viking adventures, and there's a Latin choir in the bridge, a first for the band at that time. Epic for an opening full song! Then more variation comes in the mystical "Silent Goddess", showing more of a storytelling side in the lyrics.

"Desert Reign" is an interlude where keyboards reign supreme again, this time conjuring a scene from BC Arabia or Al-Kharid (from RuneScape). I liked the Eastern music-metal crossovers better in my power metal teens, but it still sounds cool. Then it segues to a nostalgic favorite of mine, "Nights of Arabia", continuing the Middle-Eastern themes and reliving the story of Shahrazad. The female vocals by Cinzia Rizzo mark the first of many guest vocalists Kamelot would have over the years. The keyboards are still dominant in the more upbeat highlight "The Shadow of Uther", adapting King Arthur's legend. The haunting love ballad, "A Sailorman's Hymn" is an emotional tear-jerker.

The catchy "Alexandria" explores another legendary character, Alexander the Great. That song and "The Inquisitor" has more progressiveness present in their writing, and it's really great, especially in the latter song that helps builds the album's strength. The history of Crusades is looked back upon in another heartfelt ballad "Glory", which isn't the best of the bunch, but it certainly beats the similar "Bard's Song" by Blind Guardian. The agitated "Until Kingdom Come" stands out with powerful keyboards similar to what Sonata Arctica would have with their debut the same year, and what Freedom Call wish they would have. Well, Kamelot would not have a full-time keyboardist until after The Black Halo. The cyber-synth-powered progressive 6-minute epic "Lunar Sanctum" is one of the best album closers for Kamelot!

All in all, The Fourth Legacy is a h*lla amazing power metal album and it came at the right time when the genre was really rising. And I already knew that 15 years after that year, when I was 15. Such great memories back then of the impact power metal received on the year I was born. A progressive-ish power metal must-have!

Favorites: "The Fourth Legacy", "Nights of Arabia", "The Shadow of Uther", "The Inquisitor", "Until Kingdom Come", "Lunar Sanctum"

Having been around for over two decades, DragonForce had achieved unique veteran status, but they've already achieved that status with this album Reaching Into Infinity! But first, let's recap the beginning (again)... Despite having their overly unique style belong to the golden European power metal scene, their ultra-melodic speed metal style, that Helloween once had dominating Continental Europe in the mid-80s, is more exaggerated in the aggression. Not to mention the legendary guitarists Sam Totman and Herman Li's background in black metal New Zealanders Demoniac. However, they made their commercial breakthrough at the same time as other metalcore bands that were also formed in the year I was born (1999), such as Trivium (the band that switched me out of my initial epic metal taste into the modern heavier metalcore) and Killswitch Engage, that were on top. Despite the double-edged sword, from the being lone mainstream ranger of power metal, their popularity from both their mainstream and underground worlds are high and steadfast, though some haters bringing up false stereotypes about the band might disagree.

Leading up to this album, the band has gone through many lineup changes (at least one per one or two studio albums) and lots of the trends mentioned above, stylistically evolving with self-reflection, and have gotten to the point where they're recognizably the same but different from the entire ZP Theart era. They still have their extreme power metal persona, but here it was time to emphasize the "extreme" in the term while keeping the technical exaggeration in front. Bassist Frédéric Leclercq has taken over most of the writing, and has added influences from bands like Heavenly, the power metal band he was in as guitarist and his recent extreme side-project Sinsaenum. You'll be hearing a lot of his influences from thrash, progressive, death, black, and classic heavy metal, more than any of their other albums with the overall structure being more concise. Leclercq has been writing music with the band since his first album with them Ultra Beatdown, and now it shines all the way, rivaling Sam Totman's writing by 80%.

The spacey title prelude is both the band's first intro and title track since the ones in Valley of the Damned, presenting beautiful atmospheric keyboards and military drums as the Iron Maiden-inspired guitar builds up. Then "Ashes of the Dawn" crashes in with an iconic symphonic homage to Helloween. The signature guitar shredding has its flag to mark while the driving concise melody has quite an epic vibe from the early 2000s eras of Gamma Ray and Freedom Call. Leclercq sure knows how to write an anthem that channels both the rest of his era his past in Heavenly. Though the black/death influences aren't around until much later. In the meantime, enjoy the insane shredding of Inhuman Rampage throwback "Judgement Day" that also includes Sam Totman's songwriting credit shared with keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov (who would leave the band after this album, leaving the permanent keyboardist position empty to this day). That song's ending is EPIC! More of Leclercq's brilliant songwriting continues in "Astral Empire", very closely reaching the hyperspeed of the previous album's "The Game". Next song "Curse Of Darkness" follows the formula again with a bit of progressive direction in the haunting organ keyboards while having DragonForce's usual triumphant power.

"Silence" is a somber ballad that marks a notable change in songwriting. Leclercq wrote that one about a friend who died by suicide. That song resembles a Dream Theater ballad with a neo-classical solo. Then its back to happiness with a melodic speeding flashback from Sonic Firestorm, "Midnight Madness". The blazing speedy thrasher "WAR!" starts with a wandering dissonant atmospheric intro before the heaviness hits. The verses and chorus are filled with Marc Hudson sounding rougher in the vocals.

Totman writes together with Leclercq once again in "Land of Shattered Dreams" which is another shredding extravaganza hinting at their earlier era. With all those memories from their earlier albums, there's gonna be something new, something unique, something big...the 11-minute gigantic epic "The Edge of the World", beating Sonic Firestorm's "Soldiers of the Wasteland" by over a minute as the longest song DragonForce has done! All of Leclercq's influences from both his classic and extreme eras are compiled into this progressive piece of epic glory. Throughout the song, the pace marches similarly to mid-tempo heavy metal classics like "Heaven and Hell" and "Holy Diver", while offering a killer death/black metal section in the middle. The "epilogue" track "Our Final Stand" brings moderately fast old-school punches close to Manowar territory.

The special edition comes with 3 bonus tracks, and while I especially love the epic symphonic Rhapsody of Fire-inspired "Hatred and Revenge", along with "Gloria" which is a cover of a semi-Japanese song only available in the Japanese edition, their great remake of Death's "Evil Dead" seems out of place. Well of course I enjoy that power metal attempt of covering an old-school death metal song with the shredding speed faster than that of sound, and the vocals keeping most of the brutality of the original, but it just doesn't fit between those other two bonus tracks. They should've put in that cover right after "The Edge of the World" as a regular track.

All in all, Reaching Into Infinity is an impressive evolution the DragonForce's active career, sounding much different than in the last decade back when naysayers kept dissing them. Any speed/melody-loving adventurers will not regret this rewarding journey, as the haunting villains of Leclercq's past battle these British power metal heroes!

Favorites: "Ashes of the Dawn", "Judgement Day", "Astral Empire", "Curse of Darkness", "WAR!", "The Edge of the World", "Our Final Stand", "Hatred and Revenge" (bonus track)

Welcome back to my small series of power metal band compilations from my earlier epic metal taste with new scenarios to fit with the songs, this time it's a compilation from the one band that started my entire metal interest, DragonForce! Their compilation Killer Elite is just like what the subtitle says, "The Hits and the Highs", with the first disc containing successful singles and well-known hits, and the second disc containing songs that are higher level of epic and extreme. There's also a bonus disc called The Vids with every DragonForce music video up to the compilation's release. I can even write some scene ideas for each song. A world of dragons and guitar solos await!

The album kicks off with their most popular song, and the complete start of my entire metal interest... "Through the Fire and Flames"!! If it wasn't for this song, or for my dad and brother both finding it, I wouldn't have been interested in metal, or maybe I would via a different song. Yes, this is indeed my own metal "big bang" (NOT the K-pop boy band, the universal beginning I mean). From the intricate guitar lines and solo plus strange Pac-Man noises to the amazing vocals and fantasy lyrics, this song burned away my horrid radio-pop future and replaced it with a glorious metal one. And I can't believe it was just 8 years ago when it all started. So thank you DragonForce, along with my dad and brother! For that song's scene idea, it would be the main title and opening credits.

The second track "Holding On" is the opener of the band's first album with their new young lead singer Marc Hudson, already heard from the intro with an immense power metal scream that might remind some of Michael Kiske in Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys albums. Then the usual power metal comes on with Hudson's vocals. For that scene idea, the intro would be the march into battle, then the battle begins throughout the rest of the song. The single "Heroes of Our Time" keeps up the verse-chorus structure I find boring in most other bands, but for soloing, there are so many random changes that you can't tell what's next. Brilliant! As the heroes fight the enemies, the generals duel each other. The slower but still epic "Cry Thunder" is another one of my favorite DragonForce songs, and my favorite with their new vocalist Marc Hudson! An amazing song worth playing air-guitar until your fingers break and headbanging until you sprain your neck. Its mid-tempo pace (unlike their usual faster songs) reminds me of Irish folk and especially the Skyrim theme. This would fit well for when Thor has his own army to lead him into war and fight. Seriously, it's that awesome!! You can't miss this! It fits well not just for Skyrim or Final Fantasy but also for any MMORPG that has ever existed. I agree with anyone who says this is nice and beautiful. It's really good for when medieval dragons face off against space aliens. An epic hit that has established DragonForce as one of the greatest modern power metal bands besides Alestorm. Well done, DF! There's an epic ride of the reinforcements into the ongoing battle at the last second.

The next song "Black Fire" is another greatly fitting song where the amazing duo Herman and Sam shine with their guitar skills, alongside ZP's amazing vocals. And the chorus is so great! Also, part of the soloing is sampled from a Double Dragon theme. This song fits well for the climax of the battle with the arrival of dragons during the soloing to finish off the enemy army. "Dawn Over a New World" is an uplifting power ballad, though not as great as the first 5 songs of the compilation. The heroes' leader rides a dragon over the lands to the next point of the story. "Fields of Despair" sounds great with lots of unique soloing, but why did they include the live version from Twilight Dementia?! Back then, they downtuned to E-flat tuning for touring which ended up being an epic fail! They should've used the studio version and put it before "Dawn Over a New World". Oh well... The leader's dragon gets shot down by a thousand arrows, result in them both getting killed. The rest of the army know another battle is coming...

A shorter hyperspeed thrash assault, "The Game" is their fastest song at nearly 240bpm. The action kicks off with NES synthesizers, blazing guitars, and a cliché but cool chorus which, if it was at the usual 200bpm, would've been an Ultra Beatdown side. There are also some sick background growls by Matt Heafy from Trivium, the band that made me initially turn my back on power metal for a new heavier modern style of metal. Another battle begins, and the heroes fight the enemies for the former's fallen leader.

"Operation Ground and Pound" is another single and would probably be my 7th favorite song (the first 6 being those first 5 songs and "The Game"). It has excellent verses, an amazing chorus, incredible soloing, and even the music video is awesome! The battle is still raging, but it seems like it might end soon.

"Seasons" is a more mid-tempo song (compared to their usual faster works) that sounds inspired by the radio singles of Gamma Ray and Stratovarius, and also borrows some of that slow tempo from Ultra Beatdown. The battle seems pointless for the heroes to continue without their leader, with the villains' victory being inevitable.

The really kick-A "Reasons to Live" shows creative difference in tempo, writing, and melody. It's so great hearing DragonForce trying something different yet staying true to what they are. Anyone who thinks DragonForce is better off performing what they have done in their first 3 albums should really listen to Ultra Beatdown and this compilation to change their minds. It can be h*lla shocking, but you'll find a fantastic experience as always. The surviving heroes retreat and the bad guys win the battle.

"Soldiers of the Wasteland" is a true epic! This song was DragonForce's longest song for over a decade at nearly 10 minutes, as opposed to their 7-minute song length. The song has everything DragonForce can do; swift vocals, epic lyrics, some of the longest and most impressive soloing ever done by the band, and a slower midsection that builds up for the soloing and ending to be more epic once you get there. That slower section ends with those grand awesome vocals to prepare you for the epic soloing. The bad guys making ultimate plans to level up their strength, while the good guys have their own plan; finding a new strong leader. Can they do it? Find out in Act 2...

The power metal action of the second disc kicks off in "Valley of the Damned"! It has amazed me for like 7 or 8 years now. You already start to hear the amazing voice of ZP Theart in the first verse that rises from soft and deep to excited and high-pitched. The music has faster speed than Sonic in the exciting atmosphere. The real treat is in the middle of the song when you get the mesmerizing soloing from guitar wizards Herman Li and Sam Totman. They're the greatest guitar duo still intact in the present day, a greater blend of melody and speed than Slayer! After the final chorus, ZP does a majestic falsetto scream that starts a glorious melodic solo by Sam to conclude the song on an uplifting note. Back to the scenario, The heroes have finally found a strong enough warrior to lead them for the upcoming final battle. They are now ready... "Fury of the Storm" is another favorite of mine and other DragonForce fans'. It has a good chorus and the usual shining guitar playing. The heroes begin a friendly practice battle with the villains before the real thing so that they could all be prepared for a fair war. Then we have another awesome song "Revolution Deathsquad", though this one is a bit generic. It's got catchy verses and a glorious chorus, along with background harsh vocals. However, the long guitar soloing could've been better shorter. One of the heroes ends up getting killed in the practice battle. Some of the heroes wanted to start the actual battle right there, but the leader suggested not doing so. They agreed but are still a bit mad.

"Wings of Liberty" is the longest song in The Power Within at the formerly typical 7 and a half minutes, while all other songs in that album are each in an average 5 minutes. To be honest, it actually sounds like a wimpy take on their past material and doesn't have that past glory. It sounds really satisfying though. The practice battle is over, and there's some emotional talking before the real battle.

"My Spirit Will Go On" is another live fan favorite, though not as much as the song following this one in the original album ("Fury of the Storm"). This one is pretty straight with a catchy chorus and a progressive midsection. The vocals are the star there while, of course, have their spotlight. There's a spirit-lifting rousing pre-battle speech to troops.

"Three Hammers" ushers in a rare combo of mid-paced epicness and ultra-fast heavy soloing. There's quite some asymmetry involved, but Marc Hudson's vocals are clean and operatically high to enough shatter glass. They used the live version from In the Line of Fire, but that's OK, that live album is better than the one with ZP Theart, though I still prefer if they used the studio version. The armies make their final preparations, and once the fast soloing begins, the battle is on! "Symphony Of The Night" has a handful of predictability, but there are new symphonic elements to make up for that such as baroque instruments and neo-classical progressions to fill up their stylistic toolkit. As the armies fight, both leaders have a final duel to the death.

"The Last Journey Home" also has different changes compared to their earlier material, including being more mid-paced and progressive. While this is one of the best from Ultra Beatdown, it still can't beat the band's greater hits. The enemies' are all defeated and the heroes march to their homes while fighting monsters in different pathways.

Then we have the ballad "Starfire" (wow, they really named a couple songs after one of the Teen Titans, Starfire and her evil sister Blackfire). It opens with cool atmospheric piano with background rain. I don't usually love a lot of ballads, but I love this! Though not the live version from Twilight Dementia, you know the reason. It's all over. The war has concluded, the heroes won and are back home. All in all, a happy ending to this story... OR IS IT?? Back in the enemies' king's throne, the king regains consciousness and wakes up, hinting at a sequel... "Heart of a Dragon" is an amazing uplifting song that serves as a happy ending to this compilation, but its scene idea is...the end credits.

Whew! Another long story to fit as the soundtrack for this incredible power metal compilation. If you already have the latest two DragonForce albums Reaching Into Infinity (the next album I would review to bridge the gap) and Extreme Power Metal, and you want the rest of their discography but can only afford one more album, then this is the album to get for the best of their first 6 albums. Hope you enjoy the best of what was the best power metal band for me, and its unofficial accompanying story I just made!

Favorites (one per album for each disc): "Through the Fire and Flames", "Heroes of Our Time", "Cry Thunder", "Black Fire", "The Game", "Soldiers of the Wasteland", "Valley of the Damned", "Fury of the Storm", "Revolution Deathsquad", "Wings of Liberty", "Symphony of the Night", "The Last Journey Home"

The two albums after DragonForce's awesome starter trio, Ultra Beatdown and The Power Within each took on different creative directions; the former longer and more progressive, and the latter shorter while adding new variety. The Power Within definitely showed the band rising again...

Maximum Overload continues that direction, including the songs each lasting between 4 to 6 minutes. Once again there are many memorable songs, and only a couple of them threaten to be fillers. Sure the lyrical themes continue to vary, but they sometimes throwback to the landscapes of war and fantasy, complete with dragons. DragonForce keeps pleasing their fanbase what there is to love!

A short opening hyperspeed thrash assault, "The Game" is their fastest song at nearly 240bpm. The action kicks off with NES synthesizers, blazing guitars, and a cliché but cool chorus which, if it was at the usual 200bpm, would've been an Ultra Beatdown B-side. There are also some sick background growls by Matt Heafy from Trivium, the band that made me initially turn my back on power metal for a new heavier modern style of metal. "Tomorrow's Kings" has some awesome catchiness. However, the big triumph is put on hold by the overwhelming "No More", which is only under 4 minutes long and isn't so strong, despite more of Heafy's background vocals. "Three Hammers" ushers in a rare combo of mid-paced epicness and ultra-fast heavy soloing. There's quite some asymmetry involved, but Marc Hudson's vocals are clean and operatically high to enough shatter glass. "Symphony of the Night" has a handful of predictability, but there are new symphonic elements to make up for that such as baroque instruments and neo-classical progressions to fill up their stylistic toolkit.

The brooding 6 and a half minute "The Sun is Dead" doesn't have any problems, and the two guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman show their skills without just f***ing around. The battle-ready anthem "Defenders" is once again emphasized by Heafy's background vocals. "Extraction Zone" actually makes think of "Through the Fire and Flames" but shorter and replacing half of the soloing with an electronic bridge. I'm not sh*tting, there's a calm 8-bit electronic bridge that is surprising to the fanbase, but that's not enough to prevent the song from being slightly forgettable. "City of Gold" is a much more pleasant and diverse highlight to listen to with great depth. The weakest of the bunch is their cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". The notes are mangled in the riffing, failing to do the original justice. Now get this, I actually used to enjoy this song when I enjoyed power metal at the time of the album's release, long before becoming the serious heavy modern metalhead I am today. The interest comes and goes...

The deluxe edition comes with a whopping 5 or 6 bonus tracks, starting with another glorious power metal anthem "Power and Glory". That's almost "Cry Thunder" 2.0, and I mean that in a great way! However, "You're Not Alone" is a weak ballad, but it might have a chance of memorability in a live setting. "Chemical Interference" is the best of the bonus tracks, hinting at what they were aiming for in the next two albums. "Summer End" is exclusive to the Japanese special edition, and is another brooding ballad, though not as weak as "You're Not Alone". Next, "Fight to Be Free" is one more track re-recorded from Totman and ZP Theart's side-project Shadow Warriors, and stands out far more than that Johnny Cash cover. "Galactic Astro Domination" is a one and a half minute soloing instrumental originally recorded for a Capital One commercial.

OK, before I end this review, I'd like to once again say that my interest in power metal is really taking a toll. That's why there are a couple of songs in this album that I used to enjoy 8 years ago that I consider weak today, such as that Johnny Cash cover. That's also why I made my move out of all power metal bands except the ones I consider the true heroes that started my metal interest, which are DragonForce and Kamelot. Only time will tell if I ever regain my tolerance and decide to revisit all those other power metal bands. But for now, Maximum Overload is a great continuation of the new direction started by The Power Within. Most of it is worth your money!

Favorites: "The Game", "Tomorrow's Kings", "Three Hammers", "Defenders", "City of Gold", "Power and Glory", "Chemical Interference", "Fight to Be Free"

After 4 years in oblivion, DragonForce have made their comeback with what the band believed was their most diverse album yet! With a promise like that, fans were expecting a continuation of the unexpected progressive power of Ultra Beatdown. Yet for this album, The Power Within, the blazing guitar/keyboard solos, catch choruses, and high vocals that are to be expected are all still around. The band maintain their killer streak with some difference in lyrical variety, among other new things...

While I'll dive into more of the different aspects as the review goes on, one thing I should note is the bass sounding audible enough to have its own solos. It's quite incredible! Though the guitars and keyboards never back down from their soloing parts.

The vocals definitely add a whole new dimension to the band sound, as the opening track "Holding On" introduces their new young lead singer Marc Hudson, replacing their earlier vocalist ZP Theart. You can already hear Marc in the intro with an immense power metal scream that might remind some of Michael Kiske in Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys albums. Then the usual power metal comes on with Hudson's vocals. More of his superb scream-singing occurs in "Fallen World", which was their fastest song at that time (220bpm), reminding me of the Sonic Firestorm bonus track "Cry of the Brave". The slower but still epic "Cry Thunder" is one of my favorite DragonForce songs, and my favorite with their new vocalist Marc Hudson! An amazing song worth playing air-guitar until your fingers break and headbanging until you sprain your neck. Its mid-tempo pace (unlike their usual faster songs) reminds me of Irish folk and especially the Skyrim theme. This would fit well for when Thor has his own army to lead him into war and fight. Seriously, it's that awesome!! You can't miss this! It fits well not just for Skyrim or Final Fantasy but also for any MMORPG that has ever existed. I agree with anyone who says this is nice and beautiful. It's really good for when medieval dragons face off against space aliens. An epic hit that has established DragonForce as perhaps greatest modern power metal band ever. Well done, DF! The incredible bass marks an excellent addition before the soloing in "Give Me the Night", which is another of my favorite songs in this album.

"Wings of Liberty" is the longest song in the album at the formerly typical 7 and a half minutes, while all other songs here are each in an average 5 minutes. To be honest, it actually sounds like a wimpy take on their past material and doesn't have that past glory. It sounds really satisfying though. "Seasons" is a more mid-tempo song that sounds inspired by the radio singles of Gamma Ray and Stratovarius, and also borrows some of that slow tempo from Ultra Beatdown. "Heart of the Storm" focuses much less on the screaming side of the vocals, and more towards the cleanliness and aggression of Marc's vocals, specifically in the verses. This shows that his massive vocal range is closer to Kiske than Theart. That's once again proven in the excellent "Die by the Sword". The usual structure can adapt to the changes in the song length. You can still hear the usual guitar riffing fury without sounding so forced despite the shortening. The final actual song in the standard edition, "Last Man Stands" starts cheesy in the intro, but the rest has uplifting catchiness, though I think it could've been extended to a better 8-minute epic than "Wings of Liberty", if they didn't trim so much of the soloing bridge.

All editions of the album have an acoustic version of "Seasons", which is pretty good but takes away the power metal that has made the original song great. It should've been just a special edition bonus track or at least turned into a different original ballad. Either way, that would've increased my percentage rating for this album from 90% to 95% (100% if they save the extension of length for "Last Man Stands" instead of "Wings of Liberty"). The special edition includes a few bonus tracks, starting with the Japanese edition-exclusive "Power of the Ninja Sword", a powerful song that's another track originally recorded by Theart and one of the guitarist Sam Totman for their earlier side-project Shadow Warriors. There's also a live rehearsal version of "Cry Thunder" that does justice to the original song but is still rather pointless. An alternate version of "Heart of the Storm" includes a different chorus with a slight change in the keyboard soloing bridge while still awesome. "Avant La Tempête" is just a useless acoustic instrumental.

I think the production is another thing that needs slight improvement, despite having clear brilliance. While the instruments can be greatly heard, they could've used some real intensity. The 2018 remastered edition would fix some of those issues. Nonetheless, this incredible comeback shows DragonForce has never ceased to amaze me!

Favorites: "Holding On", "Cry Thunder", "Give Me the Night", "Heart of the Storm", "Die by the Sword", "Power of the Ninja Sword", "Heart of the Storm" (alternative version)

It has dawned on me that I still haven't finished reviewing the entire DragonForce discography, and I plan to do that to complete that journey and have a Spotify playlist filled with my favorite songs. And this is a great place to start, the band's final album in the ZP Theart era, Ultra Beatdown!

For those of you taught to never judge a book or album by its cover, try not to laugh at the cover or cheesy name, and try not to turn away from this band before listening. Inhuman Rampage is my favorite DF album and the album that got me into metal in general, but I've learned that not a lot of people liked it. Ultra Beatdown has more likeable variation. There are more of the slow parts than before, including a slower non-ballad song. And in a few songs, ZP and keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov take the spotlight.

The magnificent opening single "Heroes of Our Time" keeps up the verse-chorus structure I find boring in most other bands, but for soloing, there are so many random changes and lead harmonies that you can't tell what's next. Brilliant! The end of the song is f***ing impossible not to sing along. Beginning the new variety is the following track "The Fire Still Burns" with an infectious chorus of high near-falsetto vocals as the "darker days go by". The bridge would've been better without too much echo. The really kick-A "Reasons to Live" shows creative difference in tempo, writing, and melody. It's so great hearing DragonForce trying something different yet staying true to what they are. Anyone thinking DragonForce is better off performing what they have done in their first 3 albums should really listen to Ultra Beatdown to change their minds. It can be h*lla shocking, but you'll find a fantastic experience as always. "Heartbreak Armageddon" more prominent riffing, plus a slow part of the soloing.

The slow non-ballad song "The Last Journey Home" also has different changes compared to their earlier material, including being more mid-paced and progressive. While this is one of the best from Ultra Beatdown, it still can't beat the band's greater hits. The actual ballad "A Flame for Freedom" is OK, but it can't beat the ballad from their debut Valley of the Damned. "Inside the Winter Storm" is another 8+ minute track, speeding things up and adding more riffing. "The Warrior Inside" might just be one of the most uplifting power metal songs. Though it may be too happy for the more serious metalheads, like I've become lately.

The special edition of the album has a few bonus tracks, not just one, starting with "Strike of the Ninja". It's the shortest track in the ZP Theart era, being just over 3 minutes long, and sounds closer to 80s glam metal, especially in the chorus, but in a way that I still like. That's actually a re-recording of a song made by Theart and one of the guitarists Sam Totman for their side-project Shadow Warriors. "Scars of Yesterday" sounds like it should've had some potential in the standard album, but there isn't much that I would consider a standout for that song. "E.P.M. (Extreme Power Metal)" only appears in the Japanese special edition really should've been part of the standard album. I mean, holy sh*t, Vadim really shows what he's got, from the video-game sounding intro to his own searing soloing. What a treat!

So to recap what I think of the Theart era, nothing beats Inhuman Rampage, though Valley of the Damned is a prime example of their power metal side. Ultra Beatdown is in the same level as Sonic Firestorm, though having more variation. And the special edition bonus tracks are what make this mighty beatdown more complete!

Favorites: "Heroes of Our Time", "Reasons to Live", "The Last Journey Home", "Inside the Winter Storm", "Strike of the Ninja", "E.P.M. (Extreme Power Metal)"