Heavy Maytal - Dio- "Angry Machines"

 

In 1996, my taste in music leaned more toward industrial music like Skinny Puppy or heavier death metal, so this one slipped under my radar when it came out. It's heavier than the previous album. The opening track has a darker, more deliberate crunch. Seven albums in, this would be the last to feature Vinny Appice on drums. It flopped commercially as things were being steered in the direction of White Zombie and Marilyn Manson, so traditonal metal was falling between the cracks. To Dio's credit, he is not layering the vocals to sound like Alice In Chains or deviating from what he does, just producing it to sound heavier. The more thrashing "Don't Tell the Kids" is not the best choice to deliver this, but it doesn't suck, as these wily vets still know what they are doing.

"Black" has a little more of a staccato bounce to its groove that reflects the 90s. Dio also carries a little more of a snarl. But it's not like he was trying to be Korn. Jeff Pilson's bass adds more bite than he used to use in Dokken, for sure. They return to a heavier doomier tone for "Stay Out of My Mind". Thanks to the production choices, Dio's vocals glide with a smooth, eerie quality over the music. Midway into the song, things take a bizarre atmospheric turn.  "Big Sister" has a more modern metal stomp. Dio's vocals are similarly handled in the studio as was done on the previous song. "Double Monday" blends the punchy grit of the riffing with more melody.

"Golden Rules" is not as focused as the previous song, as the guitar falls back into a palm-muted shuffle for the verses. The chorus does not take advantage of this approach to let it explode more. Some cool, darker moments slither in the transitions. I  like the darker mood that opens "Dying in America," and the verse riff is pretty cool.  His voice is given space in the mix. "This is Your Life" closes the album. It's a ballad that is doesn't suck but is not his most inspired song, either. Overall, this album was a pleasant surprise, and there are some cool grooving songs on here that reflect where metal was at, and  to show how Dio remained sonically relevant. I will give it a 9.5  

Heavy Maytal -Evergray : "Architects Of A New Weave"

 

Swedish progressive power metallers Evergray have been at this for some time now. Their 2004 album "Inner Circle" was the last I gave a listen to, and it was a little too bogged down in the conventions of the genre to keep my interest, but things have changed. The guitar tone has grown denser to compete with the sound of modern metal. The singer and keyboardist are the only two members left over from those days as they now have the drummer from Shining, and Bassist from Therion in the fold, as well as the guitarist from Scar Symmetry. There is a heavier double bass attack bridging things, and the vocals might still be dramatic, but keep things in a more melodic and brooding direction.

On a song like "Heaven" you can hear the soulful nuance in his voice, but there are fewer Deep Purple vibes. When this sort of things goes wrong and do not infuse this level of balls into things, it ends up sounding more like Europe, which is a plight they have avoided this time around. The songs are also not just bookends for guitar solos, though there is no lack of them. "The Script" is more melodic, though it avoids becoming a total power ballad. It finds a big dynamic punch on the chorus to create a more anthemic feel. At times, it reminds me of Iced Earth in this regard, but not as dark or gritty, though darker than the last time I heard them. 

The pace picks up a little on "Leaving the Emptiness." It's a little more upbeat mood-wise. Almost making me think of Christian rock. In fact, I had to confer with the rob0-lords of AI to make sure this was not the case. Just because something is too happy for my tastes does not mean it is a Christian band, lesson learned. "Longing" is a more emotional outpouring of melody that finds them well adapted to today's musical landscape. With strong, almost poppy hooks. Unlike many prog-leaning bands, they have learned that restraint is your friend when it comes to songwriting, and leaving space for the vocal is crucial. Lyrically, it's a little more hopeful than what I prefer, but not everyone is a depressive maniac. 

Mikael from Dark Tranquility lends his voice to " A Burning Flame." To their credit, it's working off the epic 80s metal sound, though it feels more like middle-of-the-road mainstream metal, but it's well done, and the vocals continue to pull their weight. "Call of the Lions" falls closer to what a band like Kamelot does, but with a little less melodrama. The guitar solo to this is very melodic.  "Chains of Shame" keeps the emphasis on a modern metal groove and the melody that is locked in, though it doesn't feel all that heavy to me. The album closes with "The Prophecy," whih is both spacious and grandiose. The vocals soar around what feels like the body of the song. Overall, this is a great improve to the band who learned to become relevant I will give this a 9.

Heavy Maytal- Dio's "Strange Highways'

One of Dio's heavier solo albums, where he carried the energy from the "Dehumanizer" sessions into this one. The staccato riff in the verse of the opening tracks reminds me a bit of "21st Century Schizoid Man," but the song rocks out pretty hard. Tracy G's playing on "Firehead' makes this feel almsot more like solo Ozzy. The opening track sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album, but Dio proved he can still be relevant in a post-grunge world. The title track features a great vocal performance from Dio as the verse riff crunches into a doomy territory. It is darker than the previous song. Jeff Pilson's bass crunches through to bring more weight to the riffs. 

According to Tony Iommi "Hollywood Black " does, in fact, go back to the session they did with Dio, as they demo'ed it out, but did not use it, so Dio resurrected it for this album. It works well enough. At this juncture in the album, he is beginning to get back in his formula when it comes to marching metal anthems. This can also be heard on "Evolution," which has more of a 90s groove to it. "Pain" adds more urgency and passion to the verses of "Pain". There is a dark power-ballad dynamic in place for "Give Her the Gun." I also enjoy Dio's more melodic moment, as his softer vocal is more nuanced. 

"Blood From a Stone' is a more straightforward rocker. The first song that has felt like filler to me, but even then, it works for what they are doing. "Here's to You' is another fast-paced rocker, less rock n roll and more metal than something like "We Rock" that is similarly paced. The last song is less memorable for some reason, it works, but doesn't hook me in. I will give this album a 9.5, so not quite perfect, but he benefited from this reset, and this is an underated album that put him ahead of most of his peers during this time.

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Heavy Maytal- Dimmu Borgir : "Grand Serpent Rising"

 One of Norway's biggest bands, and one of my faves, they have picked up where they left off with the last album, the first actual song that is not a dramatic symphonic-tinged intro."Ascent" has just enough blast beats in the periphery to remind you they were once a black metal band, but that is far from the primary focus. The flash and finesse of the guitar solo on this solidifies their roots in classic metal. There is a similar shifting of arrangements that we heard back on "In Sorte Diaboli". What is more interesting is the darker, more melodious atmosphere to "As Seen in the Unseen." The drumming that explodes when they build it up as you expect them to continues to excel as Daray is still behind the kit. The creepy spoken vocals with heavy effects are, of course, making an appearance. 

"The Qyrptfarer" comes clsoer to bringing the type of hooks that have not been at the forefront since "Abrahadabra." That is not to say they are not bringing the big sound you want from them. It's tradmark grandiosity in peak form. I do like the creepy descending passages that sound like they are from a haunted house ride. "Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel" or 'wolf debt blood guilt' was the first single, which features a return to vocalizing in Norse again. It brings the big symphonic bombast that has become their calling card. With a very deliberate marching riff as the backbone. Choral chants and folk sounds buried deep in the mix add needed color. 

"Repository of Divine Transmutation" offers a respite from the thunderous riff churning for a minute before cranking back up into a more blackened sentiment, for a few seconds, but they wrote the book on how to make this dynamic so muh so that they took themselves out of the genre. The guitars are catchier here. Shagrath is doing nothing new, but refining what works for him. He makes declarations with a snarl more than outright screaming or growling. Majestic guitar harmonies chime in. The speed up in bursts makes it a brief stab to accent what they are doing. "Thus, An Alchemist Remembers" opens with a more traditional metal riff and shifts into the brooding symphonic metal that dominates this album. There are passages of clean guitar to give some breathing room. 

"Phantom of the Nemesis' stands out for me as it works off a different throb that is bigger and darker. The guitars feel more nuanced on this one. Ironically, Shagrath is snarling about how nothing is new under the sun, when this is another song that sounds like it could have been on "In Sorte..." but that was one of their best albums, so it is hard to argue against this. They speed along similar lines and drape "Recognizant" in similar sonic colors as what they have been on the other songs thus far. Perhaps this just needs to grow on me. "At the Precipice of Convergence" is more memorable than the previous song, though it takes its time winding around the intro. There is more of his croaking talking on this one. The more vampiric talking also shows up, which is fine by me to switch things up, but it does feel like they are very deliberately peddling their trademarks. The guitar solo is a bit chaotic, which is the most different element on this one, but it falls into place, as you want it to. 

Once you come to terms that ICS Vortex is not sweeping in to save the day with a big operatic hook, then the bar is pretty low for what they can deliver, which is creepy riffs that are catchy, and they deliver this with "Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions". They create more breathing room going into the last song, wisely opening with a very steady drum beat.I was not expecting it to be an instrumental, but at least it's a change of pace and very melodic. I woill go ahead and round this up to a 10, as it's better than the last album, and delivers what they know fans want, even if it feels a little formulaic in this regard, I think it will grow on me.

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Heavy Maytal -Dio's "Lock Up the Wolves"

It's been thought that this album is where Dio fell from his peak popularity. I remember being unsure of the line-up change spearheaded by the inclusion of 18-year-old Rown Robetson, who has a blues-rock feel to his playing rather than the more overt style. Yngwie keyboardist Jens Johansen and AC/DC drummer Simon Wright were also part of this new line-up. The main difference lies in the guitar tones, as Robertson is a great guitar player with ample chops displayed in "Born on the Sun".  It plays off many of the typical Dio tropes, but they still have gas in the tank. 

"Hey Angel" was the lead single, which leans more in the direction of where commercial metal was going, particularly with the layered vocals on the chorus and the drum sound here. But the songs is pretty good, and hold up to Dio's standard. After this, Dio would need to get his batteries recharged by reuniting with Sabbath for the heavier "De-humanizer" album, after which his solo albums would be more on track with where metal was heading, but when it comes to the transitional records going into the 90s, he fared better than many of his peers, though this is a far cry from "Painkiller". 

"Between Two Hearts" follows the Dio "power ballad' formula with the softer melodic intro, but this time a blues-based verse that modulates into a creeping palm-muted groove that snakes around the sparse almsot doomy drumming. It's his best vocal performance so far on this album, as it is very soulful. There is some interesting guitar playing going on in "Night Music." They default to the more typical dynamic ebb and flow on this one, but it still works thanks to Dio's magic pipes. I think what I sensed back when this came out in high school was that it wasn't as heavy as what he had done up to that point, though I saw him on this tour, and it worked for me live. 

While the lyrics are a little silly, the title track has to be my favorite song on this album, as it's the one I have returned to the most over the years, thanks to the vocal hook on the chorus. It is also darker and heavier than the previous songs. The bluesy swagger of " Evil on Queen Street" benefited from Rowan's playing. A song like "Walk on Water' works in this context, but it goes to show that if Dio had not done a reset and kept making albums, he would have gone to the well too many times going into the 90s. "Twisted" certainly helps to cement this as Dio's most blues-based rock n roll album.  

"Why Are They Watching Me" is more of a return to form with a great vocal performance from Dio, despite revisiting many 80s metal tropes. "My Eyes" closes the album. The verse riff is more like classic Dio before it ebbs back down, but his softer vocal performance is pretty stunning, so no omplaints about this formula. Which could apply to this album as a whole, sure it's a shift in a more rock direction, but when I was combined with Dios raw vocal talent and Rowan's enthusiasm, they made this work, so I will round it up to a 10, as the songs that come close to fillere were better than where hard rock was heading during this time. 

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Heavy Maytal- Warning : "Rituals of Shame"

 

The doom band from 40 Watt Sun's main man, Patrick Walker. The most striking thing is the haunting plea of his vocals, which glide over the depressing, lingering instrumentation. Everything feels very organic; it is mixed in a manner that gives the vocals more than enough room to do their thing. The guitars are not loaded down with an overabundance of gain like most doom bands, but they ring out with despair, while the minimal patter of drums keeps things moving. With their first album coming out in 1999, it is clear that this band was a strong influence on what Pallbearer does. 

While they are paced at a depressive tempo, I would not call this funeral doom, as it's not dark in the same way, but it does drift close to that sound. Lyrics also play a much more important role in the songs than the heavier strain of doom. He is a great lyricist, so this only plays in the song's favor. "Stations" finds more melancholy being poured into your ears. It slowly begins to build momentum while staying at a very speculative wandering tone. Lyrically, he is expressing wanting to escape from the outside world, which is certainly relatable. 

It's fitting that a song titled "Night Comes Down" would move in a darker, doomier direction."Landing Lights" finds them sinking further into the despair alluded to in the previous song. The pleading purity of his reedy tenor continues to impress. If he were singing Irish folk music, you might not blink, but here the results are more dynamically beautiful in the manner it provides contrast. The last song "Teacher" finds a similar languid, depressive feel drift over the song. The vocals continue to flow similarly to how they have been. The droning lathargy of this one does create a dynamic uncertainty by the time you get to the album of the album, but it still works. In some ways, it makes me think of Ian Anderson singing for Black Sabbath. The melody this winds around to reminds me of "Fade into You" by Mazzy Star. Which is a pleasant twist of fate. I will give this album a 10 as it's one of the best doom albums I've heard this year so far, as it is unique in its melodic sensibilities. This album drops June 19th on Relapse.

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Third Realm : "Escape Sequence"

 

This project brings a hard-hitting take on industrial's more EDM side. This does not mean they are compromising the aggression; in fact, the opening track is hitting harder sonically because it is not falling back into 90s nostalgia, but brings the kind of uncompromising attitude that industrial music used to have before too many of the artists got preoccupied with blending into safer mindsets, to not upset the fragile younger fan base merging.  This album goes back to not giving a fuck. They are not always in your face and confrontational, allowing for some ambaince and mood to a song like "Drain Me". This might appeal to the more dramatic old school dark wave fans, as it blends with future pop sensibilities. 

"Twist the Knife" takes futuristic synths and bleeds the desperation and melancholy from them to accompany the very emotional vocal preformance. The yare not so preoccupied with capturing the synth sound from a certain era that they forget about songwriting, as the vocals have a great deal of purpose in these songs. At times, they flirt with a more Depeche Mode-like feel. There is a slow build to "By My Side" that lures you out onto the dance floor. Some old-school techno melodies haunt the background here. Things get darker for "the Damage Has Been Done," which, much like the opening track, highlights what I feel sonically is the strongest side of the project, though I understand the need to have the more melodic songs to provide a dynamic contrast. 

"Leech Parade" does not employ beats that hold the same level of malice as some of the previous, more industrial-leaning, but the heavily effected vocals pick up the slack in this regard. It's another example of how the attitude of the song provides more of the punch. It might be the album's darkest song yet. There is more overt thump to "Compliance Pulls the Trigger." The vocals shift to a higher pitch, creating a different attitude and more of an early 2000s feel as it crosses over into "goth". "Rockets" shifts the mood almsot to the other end of the spectrum with a more Pet Shop Boys feel. I appreciate the dynamic range it introduces. There is still a lingering melancholy to this whih works for me. The beat keeps it's it from becoming too much of a ballad. The deeper you get into the song, the more you can hear the Depeche Mode influence returning. While I enjoy the two remixes of 'The Damage Has Been Done," I am not including them in this review for the purpose of scoring this album. 

With that said, this album surprised the hell out of me and impressed me, a feat when you consider how much dark music I review over the course of the year. There has not been anyone else who has dropped a club-ready set of bangers like this, so I am going to give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, if you are into 'goth" laced edm with a future pop sensibilty to the production then this album is for you and even if you don't think you are into that kind of music then you should still check it out as it has gone above and beyond, and are just good songs genres be dmaned. 

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