Sonata Arctica : "Clear Cold Beyond"

 I am always willing to give something a try once. Though it does not take but a couple of songs to confirm what I suspected about these guys all along. It is really hard to even call these guys metal. There is nothing that comes close to feeling metal until "Dark Empath' which is four songs in. Even then most anime opening theme songs go harder. To their credit "Dark Empath" is at least reflective enough of a song that the bulk of it is not so happy it curdles the creamer in my coffee. I remember when Helloween came out thinking they were a happier version of Iron Maiden, but when I go back to listen to "The Keeper of the Seven Keys" it is at least aggressive enough to work and is totally metal, This takes what that band did and dilutes it with video game like glee. There is such a lack of darkness to it that if you told me these guys were a Christian band I would believe you. 

I just finished reviewing Chelsea Wolfe's new album which is her excursion into trip-hop and it is way heavier than this. "Cure For Everything' reminds me more of Europe, another band who no matter how big their hair got was not metal either. The lyrics are like self-motivation for kids who can not do more than three push-ups They do find their balls for one brief riff, so they know what metal is they just do not play it. That's cool just be honest with yourself and your fan base about it. "A Monster Only You Can't See" should be angry based on the lyrics, but instead get a bowl of shredding and cheer. "Teardrops" is a ballad that aligns with Nightwish's least aggressive efforts. The tempo picks up but the song does not seem focused when it comes to having melodies with hooks. There is plenty of heavier music that is much hookier. 

"Angel Defied" is an attempt at getting more metallic, but faster does not mean heavier without the heft in your tone to back it up. This album also fails to make an argument for keyboards in metal, as they become only a tool for further wanking here. By the last song, it is apparent there are easier ways for guys to come out of the closet than trying to convince themselves that this is a metal band. I know Finland is not Broadway, but these are clearly pieces for a musical and not even rock songs. They are skilled musicians and somewhere out there is a production of 'Cats" that needs their skills. I will give this album a 5.5, and scoring that high only due to sheer musical talent. Powerless Metal is even a stretch here as we are still using metal to describe it.

pst67

Sleep of Monsters : "II Poison Garden"

The commanding baritone of Babylon Whores singer Vil,  keeps this from sounding like your run of the mill dramatic symphonic prog metal. The shift of guitar tone, creates a more Nick Cave vibe and less of power metal ringing to your ears. Female vocals blend with Vil's voice on "Golden Bough". The production really saves this album. Not that these are bad songs dependent upon it, but with different production this could have come across as cheese filled symphonic metal. Not to say this is not symphonic, the presentation is more organic. But now that you are totally confused as to what is going on with this album. I'll say it's powerful and at times even dark despite the more major key melodies. The more upbeat "Art of Passau" finds their sound not as effective at this speed. The chorus really doesn't stand out and the layers of vocals don't help achieve better dynamics. There are some cool punches , but overall I don't hear it playing to their strengths. "Babes in the Abyss" plays it too safe in it's middle of the rock n roll approach.

They slow down into a more deliberate crunch for "Beyond the Fields We Know" and find retro metal meeting darker new wave tinged rock like the Mission UK. They abandon metal altogether to some more like an occult based U2 on "the Devil and All His Works". At times this combination of pop sensibilities combined with goth influence reminds me of Crash Test Dummies, when the singer dips down into his lower range. They start "Our Dark Mother" off with a moodier and more melodic tone on the first verse and can't take their foot off the gas to keep it from accelerating back into the kind of alternative rock that has dominated the second half of this album. This song however did grow on me more in the second listen than some of the other forays in middle of the rock radio rock. The almost more Spanish intro to "Armies Far East" has some great guitar work and the first verse has promise, but once again it all builds into a place at this point in the album it already feels like we have been, however they set the stage better going into it.

The moodier "Land of Nod" is a step in the right direction. Vil begins to sound like Iggy Pop in some places and Billy Idol in others. Overall this album is pretty solid, I think I wanted it to be darker and heavier than it was ...in other words more like Babylon Whores, instead of accepting this project for what it is which is ambitious fun. I'll give it an 8.