This month has helped prove to me that old school metal has not gone anywhere it just went back to the undergrounds where it belongs. This is the second album from this French band. The first track just focuses on the galloping guitar harmonies. "Ghastly Obsession" finds them locking into a pretty effective chug. The drum are admittedly programmed, but sound pretty real. The vocals come in with a commanding snarl.
What they are doing on "the Executioner " falls some where between classic Destruction and how Power Trip resurrected this sound. The vocals take on more of a growl for this one as well. The melodic guitar section giving them a more "Masters of Puppets" moment. They use a sung more power metal like vocal on "Soldier of Fortune" , which creates more sonic colors overall, though a brighter feel to the song. They balance it out with more feral speed metal attacks. The sung vocals return for "Charme Funeste". Oh yeah it bears saying that these guys sing in their native tongue, so if that is a deal breaker for you then there you go.
"Primal Conquest" Finds the snarled vocals trading off with a hookier sung vocal on the chorus. The last song opens with melodic clean guitars. It goes into the predictable thrashing, with twin guitar harmonies, though sung vocals eventually resurface. I will give this album a 9 not only did they nail a sound but they car about songwriting. It drops July 10th on Gates of Hell.
Havard has been taking notes from Ulver in regards to the more synth wave direction he is heading in. Not what you expect from someone dressed up like a goblin. Its not like anyone is still bitter about the fact he is no longer making black metal as that ship sailed decades ago. The transition to this makes sense even with the vocoder autotuning the vocals. It was not that long ago he was making darkwave, and doing a pretty decent job of it, I felt like the goth scene was a good fit for him. So the electronic thing is not the problem , what is a marginal issue is it's not that dark, though thick on the atmosphere.
Maybe he wants to start making soundtracks for A24 movies , as that is the vibe we are getting from "Return to the Old Fields" The song takes more form in the final minutes but drifts more often than not. "The Faith That Fades Away" has a sparse ritualistic beat , and the layers of vocals are pretty cool, it does finds things moving in a somewhat more brooding direction which I approve of but could use more of a bass line to give it a backbone. If it was not for the vocal arrangements it would fall on the side of being more focused on a sound than songwriting.
There is more of a solid groove to "Violent Silence". The vocals are more androgynous than what you expect from this project, making me think of the Pet Shop Boys. I like the future pop leanings that flow through the song. "Transcending Morpheus" is atmospheric in almost a more Dead Can Dance direction. There is a little dynamic ebb and flow but not enough to hook you in .Not even the robotic vocals can make it more potent. Four and a half minutes in there is more of a groove, but it can't gain momentum by then
It's odd that a song called "Tundra Heart of Hell" would sound like old Depeche Mode. There is more of a 90s new age feel to "Tribes of Dystopia" but the vocals anchors it. The last song works well enough , it's a little darker vocally. He puts more guts into his delivery to create more dynamics. I will give this album a 9, once I warmed up to and got use to the change it grew on me. It comes out June 26th thanks to Prophecy Productions.
By 2000, I was pretty much jsut listening to hardcore shit like Converge or at the other spectrum the Cure, so this fell between the cracks and I have never listened to this album before. Craig Goldy returns for Dio's concept album. Jimmy Bain from Rainbow also showed up for bass duties."Lord of the Last Day" is the first actual song. It is slow and deliberate, bordering on doom, but not too anchored in nostalgia. It is interesting to hear Dio reach down and pull some lower notes out. "Fover Dreams" has more of a "Man on Silver Mountain" feel to its groove. It works for what they are doing here.
It feels like they are jamming their way into "Turn to Stone," which would work well live. There are some soulful vocal embellishments by Dio in places on this one. Not the strongest chorus, but not opposed to this song either. Part of the concept is the robot voices, adding narrative, so maybe the theme is robots vs magic? "Feed My Head" is a little darker with great lyrics. "Eriel" has more of a "Holy Diver" gallop, but it does not feel too recycled.
"Challis' takes modern drive and applies it to a more 80s rock sound. The riff carries echoes of "Cat Scratch Fever". There is some interesting guitar work that opens up "As Long as it's not about Love."It starts off as more of a ballad, Dio showing off the more tender colors his voice is capable of capturing while retaining power. It never takes off but stays in a more dramatic, expressive place. There is a folkish intro to "Losing My Insanity," but with that song title, it would be too muh of a Spinal Tap moment for them not to kick into metal at some point. It's not the heaviest song on the album, but it has more of a swing to it. He has obviously become aware of folk metal by this point in time.
"Otherworld" carries the typical not quite doomy throb that his solo work is known for, then the album takes a turn. There are two pieces called reprises before launching into the 18-minute of Dio's book on tape entitled. "Magica Story" so for the purpose of this album I am not going to include it nor was I really interested in story hour myself. I will give this one a 9 as despite it's ambitions and story telling it feels the least inspired . But Dio is singing that elevates it over most metal albums from this period.
This Italian band blends power metal with folk to create something that remains relevant in the bigger picture of European metal. Their stage cosplay is darker than what they actually sound like, which manages to not be too happy for me to struggle to get through the first song, but hopefully, there will be less frolicking ahead, and they will dig in a little more as they are riding the line right now, but it works for what they are going for in the opening track. They already have 12 full-lengths under their belt, so they know what they are doing.
There is almost a Bon Jovi-like candence to the singer's voice, which does not sell me on the bigger picture and makes me take it when they growl about the devil in the second song a little less seriously, though sonically it all somehow comes together. Three songs in, it's clear that this touch of cock rock is just how they are, and the choruses are going to be hit or miss with me, as some of them are too happy for my tastes. What does fall within my tastes but hits me weird is the cover of King Diamond's "The Arrival" which lacks the darkness of the original; the lower vocals work, but the falsetto finds them hitting the notes but not capturing the eerie feel. It's better just not to try to cover King Diamond in my book.
"Children of Decadence sounds like what I expect from modern folk metal, jsut enough grit to be metal. It races along and has some shredding in the mix; it is hard to tell if it is coming for synths or fiddles, but I do not care enough to click on YouTube, as at the end of the day, it almost sounds the same. You can hear how both King Diamondand Cradle of Filth continue to be influences, with a more theatrical twist to what goes down. The ballad "Man of Iron" confirms that he can sing, but offers little else. "Salt on the Earth' closes the album. The vocals remind me more of Venom, but the song itself is not that raw. It's ok a little different than the rest, so they are not boring, though falling in the middle of the road when it comes to heaviness, if that. I wish it were darker, but if you are a teenager who likea folk metal, then this is a must. I will give it an 8.5.
These Canadian hard-core kids are venturing further into noiserock in their sophomore release, which finds a more angular dissonance steering the songs. The vocals are monaded and howled, as they steer the boozy sonics with a precise ugliness to create something beautiful. Some moments might not be as overtly metal as where a band like Chatpile, who crosses over into sludge, goes, but could have a similar appeal. It's not until the song "Completed By Christy" that they dip back into their more melodic side with the hints of folk and country music peppered in. At times, this reminds me of a band like Iceage, who gradually expanded beyond their punk roots
They more fully commit to this kind of backwoods twang on "House Caught Fire." "New Jesus" is pretty dynamic in their approach, with a more explosive lead into what might be considered the chorus, which is not far removed from Black Flag. It ebbs and flows between the more melodic guitar riff and the dense din of guitar. There is less blending of their folky side with the more intense weight of what they are doing on this album, but it is still an interesting listen, certainly heavier than their first album. But they do switch gears by pulling out a banjo midway into "Your name, it's waiting". This blending leads to a more memorable riff that answers this shift.
The riff rings out and hammers you in equal measure on "Stomach as a tower..." with things not breaking down to a more atmospheric introspection till midway in. "Gerard, be quiet" takes the time with a strum that contemplates rather than confronts. "Kindly Wash Yourself" opens in a more subdued folk and builds into something that brings to mind a 90s indie band like Sebadoh. The chords ring out with an effective ache. What they do on this album is a continuation that works, but I am going to give it a 9.5, as there is something about the first album that made it hit with me a little more, but this one might just need to grow on me. Out June 26th on the Flenser
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
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.
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