Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

The story of Wintersun is a legendary one. After this stunning self-titled debut album, the founder of the band, Jari Mäenpää decided to make an album so epic and complex that it can be considered the "Chinese Democracy" of epic metal in terms of development. And while the first part Time I was released in 2012, it wasn't until this year (2024) that Time II is finally finished and will be released later this year (2024), plus a massive boxset that includes demos for a planned multi-album series. And it shall continue this diverse blend of the power metal of Rhapsody of Fire, the viking metal of Bathory, the melodeath of Children of Bodom, and the folk metal of Equilibrium!

As ambitious as this blend sounds, it doesn't have true originality. I still enjoy this, don't get me wrong, but as I grow older and my music taste matures, the spark from these kinds of bands is long gone from me, and it is a bit overwhelming hearing so many elements in one plate that I once enjoyed 10 years before this review. Despite the lack of coherence, there's still brilliant creativity. The epic narratives and melodeath rage work well in their respective places when they don't clash heavily into each other.

I like how the song lengths ascend from the shortest to the longest throughout the album, starting with the short yet heavily diverse "Beyond the Dark Sun". There's so much going on in just two and a half minutes in contrast to their longer songs lasting more than 5 minutes. The power metal riffing, neoclassical keyboards, epic narration, deathly vocals, and folky atmosphere are all in here! It's so catchy and will get you prepared for this solid journey that would end with a 10-minute epic. Next song "Winter Madness" once again pushes the boundaries of blackened melodeath that shouldn't be any problem with the heavier metalheads.

Taking a break from the aggression is "Sleeping Stars" which has slower beauty. Kicking off "Battle Against Time" is a two-minute blasting intro. The song itself is suitable for an epic winter battle. "Death and the Healing" shines with melancholic guitar melody in an epic ballad, once again showing a different side of the band as opposed to the fast fury of most of the previous songs.

Then we have the progressive multi-part "Starchild". Although I enjoyed this a lot when I was younger, it now suffers the same problem as Star One's "Starchild" epic; a bit annoying and pompous, and the song ends better than it began. Probably the weakest track here, but strong enough to maintain the 4-star rating for this album. "Beautiful Death" has the most of the black metal influences here. The journey finally reaches its climax in the exceptional "Sadness and Hate" with epic majesty in the music and lyrics. This solidifies the album following the perfect metal storm of beginning and ending with the best tracks. And there are more epics like this to come in subsequent albums...

All in all, there's so much ambitious creativity in this album, but this epicness I don't enjoy as much as I did when I was a young teen due to how overwhelming I find some passages nowadays. As catchy as some songs can be, they could've been better structured. I just hope the time spent on completing the Time series will all be worth it. I'm sure anyone who enjoys the epic power/melodeath/folk metal of Alestorm, Battlelore, and Eluveitie will dig this as much as I did in the past but much more than I do now....

Favorites: "Beyond the Dark Sun", "Battle Against Time", "Death and the Healing", "Sadness and Hate"

People seem to start their journey through the music of Becoming the Archetype with their debut album Terminate Damnation. I, on the other hand, have just started with their second album The Physics of Fire that covers a progressive melodeath sound. And this might just be a newfound favorite of mine!

As you can hear in The Physics of Fire, the band can really put their talents forward and show what they do best. Around then, the band entered the deathly progressive metal realms where Opeth is the ruler, and BTA have something different that is their metalcore influences. Fast technical soloing sears in grace, played by then-lead guitarist Alex Snow. Count Seth Hecox has some pounding guitar rhythms. Bassist/vocalist Jason Wisdom is steady on his unique vocals. Brett Duckett keeps his drumming pace tight.

The drumming already crashes in with the crushing opening track "Epoch of War". Interestingly, it is considered the 3rd part of the album's title suite. "Immolation" has pretty great cleans. The higher-quality "Autopsy" (second track in a row to have the same name as a death metal band) is my favorite here. The lyrics seem to follow the simple yet intriguing Christian theme of faith vs. fire. Although I'm not Christian, those kinds of lyrics are the best for me. "The Great Fall" is the actual first part of the title suite, and it's up to the listeners to decipher the lyrical story based on the arrangement of parts. That's the kind of challenge I like!

"Nocturne" is a nice instrumental intermission. Even when starting with piano and clean guitar, the heaviness that follows can still show the album's sound that combines the epic melodeath of Insomnium and Eternal Tears of Sorrow with the modern progressiveness of Tesseract and The Human Abstract. "The Monolith" has a nice clean jazzy guitar island in the sea of metal. My only major complaint for this song and the entire album is how that clean section abruptly switches back to usual hardcore progressive death sound without a proper warning. I really enjoy hearing a lot of ideas. There's more prominent keyboard usage in "Construct and Collapse", particularly in the intro. The riffing shines the most in "Endure" despite the song's short length.

"Fire Made Flesh", the actual second part of the title suite, has a bit of broken flow in the keyboards, but it still fits better when you hear piano instead of synths. "Second Death" is an excellent track with great potential in the vocals, working well with the brief turn into gothic doom in the intro. The 4th and final part of the title suite, "The Balance of Eternity" perfectly summarizes the lyrical theme of faith vs. fire, connecting well with this progressive epic to bring this glorious offering to a fantastic close.

Now this is the kind of metal sound I need in my life. And it's more than one sound, it's a sound of many sounds! Each song is unique in their own way, thereby proving the amazing talents these guys have. Yet another band has proven that Christian extreme metal is a thing. A fascinating heavy experience!

Favorites: "Autopsy", "The Great Fall", "Nocturne", "Endure", "Second Death", "The Balance of Eternity"

It's no mistake that Hatebreeder (not to be confused with metal/hardcore band Hatebreed) is considered a shining breakthrough for Children of Bodom. Their mighty blend of melodeath and power metal has been put together in place after the incoherent building blocks of their debut Something Wild. That's the kind of sound I enjoyed when I was younger and up to revisiting. The intensity and variation are arranged together for the classic sound of Bodom!

Some might say that the melody doesn't reach its full height until Follow the Reaper, and while that's true, Hatebreeder greatly displays the well-structured interplay of guitars and synths. The devastating drumming and distorted guitars are in almost perfect form for the album's uniqueness.

Sparks fly in rapid fire with "Warheart", a chaotic blast of an opening track that already solidifies where the band stand in the Finnish metal throne alongside Nightwish. "Silent Night, Bodom Night" has a riff that sounds almost like something from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, and the rest of the song is so distinctly unique. The title track is actually a bit restrained in the vocals and keyboards. Nonetheless, the keyboard ambience and soloing are what makes this sound so unique.

The guitars and keyboards perfectly duel with each other in "Bed of Razors". It's the most melodic song here to get you hooked from the keyboard intro to the catchy chorus, and even some cool surprises in the verses. The melodic instruments really take the spotlight, especially when the keyboard has orchestra-like ambience and killer soloing. Perhaps one of the most memorable songs here, and one I still remember for so long! "Towards Dead End" has an Eastern vibe in the guitars and keyboards, and towards the end, a stroll through an oriental garden turns into a magical battle during the soloing duel. I would've considered "Black Widow" perfect if not for the out-of-nowhere F-bomb.

Then we have the thrashy "Wrath Within", hinting at the band's later direction. The band's own theme "Children of Bodom", re-recorded from an earlier single, has some of the most exciting soloing from this album and band. The harpsichord leading the guitar melody might remind some of King Diamond before unleashing some more complex hooks. Anyone new to this kind of sound needs to concentrate well to hear all the different elements, so you can enjoy it all at its fullest. The melodic "Downfall" shall be appreciated as kick-starting the band's atmospheric side that they had displayed ever since. The deluxe edition comes with two covers, the first being "No Commands" by Stone, a band featuring later Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala. The cover of Iron Maiden's "Aces High" is quite fun, despite the vocals sounding unfitting.

Hatebreeder is a fun album to revisit in an attempt to bring back a bit of melodeath/power metal back into my taste. I can probably also do the same with Follow the Reaper sometime in the future. For now, let's appreciate this innovative addition to the melodeath realm from this band led by the late great Alexi Laiho! RIP

Favorites: "Warheart", "Silent Night, Bodom Night", "Bed of Razors", "Children of Bodom", "Downfall", "Aces High" (Iron Maiden cover)

Since 2017's Mesmer, Northlane has travelled through the alt-metal realm with gradually withering emphasis on their metalcore roots and taking on cyber/industrial metal territory in albums Alien and Obsidian. At the point of this EP, Mirror's Edge, Northlane can be considered more of an alt-metal band with some of their mid-2010s djent, and that's an accurate description for the EP, and then some...

The band went to Victoria’s Yarra Valley to find some creative inspiration and overcome their struggles. It is quite a journey to add more to their stylistic journey! The EP has new elements to go with what they've done earlier, to please fans old and new.

The title intro builds up in synths to lead into the oncoming action of the next track. "Afterimage" is filled with variety, helped out by guest singing from Ian Kenny (Karnivool). That gives the track a more rock-ish vibe while still unleashing the usual heavy attack. "Miasma" has that Obsidian-like blend of electronics and metal, along with another guest vocalist, Parkway Drive's Winston McCall with his own destructive breakdown. "Let Me Disappear" lets rip more of the modern metal greatness. Former bassist and Structures guitarist/vocalist Brendon Padjasek screams his way through the synth-powered "Kraft". Finally, "Dante" has broader electronics while letting it all flow well.

All in all, Mirror's Edge has some amazing fun that can give new fans a nice treat and longtime fans what they want to hear. This is high-quality usage of electronics and metal together. The guest vocalists are quite helpful with the EP's variety. This might be the beginning of the band's next generation!

Favorites: "Afterimage", "Miasma", "Let Me Disappear"

I gotta say, this is one of the most melodic melodeath albums I've heard, and I still think so after not hearing this album for a few years. Fans of the band's earlier heavier melodeath might put it down, but this self-titled 3rd album is the transition between their heavier melodeath and the experimental alt-metal of their subsequent albums...

In other words, this album isn't one you can consider purely melodeath. It's a h*ll of a lot more than that! You can hear those deathly growls and screams, while a lot more clean singing has entered the picture. And with riffing that's much more melodic than dissonant, it marks the beginning of their alt-metal side. Though if you wish to hear just full-on melodeath, it covers a lot of the second half. By letting your mind open up a bit, you can find a f***-ton of greatness hidden in the shadows.

The first track "Queen of Blades" is a great start as it soars through the metal riffing and anthemic choruses. "The Great Pretender" can almost be consider death 'n' roll, but it sounds closer to me like one of the wackier PAIN tracks without any industrial tendencies. Next up, "Shattered Wings" is a smooth alt-metal song with a melodic solo.

"Reload" might remind some of that Metallica album Reload in the rock-on riffing, though the higher screaming and singing might say otherwise. Continuing the alt-metal direction is "Out of Our Minds" with technical guitar fiddling in the intro that then leads to a softer verse. It's a better and listenable song in the alt-metal side. "Deeper Down" once again takes things further into the alt-metal of Dir En Grey and Waltari, and to a lesser extent, Code Orange and Fear Factory de-industrialized. After that, we have "Revolution of Two", a true melodeath anthem that also includes a clean chorus and atmospheric bridge.

"Roadkill" is another killer rocker, though a bit tiring at this point. The two-minute "Pigf***er" has the most aggression here and the shortest length too. The earlier Avatar fans might dig the sh*t out of that one. The perfect melodeath finale is the 8-minute epic "Lullaby (Death All Over)". It is my favorite song in this album and a glorious conclusion to the band's earlier melodeath era.

So the music in Avatar's self-titled 3rd album marks the beginning of the end of their pure melodeath years. The album is quite great, though a few songs could have some kinks worked out here and there. As long as death metal doesn't fully plague your mind, this release is worth good listening and appreciation....

Favorites: "Queen of Blades", "Shattered Wings", "Out of Our Minds", "Revolution of Two", "Lullaby (Death All Over)"

Front Line Assembly and Skinny Puppy are known as two of the most well-known electro-industrial bands. In fact, founder Bill Leeb was originally a member of Skinny Puppy before he left that band and formed this one. His on-off bandmate Rhys Fulber would later produce many albums by bands like Fear Factory, Waltari, Paradise Lost, and Three Days Grace. While strictly just an electro-industrial band, there is one album where they experimented with metal...

Millennium is that album, and a great one too! Their cauldron of samples and beats has been spiced up with riffs and printed lyrics. There's even a bit of hip-hop here that actually turns out well. The guitars in a few tracks are performed by Devin Townsend who would then go on with his band Strapping Young Lad and his prolific solo career.

"Vigilante" kicks things off with some samples and Devin's heavy riffing. It's not as djenty as the riffs performed by Madder Mortem and Meshuggah in the next millennium, but it still sounds heavy as h*ll. The title track helps solidify this release's place in the mid-90s industrial metal triptych between Killing Joke's Pandemonium and Fear Factory's Demanufacture. "Liquid Separation" has some riffing that's almost like Anacrusis at that time, but the synths and beats prove otherwise.

"Search and Destroy" has syncopated riffing has planted a seed for the nu metal genre that would explode into fame shortly after. "Surface Patterns" begins the pattern of the band using samples from songs by other metal bands, with this one using that famous riff from "Walk" by Pantera, followed by "Don't Tread On Me" by Metallica. "Victim of a Criminal" samples "Dead Embryonic Cells" by Sepultura, but it is twisted by Che the Minister of Defense performed some rapping which sounds better than I thought it would be. "Division of Mind" samples another Pantera song "A New Level", and has some more of that Heavy Devy riffing.

"This Faith" doesn't have any guitars, throwing back to the electro-industrial of the band's surrounding albums. "Plasma Springs" once again has metal riffing blended with industrial synths/beats, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what ignited the spark for Annihilator's Remains. "Sex Offender" ends the album as an 8-minute ambient epic, but it's a bit long and draggy. The samples and the last bit of Devin's guitars are what keep it tolerable.

Millennium has lots of heavy aggression in the both the electronic and guitars, not to mention the occasional hip-hop beat. Any industrial/metal fan should take a stab at this and let the greatness flow in their minds....

Favorites: "Vigilante", "Millennium", "Surface Patterns", "Victim of a Criminal", "Division of Mind"

Although I've just recently sworn off black metal (again), I don't mind revisiting an album by a band that started off as black metal but then became the Swiss leaders of industrial/symphonic metal. I actually like Blood Ritual slightly more than a couple of Samael's industrial metal albums that I reviewed. There's simpler yet more effective production than their debut Worship Him. While their debut has constantly switched back and forth from fast to slow, Blood Ritual focuses on the slower pace more.

The sound is actually pretty clean! Their savage filth from the debut has mostly been cleared out. The music isn't played for shock value, instead opting for simple catchiness in the riffing. They still have their dark side though, appropriately timed in places.

It's interesting how the intro is titled "Epilogue". Unnecessary but nicely leads to the first song. "Beyond the Nothingness" kicks off the simple riffing that you can headbang to repeatedly from start to finish. Then we have "Poison Infiltration" which is a bit weak but has good atmosphere. "After the Sepulture" follows as the best song here and perhaps their black metal era. A remake exists but I prefer the crushing original more. With evil slow riffing and vicious vocals by Vorph, it's a destructive highlight.

"Macabre Operetta" is an interesting song. Dark acoustic and keyboards fade in before bringing in more of the slow guitar riffing. Having originated from the demo of the same name, it brings more life to the vocals, especially in the cleaner production. The title track is also from that demo and has the tight speed of their debut album. If you're here for the fast drums and guitars, congratulations, you found it! Then there's another interlude, "Since the Creation". It leads to "With the Gleam of the Torches", another favorite track of mine here. A catchy intro melody leads to another slow banger of a riff. The cool riffing goes up and down without much sweat.

"Total Consecration" only consists of synthesized piano with varied effects. Though there is a vocal section with lyrics referring to the eponymous blood ritual ready to commence. It then leads to "Bestial Devotion". That song and "Until the Chaos" have nice flow with each other, but they aren't really the best way to end this album. It's still worth listening to for the sake of completion.

Blood Ritual brings evil darkness to a more subtle direction. Their black metal sound here is so slow/mid-paced that I can almost consider it black-doom. Soft ambient keyboards and heavy fist-pumping riffs can make an excellent match. This offering is for black metal fans who can listen to albums like this in its entirety!

Favorites: "Beyond the Nothingness", "After the Sepulture", "Macabre Operetta", "Blood Ritual", "With the Gleam of the Torches"

Once again, I'm in yet another attempt in reviving the heavy/power metal interest I had 10 years ago with some new bands I've discovered, thanks to a new outside-world friend of mine. I finally get the appeal of bands like Grailknights, Beast in Black, and Powerwolf, along with this interesting melodic band from Sweden...

Tungsten was formed by ex-Hammerfall drummer Anders Johansson, together with his two sons, Nick and Karl, on bass and guitar, respectively. The only unrelated member is lead vocalist Mike Andersson. The band has a heavy/power metal sound similar to HammerFall, but with more symphonic/trance influences. One song they go the folk/pirate metal route of Alestorm, and another they test out the NDH/industrial metal of Rammstein. Still, their melody is essential, as heard in their new album Bliss!

Hitting the album hard to kickstart it is the industrial-infused stomper "In the Center". You don't often get to hear heavy/power metal blended with industrial metal, but it's an incredible addition to the band's sound. The melodic "Dreamers" takes on the more folk-ish side of the sound of sounds. Anyone with creative imagination knows the journey through a forest a warrior must take to find his true love. The Rammstein-fueled "March Along" then thunders in. Unlike the more melodic songs, that one's just a straight-on industrial metal march. Nonetheless, it's great hearing this diverse experimentation. Throwing back to Anders' earlier days in HammerFall, "Heart of Rust" has the mid-tempo heavy/power metal sound that band is known for. A bombastic blast from the past!

The swift mover "Come This Way" once again has the experimental heaviness of Rammstein gone Judas Priest. The heavy/melodic blend really stomps along. The folk/pirate metal in this album, I'm not kidding about, because of the next song "On the Sea", an Alestorm-esque anthem with a chorus worth singing along to. A definite highlight and the one song from this band my outside-world friend shared that made interested in checking out this album. The title track shows the band at its darkest and heaviest. It storms through loudly, only lightening up for another singalong chorus to get the live crowd engaged. The incredible power is maintained in "Wonderland", but this time with a different twist compared to the previous track. It's a nice catchy song to almost dance along to and exemplifies what to expect from melodic heavy/power metal. And if you think there would be any more industrial metal after this, these next few songs will prove you wrong...

"Afraid of Light" lets the variation of sound expand more as practically a Celtic jig. You would never be afraid of dancing to the addictive rhythm. "Eye of the Storm" has the majesty of heavy/power metal without any additional details. Lots of upbeat energy without ever resorting into anything different. The 6-minute final epic "Northern Lights" directs everything in the album's sound front and center. It starts with a mellow intro, then makes a slow heavy buildup, leading up to none other than a thunderous hymn. This anthem closes the final curtain with all they've achieved in the album.

All in all, Bliss is a diverse journey through Tungsten's spiced-up heavy/power metal style. If you ever wanna hear all the different styles of HammerFall, Alestorm, and Rammstein combined together, look no further. After you finish listening to this album, I guarantee you'll be up to hearing it all again!

Favorites: "In the Center", "Heart of Rust", "On the Sea", "Wonderland", "Eye of the Storm", "Northern Lights"

What's up, dragon warriors?!? The power metal heroes of the new millennium are back after almost 5 years since their previous album! Well, I wouldn't say everybody would call this band heroes. Some might not like them as much as I and others do. They're basically my heroes because they're the first ever band to get me into metal, and they showed me what power metal should really be; fast tempos and technical soloing added to the genre's usual dose of epic and uplifting melody. The band have just reached album #9, Warp Speed Warriors, and they still have their creativity and speed within.

When lead vocalist Marc Hudson joined the band, some changes were made compared to the ZP Theart era. The songs are shorter and more restrained in length (except for an 11-minute epic), but they've added more adventurous diversity. Warp Speed Warriors sees the band exploring different territories as they did in Extreme Power Metal while not drastically diverting from their usual sound. So expect the usual speed, anthemic power, slight humor, and a cover song more powerful than its original.

The anthemic opener "Astro Warrior Anthem" has the band's signature speedy sound as intended. I'm talking about exhilarating speedy power metal with occasional glitchy video-game noises. Yet another grand album opener that does justice to the band's vision! Then we have the catchy "Power of the Triforce", paying tribute to The Legend of Zelda, mostly A Link to the Past. Having been released as a pre-release album single, longtime fans were considered thinking they were moving further away from their early glory. Nonetheless, it should definitely please the live crowd. "Kingdom of Steel", despite its power metal title, interestingly lightens things up as an 80s rock-inspired ballad.

Then we hit earth-shattering speed in "Burning Heart" with its blazing hammering fury, apart from a retro synthwave bridge. One of the most killer highlights here! Then "Space Marine Corp" takes you on a goofy fun Warhammer-inspired space adventure with gang vocals and a drill sergeant bridge. Also the first ever DragonForce song to have a swear word in the chorus?! Likely so! "Doomsday Party" is the first hint at this album, and a perfect catchy singalong single of disco-metal. LET'S F***ING GO!!!

"Prelude to Darkness" is an under one-minute interlude, which sounds cool but I'm not sure it was necessary to separate from the song it segues into. "The Killer Queen" is a killer (pun somewhat intended) standout of upbeat speed and melody like many other songs by the band. The final part of the non-CD edition, "Pixel Prison" is a true grand experience of every old and new thing the band has done, with some of the most adventurous ideas the band has had to date, all while guided through lyrics inspired by video games in general. EPIC!! The CD edition has a neat metalized cover of the Taylor Swift hit "Wildest Dreams". It still can't beat the previous album's Celine Dion cover though.

The deluxe edition comes with alternate editions of several tracks, the first 3 of which have guests; "Astro Warrior Anthem" featuring Matt Heafy (Trivium) singing the verses and Nita Strauss performing her own solos, "Burning Heart" featuring Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), and Doomsday Party" featuring Elize Ryd (Amaranthe). Talk about a powerhouse of metal guests! And they all perform their roles well. "Power of the Triforce" also appears in the bonus disc, albeit an instrumental version. That's too bad, I was hoping for some guest vocals for that song by Thomas Winkler (Angus McSix, ex-Gloryhammer) and/or Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, ex-Seventh Wonder). I also used to hope for the Beat Saber-exclusive "Power of the Saber Blade" as a bonus track too, but it sounds so similar to "Burning Heart" that it seems redundant and it's fine being left out.

DragonForce still have their strength in the diverse Warp Speed Warriors, but what will happen next? Will their setlist have great updates in their upcoming tour? Will session keyboardist Coen Janssen join DragonForce full-time at the cost of his time with Epica? And will their parody album plan happen? Only time will tell.... Hail the warriors!

Favorites: "Astro Warrior Anthem"*, "Burning Heart"*, "Doomsday Party"*, "The Killer Queen", "Pixel Prison"

*Including guest vocalist editions

Imagine what Fear Factory would sound like if they kept their industrial death metal sound going after Soul of a New Machine. I could practically say that about any band mixing together industrial metal and death metal, but this is for real! Flesh is Heir has the best you can find from this combination these days.

A journey through a band's discography often starts from their latest or first album. It's not usually right in the middle unless you find it out of the blue, whether it pops up or gets recommended to you. Upon discovering The Amenta via their 3rd album, my mind was blown by how perfectly the band could reinvent the industrial death metal of Fear Factory's debut. Other bands have tried it and didn't catch on, but with Flesh is Heir, you know you're in for a mind-f***ing brutal attack.

Bleak doom-ish tremolo melody opens the title track that then blasts off into deathly chaos. "Ego Ergo Sum" has more ethereal yet brutal rhythm haunting like a ghost. "Teeth" takes the industrial vibes of 3TEETH and gives it the Gojira prog-death treatment. Then things quiet down in the interlude "A Womb Tone".

"Obliterate’s Prayer" has gigantic hooks to obliterate anything in the song's path. "Sewer", at some moments, makes me think of Winds of Plague if the symphonic elements where replaced with industrial ones. "The Argument" has more Godflesh influences, particularly in the chorus. "Cell" is a slower track with spooky-a** ambience. But of course, there are still some riff bombs set to f***ing blow you apart.

There's more sorrow in the still chaotic "Disintegrate". Then "A Palimpsest" is one more ominous interlude. "Tabula Rasa" can slice through you like a razorblade in brutal hellfire. A twisted addictive way to head out! And once the chaos stops, you might just feel up to replaying these killer 45 minutes.

Barely anyone can listen to Flesh is Heir everyday, but it can be easy for me to do so. It's pure twisted rage from the deathly depths of Hell that lets you think of the bleak state of humanity. The album flows so well and even the highlights can fit well with one another. It's so heavy that you can feel it like a nuclear asteroid explosion and still live. One of the most brutal offerings in extreme industrial metal!

Favorites: "Flesh is Heir", "Teeth", "Obliterate’s Prayer", "The Argument", "Disintegrate", "Tabula Rasa"

After listening to the perfect Bat Salad EP by High on Fire, followed by a revisiting of one of Grand Magus' albums, I felt up to exploring some more of this intriguing blend of stoner metal with more upbeat classic metal genres. The mind-blowing glory of this mix of sounds strikes again with Snakes for the Divine, a stoner/sludge/thrash metal album featuring a dark twist in the Adam and Eve myth!

This was long before High on Fire won a Grammy Award for the title track of their 2018 album Electric Messiah. They've already had a breakthrough before then by getting signed into E1 for this album after the previous 3 were released by Relapse Records. Now how can Snakes for the Divine be such a divine album for me? Answers to come...

The 8-minute opening title epic greatly displays the talent of these speedy stoner metal titans, including the Lemmy-esque voice of Matt Pike (also the guitarist for Sleep). The stoner/sludge/thrash sound is greatly exemplified in this perfect highlight. Lots of fantastic soloing here! "Frost Hammer" is another devastating thrash highlight. It also has an atmospheric not too far from the earlier sludge material of Mastodon, y'know, the band whom the members first met each other in one of High on Fire's first ever shows. "B****rd Samurai" slows things down with some psychedelic bass by Jeff Matz that would almost have Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" pop up in your mind, if not for the heavy stoner metal instrumentation that rules the track.

"Ghost Neck" is yet another song that dominates with a more thrashy sound. An interlude, "The Path" is thrown into the middle of the album. It doesn't really stand out in the album, but being an short instrumental, it doesn't affect the perfect score. It segues to the track "Fire, Flood & Plague", where the verses show Matt Pike expanding his vocal range higher as they gradually get more brutal. The drumming gets harder and more technical in this furious piece of prog-ish thrash. The relentlessness refuses to lower down, and it has stirred up another highlight.

"How Dark We Pray" is another different track, with stoner riffing/soloing as part of the diverse guitarwork. "Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter" spits out some more fast sludge fire in yet another memorable song. The Best Buy edition has 3 bonus tracks, starting with "Mystery of Helm", an awesome fast song standing out with its riffing. The other two bonus tracks are live renditions of "Eyes and Teeth" and "Cometh Down Hessian" from their earlier albums. Pretty great, but not quite fitting the rest of the album.

If you're looking for true heaviness of metal in the crushing riffs in bass, this is it. The genre created by Black Sabbath has reached another milestone in High on Fire's Snakes for the Divine! It's an album of fantastic diversity you just gotta look out for. A perfect metal adventure through the dark side of Eden!

Favorites: "Snakes for the Divine", "Frost Hammer", "Fire, Flood & Plague", "Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter", "Mystery of Helm"

Argyle Park was an industrial rock/metal project Klayton was in between his own two projects Circle of Dust and the more famous Celldweller. The other founder of this project goes by the name Buka. Despite being signed to Christian labels, their dark lyrics and contributions from secular artists caused some controversy in the Christian music scene. Their record label R.E.X. tried to censor a track in the band's album Misguided. Because of all this, the band split up after two years of activity.

Fast forward a few years, the band reformed under a different name AP2, and released a second album titled Suspension of Disbelief. While the poor sales and criticism caused the band to end again, this is one of the most innovative industrial rock/metal albums I've heard. The darkness is what I love!

The album starts with 4 strokes of a piano note to begin "The End", a song meant to signify the end of their earlier Argyle Park era. Then you hear a scream of "I AM THE DAMAGED!!!!" with "DAMAGED" echoed a few times. It then moves into soft slow electronica with samples of two songs from Misguided, "Leave Me Alone" (actually the only metal song in that album from what I hear) and "A Burden's Folly". Then "Heroin Hate" begins the industrial metal momentum. "My Sympathies" is an awesome highlight. Adding some nice touches in the vocal department is Mark Salomon of Stavesacre and The Crucified who sounds almost like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. There are a little more techno/trance/drum n bass influences here, but I still enjoy it! Nothing's terrible about "A Thousand Terrible Things", a pleasant NIN-esque interlude.

"Silhouette of Rage" has some more industrial rage with vocals by Daren "Klank" Diolosa. I enjoy "A New Wound" having a similar sound to Fear Factory in both the heavier songs, softer ballads, and Remanufacture remixes. "The Red Shirt Conspiracy" actually sounds like an industrial take on the earlier thrash of Voivod and Sabbat with guest vocals by Joel Timothy Bell. My favorite song here is "The Pact". It's a softer industrial rock/metal track with no lyrics, only Indian-style chanting by vocalist Sage. That and the catchy pop-ish tone might remind some of The Prayer Chain, and the song shows actions can sing louder than words.

"Resurrection of the Ravens" is another totally underrated work of art! This is pretty much what Klayton's other projects Circle of Dust and Celldweller sound like, and it goes down as another long-lasting favorite. The techno-dance-rave-like industrial rock/metal sound is killer! Klayton is the writer and singer of that beautiful piece. "Goodbye" is unrelated to a similarly-titled song Klayton recorded as a Circle of Dust demo and later re-recorded as a Celldweller track. The AP2 song is still pretty great though. "The Only Man I Know" actually takes a break from the Psyclon Nine-like industrial sound for more of an alt-rock/metal sound that would actually foreshadow 36 Crazyfists' style at that time, and maybe even Bring Me the Horizon's sound in the late 2010s. "Cold Breath of Sorrow" is an ambient outro of dark pain to end it all. The whispers sound almost like just repeatedly saying "It's all over...", which sadly is after a few more piano strokes like in the album's intro.

Not one other project could attempt to make dark experimental industrial rock/metal in the Christian music scene. It's a risk that caused them to be shunned by the scene, but at least industrial metal fans like myself would have something to listen to a lot every now and then!

Favorites: "My Sympathies", "A New Wound", "The Red Shirt Conspiracy", "The Pact", "Resurrection of the Ravens", "The Only Man I Know"

I wish I had dived into Mercenary's discography a little earlier. They've made a lot of stupendous classics before a 10-year gap. Did the band make a massive comeback in their new album Soundtrack for the End Times (nice title, though far too relatable)?...

Well, the band still have their signature epic melodeath sound with background keyboards. However, they seem to be moving farther away from their 2000s power metal influences, in favor of more modern pieces of groove/metalcore. You might expect that from the fact that the band no longer have half of their classic lineup. The vocals by Rene Pederson make the band sound a little more Linkin Park than power metal. Although everything's a little more simplistic, they do it all with the strength they still have.

"Burning in Reverse" starts the album OK. It shows that melodeath can be bright and modern instead of as dark and doomy as Hinayana. I would definitely want more of the next track "Heart of the Numb" and its guest appearance by Matt Heafy of Trivium. Then comes a true highlight, "Where Darkened Souls Belong". Wow, this another song I can consider the best of Mercenary even after just a week of diving into the band's material. Nothing different, but this 7-minute track is well-structured. From the keyboard intro onwards, you get everything including mighty grooves, the best harmonic soloing here, and a perfect catchy double-chorus. I'll definitely continue playing this as many times as I want, it really strikes like lightning! "Through This Blackened Hatred" sounds as heavy as The Haunted while having a subpar catchy chorus.

"Anthem for the Anxious" is an anthemic standout that is certainly worth your time. "A Darker Path" has a dark blend of heaviness and melody, though it sounds closer to the melodic metalcore of Miss May I, Bury Tomorrow, and Parkway Drive. "Become the Flame" is a more Trivium-like standout, so much so that Matt Heafy should've made a guest appearance here as well, maybe also Devin Townsend. "From the Ashes of the Fallen" sounds like something Atreyu could've done, though it doesn't have any problems despite sounding less impressive in every listen.

"Black Heart, Dead Tissue" is one more beautiful highlight, practically blending together the melody of Unearth, the darkness of Insomnium, and a bit of heavy technicality from Within the Ruins. Then we switch to the thrashy melodeath of At the Gates in "Black Blood Soil", which sounds cool but doesn't add a lot. There's some epic-sounding orchestra in "Beyond the Waves" but it just doesn't match the quality of that other 7-minute epic.

So their new album Soundtrack for the End Times really kicks up the band's modern influences. If you don't mind a bit of the aforementioned bands like Linkin Park, The Haunted, Trivium, and At the Gates, you have good moments to enjoy there. But if you prefer to stick strictly with Mercenary's 2000s classics, you might wanna stay away....

Favorites: "Heart of the Numb", "Where Darkened Souls Belong", "Anthem for the Anxious", "Become the Flame", "Black Heart, Dead Tissue"

Mercenary's 7th album Through Our Darkest Days is another continuation of the band's grand melodeath sound with power metal elements. Apart from the more modern influences the band has been adding since Metamorphosis that seems to reduce a bit of the quality, not much changed. The melodeath riffing has a power metal tone without any of the brutality of their debut First Breath. The heaviness comes from the fast thrash that make the best contrast with the epic melody. More of the addictive melody comes from the superb keyboards of atmospheric majesty that can almost turn their power metal influences into symphonic power metal. And it's fun hearing the melody appearing in both the guitars and keyboards because of how well melodeath bands from other Northern European countries use that aspect. However, unlike those bands that focus mainly on death growls, the band adds in clean singing in perfect balance with the growls, at the cost of bit of the aggression.

Through Our Darkest Days is not their best album but not a bad one either. Their style has a lot of potential, but how they've been using it lately might cause minor damage to what makes them spectacular. Although most of the songs are strong and energetic, the idea of modernizing their power metal-ish melodeath can stir up some conflict in their attempt on staying cohesive. With great strength comes great responsibility, and some differences can be pop up noticeably as the album goes on. The grand epic atmosphere can actually be found in later songs and flows easier than the first few. No matter which songs have better flow, this album shall mark another adventurous addition to their long tremendous career...

Opening track "A New Dawn" charges through with catchy yet heavy groove/thrash riffing and beautiful atmosphere. However, the clean vocals in the verses sound a bit robotic and out of place. Don't worry though, the cleans will sound better later. "Welcome the Sickness" welcomes you to the heavier death growls and blast beats, mixed perfectly with clean singing and riffs of epic atmosphere, ending with wonderful soloing. The title track has more melodic riffing to take you on a melodeath/power metal adventure. With that effective cleans/growls blend, we have another strong highlight.

"Dreamstate Machine" lightens things up with some more of the clean riffing atmosphere. The more brutal riffing and growling is only used for the verses. Similarly, "A Moment of Clarity" is kind of a clean groove track that relaxes on most of the heavy energy while having atmospheric soloing. The album's consistent side kicks in with "Beyond This Night", though the mid-paced melody and atmospheric riffing isn't that great and can't keep up with the strength of later tracks.

The highlight "Starving Eyes" soars through with clean singing and keyboards, as the melodic riffing gives the song the epic power it needs. One of my favorite songs here! "Generation Hate" charges through with a devastating deathly intro complete with bass and drums pummeling through. Despite being cut short for the power metal-ish chorus, that chorus soars along for a solid blend of cleans, riffs, and keyboards. "Forever the Unknown" closes the album as a long epic with the best keyboard atmosphere and riffing as an adventurous end to this great experience. The bonus track "Holding On to Serenity" is OK, though sounding close to early Shadows Fall.

7 albums in and the band is still standing strong. This album may not be their best one, but there are still some memorable songs to enjoy that help them continue this style that not many bands still have today. The power metal elements from the keyboards and cleans help the sound stand out in strong glory with their melodeath side that has all the vicious riffs and growls. Though the more modernized sound cause a bit of an issue, with the lighter moments not shining well. The more deathly metalheads might has some trouble getting the appeal when it comes to the sound going from one place to the other. Nonetheless, if you're up for adventure packed with more melody than brutality, you've come to the right place. Even the darkest days have some light....

Favorites: "Welcome the Sickness", "Through Our Darkest Days", "Dreamstate Machine", "Starving Eyes", "Forever the Unknown"

I am the kind of metalhead who enjoys albums from bands that experiment with changing their sound in each release, except when one of those albums is non-metal. Take for example two gothic metal bands I used to listen to, Paradise Lost and Tiamat. They both started off as death-doom flirting with both sides of the genre in early 90s, switched to gothic metal in the mid-90s, discarded their metal in late 90s, and started bringing it back throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.

Throughout those years leading up to that point, Mercenary made a thrashy melodeath album in 1998 and a string of 4 epic power metal-ish melodeath offerings. The early 2010s is when the band began to take their modern influences to the next level in Metamorphosis. It's pretty great, though it can never beat their earlier discography...

Kicking things off is "Through the Eyes of the Devil", with an intro where the metal instrumentation is really building up. René Pedersen typically performs a more hardcore style of harsh vocals, but he can still do the shrieking and growling expected in melodeath. The chorus is when he starts to sing. Former clean vocalist Mikkel Sandager was a total master of melodic singing when he was with the band, and fans were concerned about if Rene's harsh vocal style would be all that's left in the vocal department. Fortunately, he can sing, almost as greatly as Mikkel. And that's what I enjoy about that track. "The Follower" is good but not really the best. There are nice moments but nothing so interesting. "In a River of Madness" throws back to the band's 2000s awesomeness with haunting symphonics.

"Memoria" is worth lots of listens. Rene once again proves his amazing talent to perform clean and harsh vocals, as bands like Scar Symmetry would. It's quite impressive, considering he can also play the bass at the same time. A melodic standout with nice pace! Mixing heaviness with emotion is "Velvet Lies" with nice melancholy. "In Bloodred Shades" has more of the clean/harsh vocal mix worth listening to. "Shades of Gray" sounds too poppy, especially since it has solely clean singing, common in melodeath albums but considered a sin by fans of the genre. With no aggression, it's just a lame song that would be better suited as a standalone radio single instead of on this album.

"On The Edge of Sanity" can strikes back as one of my favorite songs here. Rene's vocal ability is in mighty display. And even though the chorus is a bit a repetitive, that awesome catchy song can't be put down. "The Black Brigade" has lyrics about how love can prevent suicide. For a love song, I really like that one. The US edition comes with a bonus track, "Incorporate Your Demons", my overall favorite here that should've been in the standard edition. Wonderful All That Remains vibes in that chorus!

Far from their epic 2000s throne but still pretty great, Metamorphosis has a lot of expected and unexpected turns. The lineup can stand strong despite being much different. While some might hate this more commercial sound, I don't mind it. As the open-minded metalhead I am, I take no sh*t....

Favorites: "Through the Eyes of the Devil", "In a River of Madness", "Memoria", "On The Edge of Sanity", "Incorporate Your Demons"

I'd like to once again say that I wasn't fully interested in Mercenary until just a week before this review, despite having heard of this band for many years. I'm not sure why. But no matter the reason, I'm grateful to find some metal classics from this band, such as the fantastic The Hours That Remain. Will they continue to impress in their next album?

Their 5th album Architect of Lies is a sign of a different era. René "Renegade" Pedersen became the new bassist/death growler, and modern influences have started making their way to the usual power metal-infused melodeath sound. And this is the kind of style that should interest my brother who likes the more modern rock/metal bands. Many metalheads take a couple months to completely the greatness of an album into their minds, but me? It only took a quick but thorough week!

"New Desire" begins the album with the band's signature blending of heavy riffing and atmospheric keyboards. The verses are when you hear them use more alt-sounding riffing for the first time, which might turn off metal purists but lure in anyone who can handle modern variety (such as myself). "Bloodsong" has one of the best bridge sections in the album, in which the impressive soloing by lead guitarist Martin Buus will blow your mind and stay in there. At first listen of "Embrace the Nothing", all I can hear is some of the most fascinating work Mercenary has done. It almost sounds like an unused track from The Hours That Remain sessions, with melody of awesome wonders. A superb track that marks my favorite here. "This Black and Endless Never" is where Mikkel sings his best in the destructive heaviness without wasting any time.

I certainly approve of the godly soloing in "Isolation (The Loneliness in December)". That, along with the rest of the track, greatly pleases me. The guitars and keyboards have splendid harmony in "The Endless Fall". In the limited edition, that track segues into the bonus track "Death Connection". If you have that edition, consider yourself lucky. It's a must-have if you want more of the sound the album has to offer. And it actually works well in the middle of the album instead of the end where bonus tracks typically go. The next track "Black Hollow" is another highlight with more of the atmospheric keyboard melody.

Another song, "Execution Style" has killer heaviness while still mastering the pop-ish hooks appearing every now and then. "I Am Lies" has more of the modern riffing that has already caught in other melodeath bands like Scar Symmetry. "Public Failure Number One" has more thrashy variety. Then it ends the album with the last of the keyboards by Morten Sandager before he, his brother clean vocalist Mikkel, and drummer Mike Park all left the band the following year.

With Architect of Lies being the last album for those 3 albums and the first with René Pedersen, it is a transitional album between their earlier epic era and their recent modern era. And that's an awesome blend for anyone wanting both something old and new. Another amazing album any diverse metalhead should get!

Favorites: "Bloodsong", "Embrace the Nothing", "Isolation (The Loneliness in December)", "Death Connection", "Black Hollow", "I Am Lies"

4th album in, and Mercenary is still going strong. Their albums are quite remarkable in the metal community. Pretty much everything is in high quality. And their sound never ceases to progress! Their unique sound has stirred up another perfect masterpiece. Mercenary continues to be the respectable ensemble they are with this gem that is The Hours That Remain. The music also shines with its production that allows easy clarity for the instruments. Everything's perfectly produced and your mind can focus on the music without any troubling thing.

Once again, the band are incredible masters of melodeath with progressive/power metal tendencies. The vocals are quite unique here. Kral left the band right before the album was to be recorded, and while producer Jacob Hansen took over on bass, clean vocalist Mikkel Sandager decided to test out his growling/screaming abilities. His harsh vocals are so perfectly kick-A that I wish he could do them full-time, though I also enjoy his beautiful singing voice and I don't want that to get strained.

Harsh vocals help define the band's sound in "Redefine Me", though just so Mikkel can still have his clean falsetto, the harsh vocal role is given to Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork just for that song. "Year of the Plague" is where Mikkel starts doing the harsh vocals on his own. "My World is Ending" is one of my favorite songs from this band and album, which is interesting because it's more focused on clean singing and adding a fair amount of keyboard melody. Another one of the best songs here is "This Eternal Instant", an instant classic in the heavier side of melodeath.

Next song, the 8-minute "Lost Reality" has nice keyboard atmosphere. Same with "Soul Decision", another great heavy highlight with some more harsh vocals. And again in "Simplicity Demand", though a little more simplistic.

"Obscure Indiscretion" is another song with much less harsh vocals. "My Secret Window" is another total standout, with relentless greatness striking the listener in every direction. The closing title track has some zesty synths and piano within the heavier instrumentation. The track is 7-minutes long, but it is followed by a hidden one-minute outro with the last bit of piano and singing.

The success is still going! The stellar sound has slightly improved from 11 Dreams and is able to maintain the perfect glory of Everblack. They continue to level up their greatness that would decrease in later releases while staying strong. Any metalhead should get The Hours That Remain. A fantastic confident offering of epic melodeath!

Favorites: "Redefine Me", "My World is Ending", "This Eternal Instant", "Soul Decision", "My Secret Window"

After a well-done thrashy debut First Breath, their second album Everblack is a masterpiece in which power metal elements are seamlessly added to their dominant sound of melodeath. Epic and extreme can truly fit well together! They would continue the sound in their subsequent albums though with more modern influences later on. And one of those albums show that the band never cease to amaze their fans...

11 Dreams, like the rest of the band's discography, has been with me for about a week, and I'm already hooked for some more listening to come. A lot of this album is f***ing kick-A! Barely any song here is in bad shape, all in top-notch quality.

The intro "Into the Sea of Dark Desires" has haunting keyboards sounding straight out of a fantasy/horror movie. Then "World Hate Center" unleashes heavy anger that will live in your mind in a week, which I've experienced after hearing it for the first time. Great riffing worth moshing and headbanging to, along with total vocal rage, "Now do you feel respectable on the cross?!" The title track is another great track, though different from the first song. The greatness reaches its highest point right in the middle with a searing solo. "reDestructDead" blends together the brutal melodeath of the first full song with the pieces of symphonic power metal from the second. Another solo appears in the middle in a faster tempo, one of the many things making that song another highlight.

The next track "Firesoul" is quite a ride. Serene female singing appears during the last couple minutes, performed by Monika Pedersen who would later join Sirenia for one their albums. Lots of great piano melody too. Then we have a good memorable standout in "Sharpen the Edges". Lots of creepy drama from the piano and lyrics that wouldn't sound too far off from Misfits. The slow riffing stays heavy and twisted all the way through. Another memorable track "Supremacy v2.0", is filled with kick-A melodeath and a sequel to a song from their 1996 EP. Some more of the slow riffing has great synergy between the two vocalists. A well-constructed epic worth repeated listens!

After that, we have "Music No Stop", a cover of the song by Swedish pop rock band Kent. Metal purists might think "What the f***?!?" when hearing this cover, but the truth is, they turned a pop sh*t-hit into a real metal song. And that's how I like these kinds of covers! "Falling" swings into fast groove/thrash while having more of Mikkel's vocals and another guest appearance by Monika Pedersen in the background. "Times Without Changes" is a 3-minute piano ballad, and the only song in this album to feel even slightly out of place. It segues to the mind-blowing finale "Loneliness". Right from first listen, it's my favorite track of the album. The guitarwork is unbelievable. The drums have a steady pace. And the vocals sound so perfect! I can actually sing and growl quite well, but while I can imitate Kral, I can't quite reach the range of Mikkel. I might still have a fun time covering this song with some of the best lyrics in metal. I highly suggest listening to that glorious song of PURE METAL POWER!!!

I think it's clear that the band is spicing up melodeath with some bits of Stratovarius-like power metal coming from clean vocals and keyboards performed from the heart. Whether or not you're a fan of melodeath, you're bound to enjoy the h*ll out of this album. 11 Dreams is every metalhead's dream!

Favorites: "World Hate Center", "reDestructDead", "Sharpen the Edges", "Supremacy v2.0", "Loneliness"

Not many bands can reach enjoyable perfection at just the second album, but Mercenary has done just that! Everblack knocked their debut First Breath off the throne, having switched from a thrashy melodeath band to melodeath with power metal influences. Giving the band that melodic boost is brothers Mikkel and Morten Sandager. Mikkel has some of the most skillful clean singing I've heard, and Morten is talented with his dark keyboard work.

As for the rest of the lineup, Kral can handle the bass well and perform death growls clear enough for you to hear the lyrics. Guitarist Jakob Mølbjerg has riff-tastic skills. One-time guitarist guitarist Signar Petersen shreds all the way with his soloing. And drummer Rasmus Jacobsen... Well, although he has the potential to crash and blast like any other aggressive drummer, he rarely does that. His more rock-ish technique is quite great but unfitting, subtracting a percentage point away from total perfection. Maybe it has something to do with his lack of commitment with the band that got him fired after this album and replaced by the more passion-powered Mike Park Nielsen.

The album starts with a short spooky intro to get anyone pumped, though it seems to consider the September 11 attacks the start of "World War III". Then it launches into the thrashy title track where you can hear the Sandager brothers' power metal-ish contributions for the first time. "Seize the Night" has a bit of hardcore groove which, combined with the usual melodeath, sounds like Shadows Fall at that time. The epic "Screaming from the Heavens" has the best of the album's sound.

"Dead.com" rocks out with some of the best melodeath that you can also find from bands like Kalmah, Dethklok, and Sylosis. Some of the greatest soloing can be found in "Darkspeed". Though it's not as dark as "Bloodrush". And even darker still is "A Darker Shade of Black".

Kral's growls and Mikkel's cleans shine the most together in "Bulletblues", especially in fantastic vocal duels. I also love its ending guitar solo. "Rescue Me" has melodic riffing that might've planted a seed for modern metalcore bands like August Burns Red and Demon Hunter. "Alliance" is one more thrash song before ending with a spooky outro. "Nothing's What It Seems" is a bonus epic that's quite awesome except when it abruptly cuts off at the end. That's fixed in the remastered version by fading out.

All in all, Everblack is an epic recommendation for open-minded metalheads like myself. It's actually not until their next album 11 Dreams, when the band is signed to Century Media, that they become more popular. Still, Everblack is the true start to the Mercenary we know, and any metal fan should get it for pure metal glory!

Favorites: "Everblack", "Screaming from the Heavens", "Dead.com", "Darkspeed", "Bulletblues", "Nothing's What It Seems" (remastered)

Formed in 1991 and having released 3 demos throughout the decade, melodeath fans get to witness the FIRST BREATH of Mercenary with their debut album. Unlike their later power metal-influenced albums, First Breath takes on a more thrashy melodeath sound. The band didn't have a full-time keyboardist and clean vocalist yet, and Henrik "Kral" Andersen (bass, growls) led this deathly quartet. The raw sound adds to this album's superb uniqueness!

What you can expect in this album includes brutal death growls, melodic thrashy guitar, and decent drum blasts. Kral sounds like a monstrous menace, and that's a compliment for death growlers. The music sounds darker and more violent than any of their subsequent releases.

"Symbiotic" kicks off the album with a more melodic take on old-school Death. "World Wide Weep" has more of a hardcore groove, but one you can really headbang to. Next song "Horizon" is a wonderful 8-minute epic. You can hear beautiful vocals by Irene Poulsen and mystical keyboards by Jakob Sivsgård, almost foreshadowing what the band would add from their next album onward. "Master Game" has impressive bass and soloing.

"Perceptive" has a similar vibe to late 80s Pestilence but more melodic. "Graveart" has some beautiful melodeath that Omnium Gatherum would later have, then ends with battle sounds similar to Braveheart. "Next to Nothing" has more of that impressive soloing. "Demon8" sounds more haunting in some places, and has some more keyboards.

"Watching Me" almost reminds me a bit of Dethklok. "Alternative Ways" has some slight alt-metal before becoming thrashy. "Sister Jane" is a lovely soft ballad to end the album, and it has more of the clean vocals Irene Poulsen, as well as Kral attempting to do his own singing in the duet. After 45 seconds of silence, we have the bonus track "Supremacy" from the band's 1996 EP. Although this is melodeath, the harmonics sound like they could've been used by Machine Head or Nevermore. That said, I like it.

All in all, First Breath is a brutal powerful start to Mercenary's journey. There's no way an exceptional album like this can be recreated by the band after the lineup and sound changed a lot, with only rhythm guitarist Jakob Mølbjerg still around. Any melodeath fan should start with this album before the rest. A near-perfect raw classic!

Favorites: "Horizon", "Master Game", "Graveart", "Next to Nothing", "Sister Jane", "Supremacy"

In 1986, punk legends Black Flag split up. Less than a year later, former vocalist Henry Rollins formed a new band, Rollins Band. After two post-hardcore albums, he decided to turn their sound into a progressive form of alternative metal in the 3rd album...

1992's The End of Silence showed a new era for the band since getting signed to Imago Records. Prolific producer Andy Wallace helped bring life to the production and gave Rollins' vocals a chance to be in front of the line of the compact sound. His once-punk-filled audience has expanded to more than just that. The album attacks with his well-focused writing that would make anyone outside the Black Flag fanbase want more.

First track and single "Low Self Opinion" has the menacing vocals of Rollins as he sings his vicious lyrics. All that continues on in the next song "Grip". Then "Tearing" is another excellent single. It has caused Rollins' work to spread to MTV and metalheads. I didn't need "You Didn't Need", which sounds closer to the earlier punk of Black Flag.

Then the band switches gears to a more progressive sound with "Almost Real". They switch back and forth between the slow march of Godflesh and the mid-tempo pace that Mushroomhead would later have, while obviously not having any of those bands' industrial aspects. "Obscene" has a little more progressiveness, and I guess that's part of the spark needed for later progressive bands like Sikth. "What Do You Do" is another long track, but shorter than the previous two, lasting 7 and a half minutes, and it has really foreshadowed many bands and artists imitating the instrumentation and vocals.

"Blues Jam" is right in the name, a 12-minute blues jam. However, that's way too long and improvisational. Rollins' vocals seem to flop a bit, but the soloing by Chris Haskett work well as the best part of the track along with the doomy atmosphere. Literally the Black Sabbath "Warning" of this album. "Another Life" rocks out as another alt-metal piece. The closing epic "Just Like You" hits hard and progressive for 10 minutes, leading up to a final slow chant of "RAGE!... RAGE!... RAGE!... RAGE!..."

The former vocalist of Black Flag, Henry Rollins made a solid alt-/prog metal album with his band. The End of Silence opened the gates for metalheads and alt-fans to explore the music created by this talented man from the 80s punk scene....

Favorites: "Low Self Opinion", "Tearing", "Almost Real", "What Do You Do", "Just Like You"

Bad Omens' second album Finding God Before God Finds Me is a perfect example of modern alt-metal with elements of the metalcore from their 2016 debut. We have come to their 3rd album The Death of Peace of Mind where they continue their alt-metal path with more electronic influences then before. This shall be a solid ride! Just tell the naked cover model that what she's doing can't be good for her back.

The ambitious sound will surely win some fans in the rock/metal realms in The Death of Peace of Mind. They even got a surge of popularity from one of their songs being used a lot in TikTok, probably as much as Lorna Shore's "To the Hellfire".

Synth-filled atmosphere opens "Concrete Jungle" that leads into a breakdown where the nu metal of early Linkin Park and the metalcore of Polaris collide. This vibrant mix of influences works in great shape. "Nowhere to Go" has a faster tempo, but Noah Sebastian's vocals remain soft yet widely-ranged. It starts as a hard rocker before exploding into their earlier metalcore again. The electronic-infused chorus in "Take Me First" and its clean vocals take the band's sound closer to Bring Me the Horizon, which isn't unusual. A little disappointing, but still OK. I'd like to talk about the interesting title track which begins with soft electronic atmosphere before the guitar riffing starts rising in heaviness, leading up to a furious breakdown to complete the transformation. "What It Cost" is a short electronic chill-break.

"Like a Villain" is the album's first single in which all the earlier elements come together. There's no denying how anthemic that track is with its catchy chorus and a metallic take on the alt-rock sound of Amo-era BMTH. This song WILL infect your mind! "Bad Decisions" departs from the band's metalcore roots much further with nothing but clean vocals and atmospheric synths. It's actually where Noah Sebastian performs some of his best, most widely-ranged vocals yet. "Just Pretend" starts slow, but when the drums and guitars kick in, Noah lets out all of his vocal emotion. The heavier action will keep you on your seat. As amazing as that song is, I'm both surprised and not about this song's presence in TikTok boosting the band's fame. Another song worth mentioning is "The Grey", heavy while relying on electronics. The insane bridge after the chorus shall reside in your mind. But then things take a bit of a downturn in "Who Are You?"

"Somebody Else" is a bit forgettable while not affecting the album's high rating. "IDWT$" is fine, but it's basically BMTH plagiarism. "What Do You Want From Me?" has a bit of heavier potential, but the synthwave-like beats don't really light up my heart. The greater side of the album returns in "Artificial Suicide" that attacks with a Mick Gordon-esque storm of electronics and guitars, staying strong alongside experimental ambience. The final track "Miracle" takes on the last bit of Amo-era BMTH in the glitchy synths. Then Sebastian screams his way into a climatic breakdown to show that they still have their metalcore roots.

In the end, you have quite a packed experience that can work well in live performances for many of its songs. Bad Omens continues to bring their career to a more global light as they create music for the modern metal masses!

Favorites: "Concrete Jungle", "The Death of Peace of Mind", "Like a Villain", "Bad Decisions", "Just Pretend", "Artificial Suicide", "Miracle"

I have a lot to find in modern metal. I have my own journey of discovering as many modern metal as I can to expand my collection. They started off with more of a metalcore sound in their solid 2016 debut while adding in their later fantastic alt-metal sound. Having been signed to Sumerian Records and going on different tours and shows, no wonder they're able to mark their modern metal territory. And their second album continues to seal that deal!

Finding God Before God Finds Me came out in 2019 and fans were prepared for the question, is there hope? Well, the Bring Me the Horizon vibes are more prominent, and while many listeners were turned off, it made things much better for me.

"Kingdom of Cards" practically starts where the previous album ended with "The Fountain". There isn't any thunderous metal riffing, but it shines with anthemic beauty, a bit like early 2010s Linkin Park but greater (no disrespect to Chester Bennington, RIP). It is a pleasant start to the journey, and I enjoy the vocals by Noah Sebastian. "Running in Circles" is quite great, but while it's not weak in any way, it's my least favorite track here. The BMTH influences are so apparent, that it sounds like an outtake from Sempiternal. Not a totally bad things, but other listeners may digress. "Careful What You Wish For" is the album's first single, released a year prior. That well-thought track is worth every penny! "The Hell I Overcame" follows as another good track. It brings back the heaviness of their debut with natural vocals and production.

Surprising you hard is "Dethrone", the heaviest track in the album. In contrast to the clean soft tracks, that one has Emmure-like moshing moments to make it clear that Bad Omens can be considered metal. "Blood" is another heavy hitter, with less focus on clean singing, unless you count the deep viking-like chanting, "IT'S IN OUR BLOOD!" The powerful strength for their more brutal side is really prevailing. Then as you can hear in "Mercy", everything calms down again for something similar to BMTH's softer tracks.

"Said & Done" is where the band continues to evolve. It's more of a melodic rocker with sweet soloing. The vocals again show some similarity to Bring Me the Horizon, while both stand far away from each other in each side of the unburned bridge. "Burning Out" is a true hit. The vocal melodies are totally worth singing along to. "If I'm There" has sweet uplifting melody to end this 10-track adventure. Well, 13 tracks if you count the deluxe reissue, but those bonus tracks aren't as strong and perfect as the original album, except their wonderful cover of Duran Duran's "Come Undone".

Bad Omens has brought on a lot more of a fresh alt-metal sound to go with some of their earlier metalcore. While their debut has powerful songs, Finding God Before God Finds Me has more complete maturity with true gems all over. They shall keep moving forward!

Favorites: "Kingdom of Cards", "Careful What You Wish For", "Dethrone", "Blood", "Burning Out", "Come Undone" (Duran Duran cover, bonus track)

Bad Omens is not your average alt-metalcore band. They've made it big with their sound, especially in their latest album The Death of Peace of Mind that had one of its singles launched into popularity by TikTok. The band would also collaborate with pop star Poppy for an industrial metal track featuring only her vocals. But before we get to their new famous era, we have to start in the beginning with their 2016 debut...

The earliest hype around the band came from the pre-release singles. Some say they were inspired by Sempiternal-era Bring Me the Horizon, others say they're a straight-up copy. But no matter what they say, this album is still a great start to their career.

"Glass Houses" begins it all in a heavy bang. They can make a catchy chorus without causing the pop to pop up. Sure the style and lyrics are similar to Bring Me the Horizon but they're able to not cause any cringe and instead add slight improvement. "Exit Wounds" is another great metalcore track, and I'm sure other fans of the style would agree. You can start to hear the band's melodic side in "The Worst in Me". Now "FERAL" has potential to be in a soundtrack for a movie similar to Queen of the Damned.

Soft melancholic moments can be heard in the relaxed "Enough, Enough Now". Then "Malice" has faster speed and unclean vocals, with occasional piano leftover from the previous track. Whitechapel/Periphery influences can be found in "Hedonist". This release would've been better without "Broken Youth" which is more of a filler than a banger.

"Crawl" tones down everything into something soft enough to end up in a Studio Ghibli film soundtrack. It's still a beautiful highlight though. "The Letdown" attempts to sound like an anthem, but becomes more of an emo letdown. "Reprise (The Sound of the End)" has the usual metalcore heaviness, but it fails to stand out well. The finale "The Fountain" may not be metallic, but it's strong clean anthem with tribal drums and flutes. It ends the journey with ethereal diversity, an anthemic hit to live on forevermore...

H*ll, if any new band can make a solid debut like Bad Omens' self-titled album, they have a monumental future ahead of them. This metalcore album marks the start of Bad Omens' good journey through alt-metal fame....

Favorites: "Glass Houses", "Exit Wounds", "The Worst in Me", "Hedonist", "Crawl", "The Fountain"

Mutoid Man is perhaps one of the most diverse metal bands I've encountered. I'm not kidding when I say that you can over a dozen different genres in one offering. And everything is executed perfectly, so that's a rare bonus for a band of different styles. They can change colors like a chameleon while roaring like a lion. A chamelion! I wouldn't have discovered this fantastic band if not for one of my outside-world metalhead friends.

Indeed this blend of metal and classic rock will blow you away by sounding both catchy and heavy. War Moans continues the many terrific treats Mutoid Man has, with a bit of pop added to the mix just subtly.

Opening the album is "Melt Your Mind", with riffs and rhythms racing through alongside catchy vocals. This is pure classic heavy/speed metal not too far from Motorhead. "Bone Chain" continues that style, crashing along with more of the rough riffs and rhythms. "Micro Aggression" has rapid pulverizing drumming to give the speed metal sound some aggressive hardcore/thrash treatment. "Kiss of Death" is the first song in the album to have the slower bluesy stoner side of the sound. The guitars are heated up with the signature stoner fuzz. The drums can still sound intense without the speed, thus adding more balance to the overall sound of the album. Not many stoner metal songs stand out as a highlight for me, but that one does.

Following up is "Date With the Devil" that adds in some sleazy hard rock to their stoner metal then ends with a progressive breakdown. Back into the hardcore/speed metal side is the aptly titled neck-breaking whiplash of "Headrush" that gradually becomes more progressive, kinda like what Cave In used in Jupiter but more metallic. "Irons in the Fire" can be considered a wicked combination of the heavy metal of Iron Maiden and the speed/stoner metal of High on Fire. Then we reach the climatic title track that has more of the speed/thrash metal of Megadeth, even having former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman pull off wild shredding. Incredible!

"Wreck and Survive" takes on more progressive moods while crawling through bluesy stoner metal. You can hear the immense beauty of Chelsea Wolfe's guest vocals. "Afterlife" starts off with some stoner melody then launches into solid chaotic thrash/speed metal in the verses. "Open Flame" continues that sound with intense progressive punches. Finale "Bandages" may surprise some as a stoner/gothic doom ballad with emotional depth and background vocals by Chelsea Wolfe. So beautiful and somber!

War Moans is filled with the wild diverse fun you can expect from Mutoid Man. Everything heavy and catchy is in a perfect blend. They know how to reach higher heights with their sound of sounds. And there's plenty more where this came from!

Favorites: "Melt Your Mind", "Kiss of Death", "Irons in the Fire", "War Moans", "Wreck and Survive", "Bandages"

Mutoid Man made their unexpected entrance to the metal realm as a side-project of Cave In frontman Stephen Brodsky and Converge drummer Ben Koller. Since their 2013 EP Helium Head, they've written songs with stellar energy, colossal riffs, and lots of different styles assimilated into one. I'd like to once again thank one of my metalhead friends in the outside world for sharing a song from one of their later albums that got me interested in this band. Lots of songs are sweetened with catchy melodies and spiced up with heavy riffs, and HOLY SH*T, their diversity goes far beyond bounds!

This expanding spirit of the band is exhibited in their debut full album Bleeder for an adventurous experience, created by Brodsky, Koller, and then-bassist Nick Cageao. Even though Cageao is typically known as "that guy at Brooklyn’s St. Vitus Bar", anyone in the metalcore community knows Brodsky and Koller's proudest achievements with their respective main bands. Bleeder shows the band's hammering blend of different genres from rock, metal, and hardcore all in one place.

First track and single "Bridgeburner" starts the album with some groovy heavy/stoner metal before ending with a progressive breakdown. Another single "Reptilian Soul" launches their hardcore/hard rock/prog-metal influences forward. "Sweet Ivy" has the perfect idea of adding doses of psychedelia to the pummeling stoner progressiveness.

Covering Cave In's different eras is "1000 Mile Stare" from their ongoing progressive sound to a bit of their earlier metalcore. "Surveillance" has the progressiveness of Meshuggah without ever resorting to djenty instrumentation. As with the previous track, Brodsky's vocals range from clean to growling to even a high scream, all in a metalcore vibe. Another under two-minute track, "Beast" perfectly unites progressive metal with hardcore/speed metal as the leads and rhythms strike each other for dominance. The sharp "Dead Dreams" once again pushes forward their stoner sound while shoving in some punishing sludge metal in the breakdown.

"Soft Spot in My Skull" once again offers a combination of Megadeth-like speed metal and the progressiveness of Cave In while adding some funky jazz fusion. "Deadlock" battles it all out in stoner/progressive/thrash metal. A tight bridge lets the riffs punch through and Brodsky screams his way into complex sections. The title epic is the band's longest song at nearly 6 minutes. Brodsky's vocals and guitars, Cageao's bass, and Koller's drums unite for some bluesy stoner metal gone progressive.

It seems like Mutoid Man has proven us that the band members can perform more than just the metallic hardcore days of yore, with something heavily diverse and mature. They can control the chaos as their sound travels practically everywhere from Hendrix to Botch ("All Along the Botch Tower", lol). Nothing more unique than that!

Favorites: "Sweet Ivy", "1000 Mile Stare", "Beast", "Soft Spot in My Skull", "Bleeder"

With a highly diverse style, Amaranthe's exact genre is subject to debate. It's unknown how this band ended up associated with symphonic metal, but it may have something to do with this other band of founding guitarist Olof Morck, symphonic power metallers Dragonland. While I can't deny their blend of trance/symphonic/melodic metalcore, the best way to describe them is modern pop metal. Within Temptation has also seemed to switch that style recently after over two decades of their own symphonic metal sound. Amaranthe have a lot to pull off in their next adventure. The Catalyst is the first album in 4 years since 2020's Manifest. The reason for a long wait can either be due to the sh*tty pandemic or the fact that harsh vocalist Henrik Englund left the band. But the wait is worth it! The fans can consider this is a nice two-months-late Christmas gift...

The Catalyst might just be the band's first album where they stay true to the symphonic metal association they seem to have. Bombastic symphonic synths have been added to their catchy futuristic style. That's actually good because there's more diversity than just swinging through their own attempts at cheesy electronic anthems, and it brings back the heavy glory to their earlier trio of albums from the first half of the 2010s. The crushing growls of their new harsh vocalist Mikael Sehlin fit greatly with the divine clean duo of Elize Ryd and Nils Molin, and Morck's writing. Almost every song has memorable impact, all making The Catalyst and offering of diverse joy.

The title opener already hints at the symphonics in the first 45 seconds, then escalates into the usual blend of brutal heaviness and pop melody. Electronics soar through alongside the powerful vocal trio. It's the album's longest song at only 3 minutes and 40 seconds, and they used the short length wisely with energetic hooks. "Insatiable" continues the pop metal power as a potential hit to sweep the globe. "Damnation Flame" stuns listeners with its anthemic chorus and more prominent symphonics, shining the most in the spooky carnival mid-section. "Liberated" is a more straight track that seems to throw back to the somewhat mundane formula of the late 2010s. But don't worry, the rest of the album would make up for that minor downfall.

The driving "Re-Vision" breaks through hard with vocoder and the harmony of the vocal trio. A perfect standout! Next up, "Interference" storms along with the usual electro-trance metal. "Stay a Little While" is the ballad of the album, with heartful symphonics and a lovely duet between Ryd and Molin. A nice break from the more modern electro-infused heaviness. Groove-powered "Ecstasy" has more of the driving energy. The one thing I would consider odd there is Mikael's Rob Zombie-like growl-rapping. Clearly he inherited some of that GG6 experimentation from Henrik Englund.

"Breaking the Waves" is a true symphonic trance metal anthem, in which the instrumentation is layered with tons of electronics and classical symphonics, as the synergy of clean and harsh vocals sail smoothly. So heavy and theatrical! "Outer Dimensions" is another blazing futuristic anthem. "Resistance" has techno-mosh fire and fury. It's quite triumphant for a song that's just slightly under 3 minutes in length, and it shall please even metal purists. "Find Life" is as an earlier single from before the band hired Mikael.

The best of Amaranthe since Massive Addictive has been greatly displayed in The Catalyst. This can certainly get you pumped when you're feel down. An essential album for anyone up for what sounds like pop hits gone metal, and that's no insult!

Favorites: "The Catalyst", "Damnation Flame", "Re-Vision", "Breaking the Waves", "Outer Dimensions", "Resistance"

Last year (as of this review), sometime after I made another attempt of cutting contact with power metal, I met a new outside-world friend of mine who is in a band and enjoys heavy/power metal. Thanks to him, I discovered some new power metal bands I haven't heard before like Beast in Black (though it was my brother recommending one of their songs to me that peaked my interest), Tungsten, and of course, Grailknights!

This band I would've loved to bits if I was in my stronger power metal phase 10 years ago, and this album would've been no exception. It's a pretty great album for those who wish to explore superhero-ish medieval fantasy in metal.

"Into the Abyss of the Grail" is a battle-ready intro with synthesized brass/orchestra not too far off from the RuneScape soundtrack. Then the first actual song "Pumping Iron Power" is filled with anthemic power metal. No matter how the cheesy the blend of 80s synths and metal instrumentation sounds, you'll be all pumped up and headbanging in no time. Guest vocalist Joakim Brodén of Sabaton provides his signature baritone vocals for perfect contrast with Sir Optimus Prime's tenor voice. "Cthulhu" sounds closer to classic heavy metal while continuing the one-two punch leveled up by heavy riffing and a catchy chorus worth singing along to. "Black Spider’s Web" emphasizes the guitars more than the keys. The heavy instrumentation all leads up to the breakdown where the knight battles that giant spider.

"Grailskull Asylum" continues that spooky horror vibe with its synth intro. The more extreme instrumentation and harsh black metal-ish vocals will certainly get fans of the band's earlier melodeath sound excited, while having the Helloween vibe in the lyrics and the more melodic parts. "March of the Skeletons" fits well for a fantasy-themed Halloween dance party. Clean and harsh vocals continue to blend well together, while the marching breakdown has great potential in a live show. "Shadow of the Mountain" is another heavy/power metal highlight, even sneaking in a powerful melodic scream! "Laser Raptor 3D" has catchy 80s laser synth fitting greatly with the metal heaviness.

"Ghost Town" travels further down the past to the 60s with Western-style guitar and drums galloping like a horse. Nice guitar soloing there! Next up, "Book of a Hero" is the closest thing we have to a ballad. Though it's more of an OK attempt at clean cinematic folk as the hero rides off into a perilous journey. The title finale rises from soft whispers into an epic headbanging assault of guitars and synths, with lyrics to sing along to all the way up to the final march.

I can't say I would ever love Grailknights as much as I would have 10 years ago, but this is a prime example of the fun side of power metal done right. I will have to thank my outside-world friend for his help in reviving part of my power metal interest, and he and I can have a good power metal time....

Favorites: "Pumping Iron Power", "Cthulhu", "Grailskull Asylum", "Shadow of the Mountain", "Knightfall"

Genitorturers is a band I never thought would intrigue me, considering their notorious BDSM themes in the music and shows. However, their 90s material is actually worth enjoying and listening to, at least remotely. But how does their comeback album Blackheart Revolution work out? Not quite as well...

I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, they were trying to restore their earlier provocative imagery, but it was a sign that they needed to move on with the times. Their dance-y industrial/alt-metal sound does not have the same spark in the 2000s as it had in the 90s. Around that time, people had already moved from the latex and leather aesthetic, and the only people to still get their ideas were the band's die-hard fans.

"Revolution" starts the album with some rock crunch, but the depth just isn't the same as it was in their earlier material. The next track "Kabangin' All Night" isn't too bad, but it has too much of a rockabilly sound. "Devil in a Bottle" totally rocks out with its Rob Zombie vibe and makes up a lot for the album's earlier fails.

"Louder" is a KISS-like rock-out anthem to get you pumped. I enjoy the nice soloing there. Then we have another nice alt-ish anthem in "Falling Stars" that's more melodic while still heavy. The guitar distortion of their 90s material is blended with an old-school rhythm that can easily be tapped by tambourine. "Take It" has some more of the catchy heavy rock melody that has made a little optimistic about where this album might lead. Unfortunately, the next track "Confessions of a Blackheart" goes to back to the album's lower quality, trying its hardest to show Gen's spooky persona but ends up falling flat.

I don't wanna talk much about "C*m Junkie", which is just a techno-pop sh*tter. They were so much better than that! However, "Vampire Lover" restores the album's earlier greatness with the best Gen's gothic vocals. "Tell Me" is another perfect rocker that I think any rock/metal fan should at least try. iTunes bonus track "2 Faced Traitor" is rather pointless, being another dance track that's 4 minute long, followed by 6 minutes of silence.

All in all, the stylistic tendencies of Genitorturers were not fully fulfilled in Blackheart Revolution. Having not grown well and losing some relevance in their sound, this is only for the true longtime fans of this band. The new fans would wonder where the band's spark has gone....

Favorites: "Devil in a Bottle", "Falling Stars", "Take It", "Vampire Lover", "Tell Me"

OK, an EP may not be the best way to discover a band, but it's what I've chosen after stirring up some curiosity from the stoner/speed metal sound of Mutoid Man's new album Mutants and that band's new bassist being part of this one. And it really paid off! I never knew until now how perfectly mesmerizing it is to blend stoner/sludge metal with speed/thrash metal, despite me going the Straight Edge-like path of staying away from drugs (you know what the deal is about stoner rock/metal).

High on Fire has been active for over 25 years and inspired many metal bands including Mastodon who first formed in one of High on Fire's earliest shows. This Oakland band won a Grammy award for the title track of their 2018 album Electric Messiah, so what's next? A 3-track EP consisting of an instrumental and two covers, that's what!

Bat Salad starts with its title instrumental which, as if the title's reference to that Black Sabbath instrumental isn't enough, pays great tribute to that band with blend of sludgy heavy/stoner metal. Absolutely nothing wrong there! The band's cover of "Into the Crypts of Rays" by Celtic Frost (whose album cover for To Mega Therion is parodied for the EP) does proper justice to that band's earlier sound and is an excellent cover, sealed by the gravelly voice of frontman Matt Pike (also the guitarist for Sleep). Another cover, "Don't Bother Me" from Bad Brains' demo album Black Dots is another terrific thrashy cover that shall certainly delight fans of that band.

So what we have is a stoner/sludge instrumental and two thrashy cover songs. The two sounds aren't combined together, but when put into the same EP, they perfectly fit side by side. Totally worthwhile and smashing for a short EP!

Favorites: all 3, but I certainly enjoy the title instrumental

Some of the best albums I've encountered come from bands that have been around for a long time, like a decade or a few. I never heard a song from this band until an outside-world friend showed me one that was a total rocker (we will get to that soon). Boy, was I hyped up! Here we have guitarist/vocalist Stephen Brodsky (Cave In), drummer Ben Koller (Converge), and bassist Jeff Matz (High on Fire). Talk about a powerhouse lineup! Mutoid Man has often been considered a stoner metal band, and well, I won't say that's inaccurate, but their sound is more like a hodgepodge of different styles, ranging from rockin' and rollin' to heavy and doomy.

Mutoid Man first formed in 2012 as a collaboration project between Brodsky and Koller. They've really driven through in the guitars and drum rhythms, not to mention how pulverizing ex-bassist Nick Cageao sounds when he plays his instrument. Brodsky knows how to make sure his vocals catch up with all that heavy technical speed. The lineup created two albums, Bleeder and War Moans, released in 2015 and 2017. Then after a Covers EP in 2018, not much activity spawned from the band. The members focused on their respective main bands, with Brodsky mourning the loss of his Cave In bandmate bassist Caleb Scofield (RIP). In 2023, one year after Cave In's Heavy Pendulum, Mutoid Man make their comeback in their new album Mutants, with Matz joining in as their new bassist.

Blasting off this kick-A offering is the energetic "Call of the Void", the song my outside-world showed me that made me up to checking out this album. The band sprint guitar screeches and drum tapping as Brodsky lets out more of his emotion to cope with the grief from the fallen bassist who is Scofield. Beach Boys-inspired choral melodies and hyper technicality are blended together at ease in this hard rock/speed metal piece of art. "Frozen Hearts" is another haunting highlight with darker lyrics, "I don’t wanna know anything right now, 'cause I would probably go anywhere right now". Lots of brooding speed/hardcore darkness there! Then we really slow down in "Broken Glass Ceiling" for some mid-tempo stoner metal in the groovy verses before speed up for some more of the thunderous hardcore/speed metal, heavy as ever. So far, we have a lot of hardcore speed going on, only slowing down for their stoner sound when necessary. And there's more of this diversity to come...

"Siren Song" is another top-notch highlight. It offers a bombastic blend of stoner metal and Sabbath-esque heavy metal with some technical speed and progressiveness at times. The catchy lyrics fit well with the synergy the musicians have. "Graveyard Love" returns to the hardcore/speed metal, sounding like a more metallic Ramones to go with the fun lyrics. The heavy sludgy "Unborn" is a total stoner head-beater that soon speeds up into one of the more progressive tracks, similar to early Mastodon.

Then "Siphon" kicks off having some of the math-ish metalcore instrumentation of Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan then continues on in progressive/sludge metal again as the vocal harmonies and growls blend together. "Demons" has more of an old-school hard/pop rock vibe that then becomes more progressive to hook you up in a whirling banger. "Memory Hole" is a straight stoner/sludge metal song. It's quite good, though a little more of a silver gem in golden treasure. The 6-minute finale "Setting Sun" summarizes everything in this album, starting with slow stoner metal, then speed up into the usual hardcore speed, with lots of progressiveness added when necessary.

Mutoid Man have provided a special delivery of stoner/hardcore/speed/progressive metal! There are so many high points spawned from the consistent flow of Mutants that makes me want more from this band. It's awesome enough that Koller and Brodsky, already two legends from the metalcore scene, know how take care of business together, but Matz is the missing piece of the puzzle for their masterpiece of solid power. Hope you're in for an incredible trip through a strange yet exciting universe!

Favorites: "Call of the Void", "Frozen Hearts", "Siren Song", "Siphon", "Setting Sun"

Less than a year after Between the Buried and Me's Colors II, another sequel comes in; Neurotech's Symphonies II! Neurotech is perhaps one of the most prolific yet relatively unknown cyber metal projects besides Mechina. After returning from hiatus with his previous album Solace, Neurotech founder Wulf was determined to make something ambitious, another Symphonies collection. The way he makes these Symphonies albums is, he releases 4 long grand instrumental epics that are dubbed, you guessed it, "symphonies" as singles, and then releases a collection of them. And unlike his first collection, in which each symphony was released once per year, for his second collection, he released one symphony per month, and that has really caused his listeners to be excited and pumped up for this offering...

Also different is the length of each track. Symphonies I had really lengthy epics that are each an average 17 minutes long. In Symphonies II, each symphony is EXACTLY 10 minutes long! That's quite impressive, though not as much as David Dobrik making each of his YouTube videos an exact length of 4:20. If you're aware of the typical style of Neurotech, you know there's gonna be the usual ambient electro-industrial metal sound going on. However, to accompany the whole "symphony" vibe, the vocals are entirely absent and replaced with symphonic strings and synths. Still you can hear the metal blasts expected from the guitars, bass, and drums.

Rolling into epicness right away is "The Prophetic Symphony". I can truly connect with the strength spawned with the keyboard synths in the first third, the heavier metallic instrumentation blasting through in the second third, and emotional violin and percussion to start the final third. All the elements fit their respective tones and produce something beautiful. "The Seraphic Symphony" is heavier, blasting in with fury after a minute of climatic synths.

"The Draconic Symphony" has some more strength to feel, but the speedy blasts blended together with laser-powered electronics ends up a bit repetitive. Finally, the riffing tones and melodies in "The Messianic Symphony" is much nicer. Guitars are more prominent and play out better together with the electronic keyboards. Fantastic!

All in all, Symphonies II is what the second decade of Neurotech needed after having already done Symphonies I in the first decade. Although a couple symphonies in the middle sound a bit odd in places, the collection continues this unique approach Wulf has taken for his project. I would be happy to hear an edition of this with vocals and lyrics. But of course, the beauty lies in the sounds of the music. The music of a symphony....

Favorites: "The Prophetic Symphony", "The Messianic Symphony"

So, where do I begin when describing such an ambitious band? Mechina is known for their series of concept albums and singles with a massive saga covering them all. Think about it like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe combined and played out like Rhapsody of Fire's conceptual sagas. Their 2005 debut The Assembly of Tyrants started off as a one-off story, but their second album Conqueror, released over 5 years later, started turning the story into a saga. The mastermind behind this project, Joe Tiberi can perform digital guitar and construct epic orchestration to flow well with the storyline in a bombastic style of extreme djenty symphonic/cyber metal!

Acheron continues their style in logical creativity. Their ambitious motive was a risk that paid off almost entirely well. Here we have the djent pioneered by Meshuggah, blended with the progressive groove of Xerath, the industrial tendencies of Fear Factory, and the cinematic symphonics of Two Steps From Hell. The rhythms and percussion band together with the riffs and keyboards for a unique combination that sometimes breaks into different territories. And f***ing h*ll, Tiberi's sonic guitar is really what the instrumentation needs as the engine for the machine. It is all in digital construction, and in many strings of the guitar, maybe beyond 8, like 9? 10?! The notes shall devastate and never drone, all in the equality of sound...

"Proprioception" is one of the best ways to open an album. There isn't any technical music, but rather a scene that sounds fresh out of an epic sci-fi movie that builds up and gets you geared up for the action, as a true concept album would. The engines ignite and the spaceship blasts off in "Earth-Born Axiom", an extensive epic in which electronic synths and cinematic orchestra prevails over the heavy djent instrumentation. Tiberi knows how to combine all that with a landscape of sci-fi dystopia that Neurotech can also achieve. "Vanquisher" is another powerful highlight, this one working well separately from the concept as a pre-release single. I don't know if they perform live concerts, but "On the Wings of Nefeli" would certainly be an interesting setlist staple. The female chanting and simple yet epic keyboards are in full prominence while the riffs have their own moments, all that could easily fuel up the live crowd.

"The Halcyon Purge" sounds ominous from the name. It has some of the best writing I've heard in the album with emotional diversity. The haunting chorus is sung by Mel Rose, who first appeared in the non-album single "To Coexist is to Surrender" and would become a full-time member in subsequent albums. Absolutely spine-chilling! It's interesting how the shortest non-interlude song has the best lyrical writing. The instrumental "Lethean Waves" has nearly the same length as the previous track. Regaining balance is "Ode to the Forgotten Few", though despite Mel Rose's vocals sounding serene, they can be slightly tiring. Nonetheless, kudos to Tiberi for expanding his boundaries with more than just hammering heaviness.

"The Hyperion Threnody" is a massive beast of an almost 10-minute epic that works as the soundtrack to a massive space battle. There's a lot of epic power in both the title and the song that's nothing but true galactic carnage. This extensive track is so interesting and prevails as a glorious highlight. The more obvious interlude "Adrasteia" is another atmospheric track, though all it's good for is being the soundtrack to a video game's main menu. "Invictus Daedalus" goes all-out fast and furious, but a bit of the interest factor has worn off while it still works. Closing this interstellar adventure is "The Future Must Be Met", a good outro.

And just like that, we have a bold ambitious offering with profuse variety. Acheron is a journey through the greatness of combining electronics, symphonics, and metal into one. Tiberi has had great potential that he has fulfilled and has kept his ideas going through more of his works, with lots of memorable moments that shall last all the way through time, space, and reality!

Favorites: "Earth-Born Axiom", "Vanquisher", "On the Wings of Nefeli", "The Halcyon Purge", "The Hyperion Threnody"

I'm not gonna lie, when I initially gave the new Persefone EP some listening, I thought I was hearing their melodic deathly progressive metal in full force, enough to give it 4.5 stars. But now that I've listened more thoroughly for the sake of reviewing, let's just say, the rating dropped a full star. This is the band's usual sound shining throughout their discography, so what went wrong?...

The problem here is the vocals (by new vocalist Daniel Rodriguez Flys, replacing longtime vocalist Marc Martins Pia) and the riffing. They both often sound closer to metalcore (though not enough for The Revolution). Now I love metalcore, and I know where the genre should stand. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Even during the intro, "Sounds and Vessels", the unfitting modern influences cause things to go down in sh*t with pointless filter. The first full song "One Word" makes up for that hard, and the clean chorus is a much better representation of their metalcore-ish experimentation. "The Equable" also has that kind of chorus but more unstable. There's more of the usual deathly progressive chaos going on, but when it's blended with the metalcore-infused riffing, things can sound a bit out of place. Of course, the guitarwork can still be good at times when it's performed more properly.

The best riffing comes on in the title track. Here we have some great guitar soloing to level up the surrounding riffing and give the EP some redeeming value. This definitely throws back to the band's better earlier material. Although the verses and choruses can sometimes get me ticked, they're still at their best here. The cleans should've been slightly reduced though. "Abyssal Communication" is a cool outro, but I should say no more.

Lingua Ignota: Part I is slightly disappointing compared to the band's previous releases, even Metanoia. It's not horrible, but it doesn't show the strength Persefone had early on. While there are a couple highlights, this new blend of deathly progressive metal with metalcore elements, which sounded cool in theory, better be improved for Part II....

Favorites: "One Word", "Lingua Ignota"

Stortregn started off as a melodic black/death band before dumping most of their black metal elements for more of a progressive/tech-death style. Their new album Finitude sealed their sound, and even more so since their signing to The Artisan Era, a record label that has published dozens of releases of technical death metal or symphonic black metal. Lots of melodic shredding to be found in this offering!

Finitude is the 6th full-length by this Swiss band, and it has some solid high-quality detail. Many of the songs are quite excellent and have brought this extreme technical style up for its fans to be pleased.

Crashing in is the title opener, with a great amount of furious shredding and flamenco-style soloing. "A Last Battle Rages On" indeed rages on in high aggression, perhaps higher than most people would expect. Expect the unexpected! Standing out well is "Xeno Chaos" that bursts out more than a human-killing Xenomorph (unrelated). It truly is special as the progressive tech-death rises up in melody.

Flamenco elements continue to cover tracks like the blazing "Cold Void" in the acoustic outro seguing into the next track. The blistering "Rise of the Insidious" has more of that neoclassical soloing going on beyond belief.

The ominous doom in "Omega Axiom" begins to show a sign that the band is starting to slow down towards the end of the journey. I guess it is good for the band to steady themselves so they don't get tired out too much before a final impression. Well, that sign is highly true, as the stellar "De Inferno Solis" has killer blast-beats in contrast to the melodic guitars. "The Revelation" ends it all with the best shredding you can find here.

Here we have a polished melodic/progressive/tech-death album in which the band attempt to spice it up with elements from the outer music realms. It's almost like a more brutal Persefone on steroids, though a bit pompous here and there. All good as long as they know what they're doing....

Favorites: "A Last Battle Rages On", "Xeno Chaos", "Rise of the Insidious", "The Revelation"

In my journey to find new and undiscovered releases, there have been many ups and downs. This also counts for releases that have been recommended to me. I always appreciate the help I receive for my journey, though reviewing them is always about giving an honest opinion. Sometimes I end up loving a band to bits (Ryujin), and sometimes not so much (xNOMADx). And this one is somewhere in between...

Circuit Circuit perform a promising sound of experimental mathcore. After their self-titled EP, they made another one, Body Songs. And here we have some great powerful mathcore that leans into nu metal.

Opening the EP is "I Dream the World Awake", with a guitar riff loop before vocals crash in. Then the guitar halts for a bit of drum tapping before exploding into total riff noise. The riffing basically mashes together the early 2000s eras of Converge and Linkin Park. "Slander Eats Slander" is the most nu metal-ish song here. The sound is once again blended with mathcore in the guitar groove to make this track quite haunting.

Single "Deleted Skin" has more of that punishing guitar groove. All of that groove leads to a destructive breakdown with screams of "STUCK IN MY HEAD?!? OF COURSE NOT, OF COURSE NOT!" How killer is that?!

"Blood in My Eye (Holy Human)", like the opening track, starts with a guitar riff loop that then squeals its way into speed. The vocalist's impressive range blasts in before another killer breakdown and some more riff crunch. Disorienting, but a better track for the band's nu metal-ish side. Then it segues into "Null", beginning with slow riffing from the bass and eventually guitars that continue to loop. "HOW POINTLESS IS IT?!?! THE END OF THIS WORLD WILL BE SOON!!!" A true chaotic mathcore attack!

Well this EP could do without the abrupt cut-off at the end. Nonetheless, Body Songs is a solid offering of nu-mathcore. Guitar grooves and shouted vocals have surely united two separate realms from the early 2000s in the present. The circuits these guys have will keep you wired....

Favorites: "I Dream the World Awake", "Deleted Skin", "Null"

At times when he's not recording or performing with his main band, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy has experimented with his own projects of different styles. Having been interested in black metal bands like Dark Funeral, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, and Emperor, he wanted to explore more of the genre. Heafy also used some of the mythological lyrical influences heard in Shogun and In the Court of the Dragon to set an interesting theme for Rashomon, here based on Japanese folklore...

The end result is a blackened progressive metal album that's basically a whole different Trivium! Alex Bent's drum skills are heard throughout the album alongside Heafy's vocals, guitars, and bass. Guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto appear each only in one guest appearance. Trivium's formula of heavy screaming verses and melodic clean choruses are around with thick guitars and technical drum blasts. Heafy has a lot of vocal confidence, especially in the cleans. Adding to the uniqueness is the epic Eastern folk influences later used in Ryujin. All part of the extreme prog channeling Heafy's inner Enslaved and Opeth.

The waltzing intro "Hakanaki Hitsuzen" (Ephemeral Inevitable) starts off the album with Eastern symphonics and choir, but it doesn't have the epic feeling that I got from the latest two Trivium albums. Pretty much the only major negative part here. But then we crash into "Kagutsuchi", an incredible piece of violent yet melodic blackened prog-metal. How did I not hear this until now??? "Ibaraki-Dōji" can be considered the project's theme song. Lots of kick-A gold as Heafy brings out his Ihsahn influences in the guitars and vocals. An excellent underrated song, though it can do without the softer bridge that covers the 3rd quarter of the track. Steering away from the Trivium direction a bit, "Jigoku Dayu" (Hell or High Water) sounds closer to some of Opeth's softer classics.

"Tamashii no Houkai" (Destruction of the Soul) is another perfect extreme highlight with an epic chorus. "Akumu" (Nightmare). has Polish lyrics growled by Nergal from Behemoth, but it later has a strange marching bridge riff. "Komorebi" (Sunlight Filtering Through the Foliage) has a similar but more satisfying progressive structure.

"Rōnin" is the climatic 9-minute epic of the album to hook you up high. There's a long folk bridge, and in the heavier sections, Heafy has given unclean vocal duties to Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. And HOLY F***!!! Gerard can perform memorable shrieking vocals more vicious than other black metal vocalists out there! One more heavy track, "Susanoo no Mikoto" has guest vocals by Ihsahn who also performed guitar in a couple previous tracks. "Kaizoku" (Pirate) is a fun accordion ballad to close the album.

Matt Heafy has not given up on his mythological ideas after In the Court of the Dragon. He used some of those ideas in the debut album of his own project Ibaraki. It has turned out well-done, though not as perfect as Trivium's 2020s albums. Rashomon has taken Trivium's incredible glory and gave it more adventure in its writing and lyrical theme of Japanese legends. I would probably have mixed feelings for this album if it came out when I was still a teenager who preferred melodic over extreme. The themes of Shogun have matured more in this project that shall be heard by any extreme progressive metal fan!

Favorites: "Kagutsuchi", "Jigoku Dayu", "Tamashii no Houkai", "Komorebi", "Rōnin"

My New Year's resolution, as it has been for the past few years, is to discover more metal music. And it's not easy when having to juggle between that, family, and writing books. Looking for new or undiscovered metal bands/releases is a never-ending journey that is worth precious time for me. Once I learn how to drive, I'll pop in some metal tunes and listen all the way on the road. Napalm Records has never ceased to amaze metalheads with their diverse roster. Many of my favorite metal bands are signed to that record, including this newfound favorite... RYUJIN!

Ryujin's self-titled album can be considered a debut album from a whole new band, but there's more history to uncover if you're curious about their previous incarnation Gyze and the band's founding brothers Ryoji and Shuji Shinamoto. Formed in 2009 as Suicide Heaven, the band changed their name after it was deemed inappropriate following the 2011 earthquake. Gyze had since made 4 albums throughout the 2010s, then in 2023, renamed themselves after the Japanese dragon god Ryujin and started making their first offering under their new moniker. I was not familiar with this "samurai metal" band or any of its incarnations until this album was recommended to me, and it just blew my mind! I might just head back to the death metal realm with this fantastic epic extreme blend.

The short intro "Hajimari" (The Beginning) begins the album with sounds of a battle in the Eastern Lands. Then the extreme thunder is unleashed in "Gekokujo" (Lower Door Extermination). The Eastern atmosphere blazes through the music, alongside the metal force of Shuji's drumming and Ryoji's guitar riffing/leads and screamed/growled vocals. More of the Eastern elements come in nice and early in "Dragon Fly Free". The catchy oriental flute shines over the riff rhythms of In Flames. A cool highlight worth repeated listening! The intro chorus of "Raijin & Fujin" already brings in a standout element for the album, the occasional guest vocals of none other than Trivium frontman Matt Heafy, who is also Ryujin's manager and producer. His clean singing give the band more of a power metal vibe to their thrashy melodeath than ever before, alongside the melodies and rhythms. Killer riffing, leads, and symphonics, help truly shape this masterpiece!

"The Rainbow Song" has more of Heafy's clean singing in a catchy mid-paced power metal tune. The singing takes the place of much of the usual growling, and the guitar melodies help make the song another winning highlight. Some more of the power metal side of the sound comes in the speedy "Kunnecup". Then "Scream of the Dragon" returns to the heavier melodeath, while having a soaring chorus. "Gekirin" (Search) blends a bit of the death metal of Pestilence with the epic symphonic melodies of Epica.

"Saigo No Hoshi" (The Last Star) is more of a radio ballad, but it's quite exceptional. The chorus actually hooks you up with memorable beauty. There's an English version of that song, which we will get to soon. The 7 and a half minute epic "Ryujin" can practically be considered the band's theme, not just in the title but also how it exemplifies the whole album's sound. "Guren No Yumiya" (Crimson Bow and Arrow) is a cover of the song by Linked Horizon for the anime Attack on Titan, and it has the same mighty power as Epica's cover. The aforementioned English version of "Saigo No Hoshi" has more of the vocal talents of Matt Heafy that you just gotta love.

I highly recommend Ryujin for anyone willing to hear epic Eastern metal. I have absolutely nothing to complain about for this perfect product of fresh ideas. You get to enjoy almost an hour of Eastern-folk-influenced melodeath/power metal. And if anyone that I recommend this album to say otherwise, what matters is, I had fun, and I want to play this some more. I feel like headbanging in joy right now. A true piece of Eastern metal!

Favorites: "Dragon Fly Free", "Raijin & Fujin", "The Rainbow Song", "Gekirin", "Ryujin", "Saigo No Hoshi" (English version)

Melodic hardcore/metalcore has indeed been underappreciated in the present when bands have gone the more djenty route. As rare as it would be to find an EP like this one from xNOMADx released in this decade, I personally don't think of On Skylines of Embers as the legendary classic that people in the future will consider it. It's quite decent, but it's missing the spark that similar-sounding bands had in the 2000s such as Shadows Fall, For the Fallen Dreams (especially their debut Changes), and Unearth.

The songs here are good with their melodic heavy riffing and vicious vocal fury, but not enough to make highlight territory. The one exception is the sick "Acephale", with its otherworldly riffing and clean/scream duet at the end, both marking this song a perfect gem. But the rest of the EP? Not really the best, but worth a try....

Favorites (the one highlight to really stand out for me): "Acephale"

The comic strip Pearls Before Swine has a book collection titled "Rat's Wars", with the cover parodying Star Wars. So I guess that's a good excuse for me find the name of this album amusing. However, the album itself is quite dark and serious...

Rat Wars followed the second part of Health's Disco4 album series from the previous year, and they've been known for their industrial/noise rock sound with influences from electronica and metal. The latter has been put forward more prominently in their new album, along with more cohesive focus from Slaves of Fear. The lyrical themes of trauma and lack of young love flow smoothly through the complex production.

"Demigods" begins the album as vocalist Jake Duzsik sings those lyrics while kicking through drum reverb and riff crunch. "Future of Hell" hammers through the fury of a futile search for a lost soul. The more aggro-technical "Hateful" has swift synth-work by Sierra. "(Of All Else)" segues in with some dance beats.

"Crack Metal" has a sound than can be considered like Nine Inch Nails but with more metallic torment. Still they're not afraid to blend their industrial metal with other genres. "Unloved" comes out almost like a Depeche Mode ballad. "Children of Sorrow" is a powerful jam of dark synthwave metal. It stands out with metallic riffing performed by Willie Adler of Lamb of God. Then "Sicko" follows as another highlight, sampling Godflesh's "Like Rats", specifically its noise-powered bridge ("You breed...like rats!!").

"Ashamed" has more emotional vocals by Duzsik and deep catchy synths. "(Of Being Born)" segues from there as a sweet yet ominous conclusion. "DSM-V" charges through with Rammstein-esque industrial metal rhythm. After using up their last bit of power, it all ends with the soft brooding "Don't Try", striking through intimate perfection.

I wouldn't say Rat Wars would make too high of an impact for the future of industrial rock/metal, but it sounds like they have what it takes. Personally, I think a few of the softer sections could use a little more oomph (NOT the NDH band) so I won't be easily distracted and can stay in attention. Almost two decades into their career, and Health is already branching out further into metal territory while discovering the darkness of one's mental health....

Favorites: "Future of Hell", "Crack Metal", "Children of Sorrow", "Sicko", "DSM-V", "Don't Try"