This is some epic Power Metal with more Pirate Metal influences than you can shake a saber at. I do love some killer Power Metal, and Terra Atlantica delivers it in spades here on Oceans. This is their fourth full-length album, and I’m here to tell you it’s a solid banger.

Beginning with the short intro “Ocean Fever,” it sets the tone for what’s to come: some heavy-duty sea shanties from these Hamburg, Germany, maniacs. “Back to the Sea” gets the ball rolling with some serious chops. There’s shouted gang vocals galore and so many galloping rhythms it’s like a herd of horses coming from the speakers.

This is what I’ve been looking for, tales of battles on the high seas, not party songs about Mexico, which is exactly what Terra Atlantica doesn’t sing about. “Hoist the Sail” has all those glorious moments where Accordion and brutal guitars meet, and some beefy gang vocals to add punch to the proceedings.

“Caribbean Shores”, “Turn of the Tide”, and “Through the Water and the Waves” pulse with the band’s own take on the sub-genre, and they’re super fucking fun, the songs demanding that you bang your head until your brain sloshes like Jello in your skull. Razor sharp riffs keep the songs going at mach speed; the latter sporting some growled vocals in the background.

It’s ballad time, and Terra Atlantica is great at creating gravitas. They serve it up with some beautiful guitar on “Where My Brothers Await”, and for a few minutes, you’re taken away to some exotic shoreline, shipwrecked and royally fucked. “Land of Submarines” is another fun track, and a huge festival-sized rager with some killer riffing throughout.

One of the things I noticed is that Terra Atlantica isn’t afraid to use some Pop-Punk harmonies, and they raise their head in “Raven in the Dark”, and it doesn’t suck; surprisingly, it works perfectly within the Pirate Metal influences. “To the Realm of Gods” is just ridiculous in how good it is, but it’s the final track that brings it all together. “Oceans of Eternity” is delivered in a My Chemical Romance sort of Power Metal meets Emo Hardcore in a strange way, but it fucking rips. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and it’s the perfect way to end Oceans.

Say what you will about the sub-genre that Running Wild made popular in the 80s, but it’s spawned a great list of bands, including Rum Runners and Alestorm, so you can add Terra Atlantica to that list (if you haven’t already, I didn’t know they existed till now, and this is album number four already).

Go forth and pillage their back catalog and pick up Oceans while you’re there.

Just kidding. I know my opinion didn’t matter, but they have made some improvements to their bombastic symphonic black/death metal. They still cull heavily from the likes of the early US symphonic black metal movement like Scholomance, Dreamscapes of the Perverse, Vesperian Sorrow etc, but the song writing (albeit still a little long winded as the album clocks in at 52 minutes, vs Antiquity’s 54 minutes) is a little improved, as are the keyboards, though still not quite up there with some of their peers.

The vocals, however, still remain a bit of a sticking point for me, even though the spoken word/grumble is used less (i.e, opener “Purity Through Non Existence”, the Crematory sounding “The Autumnal Passing”, “ Shrines Of Offal Rise”), it’s still there, and Gabriel Luis, while a fine guitarist, isn’t quite doing it for me vocally.

The busy, solo-heavy songwriting has a few more memorable moments than Antiquity. The band continues to delve into religious dogma and rebellious, Luciferian themes. With the same lineup from the debut, there is some overall consistency in the band’s sound, influence, and delivery.

The slightly improved song writing still has a ways to go to be elite level, stuff, and the band struggles with ending songs abruptly (unless there was an issue with my digital promo), like they didn’t know where to go next  (i.e “Bloodlet the Lepers Created”, “Dancing Plagues of Modern Man”), but as the album goes along the songs get better after the three aforementioned shaky openers.

2nd half album tracks like the instrumental “Gotterdammerung”, “Shrines of Offal Rise”, “Agents Of Holy Death” (which has wafts of Ba-Sagoth) and closer “Perverse Christ Aeon” are all solid, but I’m still not completely enamored with these guys yet. Maybe the third album will fully do it for me.

It’s not a secret that I love all things Sword and Sandal movies. Conan the Barbarian being the best, top fucking tier hack and slash cinema. Beastmaster, Red Sonja, Sorceress, titties and blood and vengeance oh my, I eat that shit up. So when fellow scribe Frank Rini suggested Krilloan and I read their description I needed it in my life.

Return Of The Heralds is the follow-up to 2022s Emperor Rising (which I’m going to have to check out toot sweet), and it’s a powerhouse of a Swedish Power Metal album. Opening with the soaring and just downright majestic “Atlantian Sword” and it didn’t take long to hook me into the whirlwind of magical riffs and shredding solos. As a matter of fact my head didn’t stop banging for the remainder of the album, it’s that fucking good.

“Kings of the Iron Hill” thrashes away like the giant snake in Conan the Barbarian, sporting a menacing centerpiece that crawls before kicking into overdrive for the solo; it works devilishly well for the segue into “Blood & Fire (Born on a Battlefield)” which is without a doubt my favorite song on the album. It has the theme from Conan worked into the fucking solo! How goddamn cool is that, constant reader?

Return Of The Heralds has a thick, yet perfectly curated production that aims to slay everything in It’s 1,000 HP path. I always check out the for fans of section, this one mentions Blind Guardian, but it doesn’t mention Demons and Wizards or Running Wild (who are all over “The Oathpact” and “Return of the Heralds”) then  the Hammerfall heavy as Mjolnir “Hammer of Wrath” and festival ready “Avenging Son”.

All this is happening in the Conan universe and it’s entertaining as fuck, “The KingKillers Tale” no Thrash here and it’s my second favorite track, ominous as it tells the story in a more Baroque manner; it’s a gorgeous song.

“We Burn” and “Beyond the Gates” round out the album in the best possible way, both being insane riff-fests and when you have guest appearances by Johan Haraldsson & Johan Karlsson (Evermore), Jack Reynolds & Tom O´Dell (Battle Born) and Magnus Holmström (Swedish folk master and HammerFall live guest), you know it’s going to be a beast.

I mentioned before about the for fans of and I want to also add the Helloween tendrils that infect “Kings of the Iron Hill”, I cannot say get it enough times…  So, there you go. Definitely a recommendation.

In various segments of the album, you’ll probably question if you’re still listening to the same band. These guys aren’t here to be restrained by genre conventions. In the opening track (after the intro), “Caved In,” I thought I was in for over an hour of metalcore. The shouted vocals, the hardcore-styled pre-chorus, bouncy verses, and a breakdown all lend themselves to this assumption.

As my spirit animal, Tina Belcher would say, “butt…” There are other metalcore tracks but check out “Scarfaced Blues” with its near-death metal approach. It’s only around 2 minutes and still flirts endlessly with metalcore, but on the heavier side.

Without a doubt, my favorite track, “20^th Century Doom,” bashes my head in with a healthy dose of sludge. Or unhealthy. It’s a matter of opinion. After a minute-long intro, we could some sludgy, nasty vocals to go with the music, sounding a lot like Black Anvil. There are some black metal tinges in the vocals, but also echoes of doom. There are some synths/keys in the background, which never gain prominence, but still have their place.

The next one, “Anomic Suicide,” is a brief burst of hardcore. Sure, it can still be labeled metalcore, but it’s the kind in which current bands such as Tombstoner make their mark. The shouted vocals and constant stomp are hardcore, but there are still those metalcore elements, especially in the drums.

The runtime on the album is well over an hour, and I challenge you to be bored by it because it flies by. The final track is not one of those 12-minute epics either, making the album feel bloated. It’s standard length at around 4-minutes (That’s a long time, ladies), passionate, and heavy as hell. It’s death metalcore with traditionally shouted vocals, and Knocked Loose yelps (only briefly, luckily). It’s a statement to end the album.

I’m impressed. Duft have crafted something special, even if it can feel slightly disjointed. Employing so many different styles keeps it interesting, but of course can have that unintended consequence of sounding like a band who is just throwing everything at the wall to see if it sticks. Luckily, they don’t cross into that territory. Not in style, but certainly in approach, they remind me of The Offering. That’s high praise. I hope they continue to find themselves, as well as try new things. If so, their trajectory is high, and they’ll be a band to follow.

Then the band literally blew up shortly after with drummer Domenico Tamila kicking out all of the other band members, taking over the social media accounts, and quite a bit of nastiness. Now the ex-members did alright and formed Defamed, who themselves delivered some solid progressive deathcore, but Drown In Sulphur‘s status was a bit up in the air, until they self-released Sulphur Cult in 2021, with a whole new lineup. It took the band in a more blackened direction, with corpse paint and all.

So now here is their second full album with this line-up and style, and I must say I’m very impressed. Sulphur Cult was solid, but Dark Secrets of the Soul really cranks up the blackened elements similar to last year’s Mental Cruelty album and also increases a more…. ‘vampiric’ album concept, atmosphere, and theme. I get some She Must Burn vibes at times as well.

The end result is a really good symphonic/blackened deathcore album that focuses more on the blacker elements and atmospheres and less on constant, pummeling breakdowns (though there are plenty, for example in “Say My Name”). This is moodier and darker with a surprising amount of almost gothic and clean moments, and dare I say.. a couple of surprisingly restrained and enjoyable ‘ballads’ (“Lotus”, “Dark Secrets of the Soul”, “Vampire Communion”).

But certainly, fans of any symphonic/blackened deathcore bands like the aforementioned Mental Cruelty, Shadow of Intent, Carnifex, and of course, Lorna Shore, will enjoy this. There are lots of razor-sharp blasts and dramatic orchestration as heard on the opener “Eclipse of the Sun of Eden”, dramatic “Unholy Light”, killer “Buried By Snow And Hail” and ripping, closing standout “Shadow of the Dark Throne”. All great tracks and examples of the genre.

A damn fine start to the new year in the genre I am a total simp for and a pretty high bar for the genre for the rest of the year. Let’s see what the rest of 2024 brings, as I’ve yet to hear any news from some of the genre’s heavyweights regarding 2024 releases.

Things kick off with an instrumental called “The Awakening”.  The acoustic guitars sound gorgeous and then transition to a catchy drum fill transitioning into the title track. As with most Hatesphere albums, the huge production is noticeable off the bat thanks to another killer production job by Danish producing legend Tue Madsen (Aborted, Gorefest, Illdisposed, The Haunted, Witchery etc).  The guitar work of Peter “Pepe” Hansen and Kasper Kirkegaard is incredibly well-locked in throughout the entire album.

“Cutthroat” is the featured track and has a sick music video.  What makes this track so catchy is the aggressive down-picking and fun gang vocal parts.  Uldall’s vocals are fantastic, and he delivers one of best performances since original vocalist Jacob Bredahl.  “Gravedigger” is going to be a circle pit inducer and has a bit of a punk vibe and builds into this a nice, layered octave harmony run.  The guitar solos throughout a well thought out and are bluesy and shreddy at the time. “918” is an excellent example of Hatesphere’s ability to use groove and then go up-tempo.

This is quite the massive album in that you get ten original songs and two bonus tracks. “Darkspawn” is quite possibly the fastest song the group has done to this point in their career and it most certainly is a banger.   The first of the two cover tracks is a cover of “Another Piece of Meat” by Scorpions.  They do a fantastic job with it.   The other bonus track is a live version of “The Fallen Shal Rise in a River of Blood” which is from The 2005s Sickness Within album.

Overall, this is my favorite album from these guys since probably The Sickness Within.  If you are a fan of bands like The Haunted, Carnal Forge or Dimension Zero this should be right up your alley.  Hair whip away!

Enter the UK’s Fellowship, a newcomer to the genre with current and former members of Power Force and Rezinwolf, and a promising newcomer to the genre. And along with fellow, similarly cheesily fun brits Grimgotts, show the UK can roll a 20 and unleash the +5 puffy shirt of catchy choruses and be just as good as their Mainland Europe brethren.

From the opening twinkle of opener “Until the Fire Dies”, (as well as their promo photos and the above video) it’s 100% clear that Twilight Force is the primary influence here, and they are having a lot of fun with it. This is sparkling, light-hearted, uplifting power metal with lots of shredding, keyboards, and sugary choruses that will get in your head from one listen.

The guitars of Sam Browne Guitars and brad Wosko are front and center with lots and lots of extended bouncy leads and vocalist Matthew Corry, despite looking like the cool social studies professor you see at the coffees shop, has a unique set of pipes that alternates between a bit nasally for me, to really impressive when he truly belts something out (i.e “Glint”, “The Hours of Wintertime”). The keyboards are there and certainly a focal part of the music, but it’s not quite full-on choral or orchestral bombast like some of their peers.

The album’s 1 hour run time is a bit long, especially in the latter stages and it’s not all great, but along the way, the band hit on some truly infectious stuff like the aforementioned opener,  “Glory Days”, shred heavy “Oak & Ash”, the super goddam uplifting anthem of “Hearts Upon the Hill”, “Glint’, and gloriously uplifting “The Saint Beyond the River” which all absolutely got my heart soaring and my soul grinning. Or course there are slightly more restrained but still uplifting AOR/Prog numbers (“Atlas”, “The Hours of Wintertime”, “Still Enough”, closer “Avalon”) as well, and the requisite lighter waving ballad in “Silhouette”.

Now, where Fellowship is a shade different than their peers, is that rather than stories of high elves, wizards and questing, the overarching themes are positivity, mental health, and well-being, and a general sense of uplifting motivational amicability that’s infectious, and certainly in these dire times, a beacon of light we could all use right now.

Spacey, sci-fi-based, progressive technical deathcore/modern metal is the order of the day here. And it’s done very well with a few, spacey keyboards littered around, tech metal noodling, nifty solos, and most predominantly, lots of hefty grooves. I’d also say there’s a ittle Cognitive in here with some of the huge lopes, but that’s also just because I just reviewed their latest album, and it’s on my mind.

Still, armed with a killer, dense production from Italian super producer, Simone Mularoni (Elvenking, Carnality, Windrose, Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody) who also helps out on bass, the album is a winner in its own right, with engaging songwriting, a dystopian future theme, and lots of super hefty grooves and breakdowns. and all backed with a solid vocal performance from Luca Dave Scarlatti , a veteran of the Italian tech-death scene in Carnality.

And it’s not just simple deathcore breakdowns, like some of their more pure deathcore peers mentioned above, but a more progressive, steady lurches and groove. But they still hit pretty hard as heard in the opener ” I Demiurge pt.2″ or “Obsolescence Corrupted” or “TIIT”. And there are ample tech-death blast beats to go around like “The Golden Cage”, “Flesh State Drive”,”Hacking the Sterile System” and penultimate standout “Of Hybridization And Decline”.

As opposed to almost any dystopian future themed album since Fear Factory‘s Demanufacture and Obsolete, rather than end the album with a ballad or introspective close out number mirroring mankind’s rise over whatever, “I Emperor Of Nothingness” ends the album with pretty savage purpose. Even if the last couple of minutes (of a 7-minute song) are the expected atmospheric fadeout, wrapping up a damn solid album that I really enjoyed.

With a thematic backdrop of isolation, enlightenment, absolution and salvation (that some could construe as Christian, but nothing on the internet seems to indicate this), Antiquity is a bombastic affair that’s heavily influenced by Dimmu Borgir, and other 90s Scandinavian symphonic black metal, and some of the early/proto US symphonic bands that mimicked the sound (Dreamscape of the Perverse, Sanctus, Scholomance, Veneficum, Vesperian Sorrow) and utilize heavy keyboards with layers of orchestral bombast and choirs (though certainly, the latter is a bit Casio sounding and very heavy on the oohhhh and ahhhhhhs ).

The energy and skill are certainly here, especially the many leads of guitarists Gabriel Luis (Fallen Martyr) and ‘James’. and at times the band does lock into something really good such as the fervent bombast of 9 minute personal favorite  “Through Ritual We Manifest” or “Feast Upon the Seraph Within”. But within that heavily orchestrated sound, there is a little room for improvement in the overall songwriting, as not too many other riffs or moment s stand out over the bombast. “Unto Light” slows things down a little and closer “My Profane Goddess” ends the album with some real promise that these guys are on the cusp of something really good.

That all said, the vocals are also a bit of a weak point with a deeper half bellow that lacks authority and lots of Dimmu Borgir-ish spoken words and half-sung/chanted lines  that take away from some of the songs in my opinion. Still, with some tweaks and improvements, I think these guys could deliver something special on the next effort.

I’ll be forward. Falconer’s Sceptre of Deception is potentially my favorite power metal album of all time. I know he was not the songwriter for Falconer, so any expectations this could be in the same wheelhouse would be unfounded. However, when the first track, “Welcome To Your Nightmare” gets going, I think we might be in the same realm. A catchy call and response chorus is the heartbeat of the opening track and Göbel’s vocals are in fine form. It’s a jaunty tune which honestly wouldn’t be out of place on something Iced Earth may have written when Tim Owens was in the fold.

There’s some fist stomping, traditional metal and power metal tracks throughout the album’s runtime, such as the previously mentioned, but there’s also some radio rock mixed in, which makes for quite a juxtaposition (second only to the missionary). This is clear when the second track, “End of All” kicks in. While it is solid, that radio friendly verse and chorus made me wonder if this was the same album.

After “End of All,” the power metal comes back with “In God We Trust.” I get some Iced Earth vibes here, too and dig it, although not quite as much as the first power metal track, the opener. There’s an epic intro before breaking into a triumphant riff and solid lead. It includes a good chorus if you’re into potentially blasphemous, sarcastic shots against old Jeebus (if you read into that way as I did).

The longest track on display here is number 9, which is called “I Am Your King.” Is it power metal or radio rock? Honestly, it’s a little of both, perhaps more power metal in the vocal delivery and radio rock on the instrumental side. It also includes the heaviest part of the album about 4 minutes in, which precedes a quick lead section. Since it mixes the styles well, this track is definitely a standout.

The last track to mention, as well as the last one on the album, “Break The Wheel,” definitely has that radio rock vibe mentioned earlier. Once again, they do it well, but with the tracks being about 50/50 between power metal and radio rock, one begins to wonder if they should stick with one style and go balls to the wall (man).

To sum it up succinctly, I was very surprised by this album. In a good way. Sure, it’s a little jarring going from power metal to radio rock multiples times, but they do each style really well. However, if this album were only radio rock, I’d be out. The worst quality of this album is that the best tune is the first one, so as long as when one listens, they understand it doesn’t get better after the first one, they’ll find enjoyment. That’s not a slight, by the way, as this album is still quite good and well worth your time. I’m glad to see Kristoffer Göbel back!

The ‘Napalm Records template’ in full effect again: bombastic sugary, catchy power metal fronted by Chiara Tricarico and her competent, varied voice that never gets too soprano or operatic, though close here and there. Big brash orchestration, crunchy, catchy riffs, and lots of hooks.

The first 3 tracks sum up the sound perfectly “Till the End”, “The Rabbit of the Moon” and the title track come out of the gates with oodles of catchy chorus lines and bouncy riffs.  “Under Your Spell” slows things down a bit with the album’s first ballad. “Enigma” delivers an upbeat Italian sung number (there’s an English version of the song as a bonus track on the end of the album), and really highlights Tricarico pipes.

The album’s second half delivers more of the same with lengthy standouts “The Dangerous Art of Overthinking” (with some rare harsh vocals) and “Nameless City” as well as energetic “Without You” and enjoyable acoustic ballad “Of Birth and Death”.

Though not quite up there with Nightwish, Epica or Delain yet, Moonlight Haze is certainly on that trajectory with album number 2 and a rising, productive band in the genre.

I’m a very cyclic music listener and reviewer, I do a lot of my listening and reviewing in batches; a 4 or 5 death metal albums in a row, 4 or 5 black metal albums in a row, just so my ear is in the right frame of mind. However, once in a while, I go off on  tangent and need  a break or a reset and crave something different, and one of my guilty pleasures is symphonic, epic, female fronted metal. Despite the large amount of bands out there in the style, my usual fall backs are Delain, Amaranthe and Epica, but some recent promos grabbed my attention, Russia’s Icewind Tales,  US act Dialith, the Israeli band Scardust , and this, the debut from Italy’s Moonlight Haze.

Featuring members and ex-members of Temperance, Elvenking, Sound Storm, Teodasia and Overtures, there is some experience here and it shows on this confident, uplifting, soaring debut that has all the elements of the genre is spades, and more importantly, is very well written.

The three above mentioned bands  are a good reference point, especially Epica (Mark Jansen even makes a guest appearance) as this isn’t really super cheesy gothic metal, but a heavier beefier, power metal (check out closer “Goddess”) base chock full with loads of sweeping orchestration and choirs. And of course the focal point of this kind of music is the front woman, and here, Chiara Tricarico does a solid job being emotional and powerful without being too operatic or soprano, though she does veer into soprano here and there  (i.e “Time”-unless that’s guest vocalist?).

Folks, this is happy, bombastic peppy music. The first two tracks “To the Moon and Back” and “Ad Astra” are catchier than hell, especially the mid song orchestral break in “Ad Astra”. ” Odi Et Amo”, delivers a soaring chorus and “Time” ups the operatic element a bit, before “Dark Corners of Myself” slows things down to a more moody mid pace chug, though not the requisite full on ballad, that’s left for penultimate track “A Shelter from the Storm”. Admittedly, by the time “Deceiver” rolls by, I’ve about had my fill of the style, but the fact I made it this far and chose to do a review shows that these guys stand out from a saturated genre (just look on the above video and subsequent videos on youtube ). Good job.

****We now return you to your regular schedule of brutality***** 

Well, the first up was the third album, Stonehymn from Dwarven metallers Wind Rose and this, the recent debut album from Atlas Pain, both from arguably Power metal’s home, Italy. And this one was a good one to dip my leather boot clad toes into before I went full power metal, as it’s more of a transitional power metal album with some melodic death metal/Celtic metal nuances, rather than dive right into puffy shirts and wind machines. With nods to Ensiferum, Turias, Brymir, Children of Bodom and such (but let’s be honest those guys are power metal backbones with black metal sheen) , Atlas Pain have some rasped vocals  amid the speedy, keyboard drenched, catchy, choir filled, epic romps.

Atlas Pain  is essentially a gate way drug for me as it’s power metal with harsh vocals. It’s full on, mega synth backed, galloping cantering majesty with some clean choruses to sing along to.  With titles like “Annwn’s Gate”, “Ironforged” and “Bloodstained Sun” you know what you are getting thematically and lyrically, and yes there’s a fun little medieval flock to the material. There’s high octane romps like standouts”Til the Dawn Comes”  and down right killer, Equilibruim-ish “The Storm”, and by golly they are fun as shit. There’s a romping rock break in “Ironforged” the super fucking catchy “The Counter Dance” (watch the above video and tell me that isn’t power metal at heart), and there’s the ripping folky jig in “Anwnns’ Gate” and it’s all so cheese laden and grin inducing, it’s silly. Which is fine, because the lads seem to have a sense of humor and are not taking themselves too seriously (again, watch the video above)

Penultimate track “To the Lighthouse” is where we get the obligatory ballad, but it ends up being a powerful moody Amon Amarth stomp. The album ends with a real treat, and eleven minute instrumental number called “White Overcast Line”, and as a guy who generally hates instrumentals, I was enamored the whole time with its rangy, folky jaunt.

I would never have found these guys or this release, if not for looking for power metal tagged promos, and I’m glad I did, as they provide a perfect balance of power metal and harsher music as I delve even further into the genre and a perfect stand in after Equilibrium’s disappointing Armageddon last year.

It’s obvious from the start these guys are old school through and through. …or are they?  How old does something have to be to be old school?  What does that mean as metal hits middle age?  When Six Feet Under put out Haunted in 1995 it was called old school death metal, IN ’95!!!  Bands in that early 90’s era referred to Venom and Bathory as “ancients” even though their albums were just a few years old.  It goes to show you how quickly things change and expand during extreme times of musical innovation.

On album number 5, World of Tombs, Horned Almighty take some rough and tumble black and death metal, toss in some punk and rock ‘n roll boogie , keep the energy high, and  fists pumping higher.   While these guys probably love Motorhead’s Greatest Hits, and cover Autopsy to close the album on the digipack,  what I really hear is an updated and beefier version of the growing influence of punk and  blues based riffs that started infiltrating black metal circa the early 2000’s . The most obvious point of reference would be bands like Darkthrone and Satyricon which are prominent influences here.   Maybe it’s not surprising that Horned Almighty’s first demo’s were in 2003.   Are the early 2000’s old school now? It’s the same difference in years from Welcome to Hell to Covenant as it is Volcano to World of Tombs.  Think about that a second.  Are they drawing from new old school, or the old, old school?  Who knows, who cares really, but I’m glad to see death and black metal now having enough longevity you can see the genetic imprints left in future generations.  “Look at you Horned Almighty,  getting so grown up and handsome now, and you got your  Grandpa Frost’s dimples and Grandma Bathory’s crooked pinkie toe!”

This means of course  the album isn’t terribly original.  Everything feels very familiar and if you got enough metal scribes around a table you could probably dissect every riff on this thing.  The most important question remains that in light of its familiarity is it tired or inspired.  But Is it good?

Absolutely!!!  This record kills!  They wear their influences on hand sewn patches, but stitch them together well.  What they may lack in innovation they easily make up for with skill and enthusiasm.  What makes that youthful energy even more impressive is that this is the bands fifth full length, if admittedly my first introduction to them.  It’s also helped out by a production that’s as rich and warm as  pentagram covered flannel sheets.  You can feel all the sandpapery grit in every distorted guitar note, the bass throbs thick and dirty, and the drums punch in all the right places.  I’m sure the vocals come courtesy of some really skinny Scandinavian guy, but they certainly sound more like the collective howl of lighting a zoo on fire.  It manages that while not being overly compressed. Everything sounds alive and audibly sits in its right place in the mix.

If you think todays djent and tech death scenes are all noodles, weak sauce, and no meatballs, this album is for you.    If you’re looking for something more forward thinking, modern, melodic, or avant-garde, you ain’t gonna find it here and can keep on walking.  At the end of the day though, unless you’re Stephen Hawking, you’ll be banging your head and pounding the steering wheel, and even he will be telling the nurse “Get me a beer and push faster bitch” through his Speak & Spell.

Starting with the introduction title track, you immediately get a sense that this is supposed to be an epic, albeit typical, fantasy musical romp. You have your build up of strings and choir to lead into the next song (“Days of the Blackbird”) with crunchy, overpowering guitars, leaving the sampled orchestra to the background. Even singer Elisa “Lisy” Stefanoni gets pushed aside to make way for the guitars. This pattern continues on with “Forever Gone” and “Girl by the Lake”. And those last two songs meander for two minutes longer than they should have.

Going back to the Stefanoni’s singing: it seems that when a metal band has a woman singer, they like to showcase her talents, and yet, it seems that they just keep her in the back for the first part of the album. It doesn’t help that Gabby Koss (Haggard, Nota Profana) makes a guest appearance on “Misleading Paradise” showing that she might be a better fit for the band with her soprano voice. However, she does sound similar to Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. Stefanoni is certainly not a terrible singer, it just seems that she doesn’t get warmed up until well within the middle of the album when the folk-symphonic songs hit their joyful jaunt.

Sure, the first instance of a folk-symphonic song is “Misleading Paradise”, although Koss leads that one off. It’s not until “Minstrel of Dolomites” (Dolemite, baby!) that Stefanoni hits her mark. Her folkish vocal melodies are really upbeat and complement the music well. I get an early Eluveitie vibe from this song with their mixture of flute melodies and driving guitars.

What initially turned me off to this album was the placement of the songs. If I could take the last three songs and put them in the front while pushing the ones originally in that place into the back, I think this album would be a lot stronger. If you’re a goth-symphonic metal fan and you’ve already exhausted your supply of Anathema, Tristania, Sirenia and the like, you might get a bit of enjoyment out of Vitriol. It’ll be interesting to see if Evenoire try to incorporate more folk or goth-symphonic elements for subsequent albums.

And so maybe that’s why fellow German power metal act Solar Fragment clicked for me. Its frontman, Robert Leger, sounds a hell of a lot like Kürsch, but with a manlier, more full-bodied tone. He also, strangely enough, sounds like he’s singing with an Irish brogue, which lends sophomore effort In Our Hands a stirring and wistful tone. That, and the album’s seafaring concept and cover art, which instantly suggests small Irish coastal villages, nautical adventure and men of the wild and salty sea.

The music itself isn’t quite as inspiring or evocative as that, but it’s certainly a hearty affair. Rousing power metal melodies abound, plus soaring choruses and hooks aplenty. The title track kicks things off on a heroic note with galloping, post-Maiden riffs and resounding choral vocals, and later tracks like “Race the Seas” or “Come Hell or High Water” strike equally triumphant notes. And not surprisingly, Hansi Kürsch guests on “Inside the Circle,” and here his vocals mesh perfectly with Leger’s. You can almost imagine them both at the command of a sleek sailing ship, a glorious sunset at their backs and puffy shirts all aflutter.

One thing I would have liked more of though, is atmosphere. Maybe it’s that expressive cover art and the narrative arc of the song titles, but I think the album could have benefitted from an even more assertive concept treatment. There’s a bit of lapping waves and distant shanties in the short interstitial “At the Harbor,” and some nice acoustic balladry in “Moana’s Return,” but I wanted more to really paint the setting and carry me away. Or it could just be that I’ve been spoiled by power-prog and its more challenging, captivating epics and pageantry – Symphony X and Pagan’s Mind, to name two examples.

Overall, Solar Fragment was a pleasant discovery, but I can’t say it’ll really stick around on my playlist. Perhaps it’s that for all its accomplishments, it sounds too much like your stereotypical power metal affair, though one that thankfully eschews the ham and cheese that glop up so many albums in the genre. Maybe it’ll fill your sails more than it did mine.

The record starts promisingly with “Swan Lake,” a heavily classical-influenced number that should appeal to fans of bands like Rhapsody of Fire. But second track, “On the Hill of Dreams” reminds me of what brought Tarot down. It’s a pretty standard power metal number without much to recommend it. Business picks up again on “Phantom Queen” with a frenzied blast of Celtic fiddle on the opening and an incredibly catchy chorus reminiscent of some of the more bombastic efforts from Queen or Blind Guardian. It also sees the debut of a bit of a growl from vocalist Alfred Romero.

The problem, as on the last record, is that Dark Moor keeps switching back and forth between powerful and interesting symphonic numbers and generic power/melodic metal numbers. The more standard tunes are not horrible, but they’re songs I’ve heard thousands of times before. Thankfully, there’s much more of the symphonic here.

Those numbers, on the other hand, are really, really good. “Faustus” brings an operatic feel on the chorus, with just a little touch of darkness. “When the Sun is Gone” features a darker verse than other pieces on the record, and I also like Romero’s gruffer vocals. Surprisingly entertaining is “For Her,” which made me expect a sappy ballad. Instead, I got a nice medieval flavored melody in the symphonic bits, perhaps like something from the soundtrack of an adventure movie. “Enchanted Forest” offers a very dramatic, slightly gothic flavor that’s very tastefully done. I also admire the album closer “Fallen Leaves Waltz,” a powerful, full-on classical number influenced by Tchaikovsky.

If I have one complaint with the record (and this is true of many bands in the genre), it’s the very similar song structures that fill the album — energetic, loud openings with a drop off to a mellow verse, followed by a return to the energy for the chorus. I know it’s a pretty standard song structure in power metal, but I’d really like a little more creativity from a band that obviously has the talent and vision to provide it.

I leave Autumnal much more impressed with Dark Moor than I was previously, and I can wholeheartedly recommend that fans of symphonic metal check out this record.

So, when I took a look at this record, I didn’t have very high hopes. I imagined a group of guys sitting in a room, and one of them says, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea, let’s write an album called ‘Tarot’ and base every song on one of the cards from the deck.” I expected every song here to sound like one of those forced songs, but surprisingly there are some really strong numbers scattered throughout the record. True enough, some sound cold, clinical and devoid of feeling and emotion, like the bland “The Star,” which sounds like a generic power metal number.

Those aside, there are some really nice songs to be found in this collection. The short classical piece “The Magician” that opens the record is interesting, sounding like the theme from a Conan movie, and the second track “The Chariot” is perhaps the strongest song on the record with some real balls in places and some nice operatic flourishes. They return to that operatic approach on “The Emperor” – think “Ave Satani” – and the classical bits and deathy vocals in places are nice touches. “Devil in the Tower” blends a Blind Guardian-esque medieval feel on the beginning with some more of that black mass-style chanting.

I thought the band missed an opportunity on “Death.” I mean, it just calls for a few of those growls that we’ve heard here and there throughout the record, but they’re strangely missing. The use of Beethoven’s Fifth to open “The Moon” is a nice touch, but unfortunately for Dark Moor, you can’t get much better than the Trans-Siberian Orchestra version if you’re looking for a metal take on the Fifth, and this one pales in comparison. It lacks the lightning, thunder and fire found in the TSO version. The rest of the 11-plus minute tune fades too often into that standard power metal mode, which overshadows the better moments of the song.

Admittedly there are some moments on the record where I’m thinking that I’ve heard this a dozen or more times already this year alone (“The Star,” “Lovers,” “The Hanged Man”), but overall this is a surprisingly strong effort. I’d like to hear a little more of the chants and classical influences and a little less of the standard power metal fare, but I’d say Tarot is definitely worth a listen.

The 10 tracks (and the rather nice cover of Pantera’s “Mouth For War”) glisten with confident, varied song writing that hearkens to Gothenburg’s classic era (early In Flames of course) and are licked with delicate futuristic synths, giving it a modern sheen. The expected mix of heavier, faster, urgent tracks like opener “Resurrection Code”, the addictive gallop of the title track, “Parting Ways”, and the absolutely ripping “Last Breed” blend perfectly with more introspective, restrained, mid paced numbers like “Celestial Furnace”, “Nihilistic Overdrive”, “Liquid Wings”, closer “A Taste of Collapse”, and all delivered with plenty of well placed, not overused clean vocal segues.

All tracks are top notch examples of modernized melodic death metal done pretty much perfectly and only one’s aversion to the genre or some clean vocals would make anyone not enjoy this very classy record.
Easily the second or third best melodic death metal album of 2006, as the Axamenta’s surprising new album is my current top choice.

Like most music in this style, the band is better on the faster songs. When they trip into ballad territory, the songs tend to get a little overwrought and melodramatic. That’s certainly the case on “Rising Sun” and “Here in 6048,” which reminds me of Warrant. That’s never a good thing. Never, ever, fucking ever.

They recover from that slump with another one of those big riffs on “The River,” which is on a more solid power metal footing similar to the band’s past work. The record comes to a strong close with the military-march riffing of “Now That You’ve Gone.” I do wish the band would have put more balls in that opening guitar riff, but it’s still one of the strongest efforts here. The jazzy runs about three-quarters of the way through the song are a nice touch, too.

Now, back to that concept. I know a lot of power metal fans love the concept album, and I like it, too, but the concept can get away from you (like when you need a couple of paragraphs of liner notes in front of each song to explain what’s going on). Still, Vision Divine handles it well here, and the album works as a whole without any knowledge of the concept or the liner notes.

The Perfect Machine isn’t awe-inspiring, but it is a very strong blend of prog and power. Fans of both styles should find something to like here.

While In Flames and Soilwork brought their need to experiment and develop to the forefront of their music, somewhat forsaking their roots, Withering Surface retain a energetic, dynamic presence with slightly futuristic synths simply humming and pulsing in the background, allowing the tightly woven tunes to be guitar based and at times, rollicking as fuck. Vocalist Michael H. Anderson is the catalyst for Withering Surface, despite his obvious Fridden worship. He spits with rage and delivers minimal and solid clean vocals that never go out of his range. With a Tue Madsen production, the twin guitars Allan Tvedebrink and Jacob Krogholt have some considerable clout, and when essentially delivering classic In Flames riffs spiced up with a modern thrash edge, the end result is very entertaining.

Opener “Gears” offers up a standard upbeat, thrashing attention getter, and then slows down for the modern Gothenburg stylings of “Exit Sculpture,” but it never seems forced or sudden. For a title track, “Force the Pace” is surprisingly rudimentary considering the album’s initial complexity; it just shudders and thrashes with gusto. “Hold The Line” is essentially a chunkier rendition of any track from Colony or Whoracle, with the same moody melody coursing through the chorus. The futuristic synths used to emphasize the robotic pace of “Machinery” makes the end result sound like what Scarve have trying to accomplish for 2 albums, but this is done with both better melody and songwriting. “Inhale the Hyper Pulse” is the only track that never leaped out at me as being slightly more deliberate and controlled, again enforcing the newer In Flames comparison, but that feeling is soon washed away by the thicker consistency and churning harmonies of “State of Emergency.”

Want to hear a stunning example of how NWSDM is done, that’s to say the finely honed melody is sheathed is a vitriolic sheen? Just check out “Anything Goes,” especially the insanely well done riffs in the chorus. Overall, when the album is done, I’m honestly pretty awed just by the fact this genre can still be done so well, and be delivered with just enough of a modern veneer to keep it out of the realms of pure plagiarism. Though certainly not original and not quite as acidic as style sharing country mates Detonation, Withering Surface is somewhat of a breeze of energy in a genre that those bored with lifeless clones should find rewarding. . If the last 2 In Flames albums had you occasionally tickled but ultimately disappointed, check this out.

The thrash like pacing veneered with clever harmonies is typified by tracks like opener “Common Sate of Inner Violence” and “Swallow the Flames”, while the bouncy yet forceful groove of “A Mirror Behind” commands head bobbing, and air guitar dramatics. “Come Forth My Dreadful One” is a classic In Flames/Dark Tranquility menagerie of driving riffs and svelte melodies mixed to thrashing perfection. In fact, with multiple listens, the album grew on me immensely, giving me perfect solace from metal core saturation or grindcore, but without sacrificing dynamism or energy, as Disarmonia Mundi have a pristine yet feral approach to complement their obvious melodic tendencies. The synths of guitarist/band founder Ettore Rigotti are understated, with a futuristic lean, and never take away from the music.

The presence of Strid should give this surprising debut (not including their self released 2002 effort, Nebularium) album some clout in a scene in dire need of an injection of energy, and hopefully bands like Disarmonia Mundi as well as Denmark’s Detonation and Withering Surface can keep the flag flying apparently abandoned by the Swedes

While it would be easy to call Thy Majestie Rhapsody clones, and indeed the comparison would be quite justified, as Thy Majestie do play the same kind of pompous, over the top theatrical “Hollywood” metal, there is a couple of very small differences. Firstly, I would wouldn’t quite rank them up there with the mighty Rhapsody, just yet, as Rhapsody have simply perfected this kind of music without peer. Secondly Thy Majestie, due to the concept of the album have a far more medieval/folky approach more akin to Elvenking or even Suidakra’s milder moments. Sure, there are the requisite soaring keyboards, operatic choirs, heavily accented power vocals and silky shirts abound, but quite simply if that kind of stuff is your gig, this album is a must have in the rapidly flooding genre, and sure to irritate death metal purists the world over.

Let me get one thing straight, I do not consider myself a power metal fanboy, having only three bands I currently own albums by; Manowar, Rhapsody and Elvenking – I do not, as a whole enjoy power metal vocals, but am allured by the fantasy/medieval/folk elements that the aforementioned bands and now Thy Majestie bring to the table. Add to that, that this is a concept album based on the most infamous battle in English history, and being from England, my interest was piqued. The guitar work is as to be expected; bouncing, galloping atmospheric riffs with lots of wind in the hair solos, but it never quite reaches the self imposed grandeur of Luca Turilli, and stays fairly grounded throughout the album. The vocals are again, genre specific, high end, although never glass-shattering high. Vocalist Dario Grillo, knows his range and stays in it, and simply lets the music do most of the legwork. His tone may even be a little deeper than most, and is very similar to Elvenking, not Rhapsody.

Now on to the really good stuff-the keyboards and choirs. It could be argued that if an album’s high points are its synths and choirs, the rest of the album must be crap. Not the case here – barely. Guisseppe Bondi does a nice job of blending the fantasy trappings of the power metal genre with the historical feel of the albums concept, and the result is a very film score/music soundtrack sound that is epic, atmospheric and at times simply breathtaking. He does however some close to ruining things with the odd moog sounding/space synth solo, that sounds way out of place. He is saved though by the Teatro Massimo Operatic Choir who absolutely put on a devastating choral display. It’s subtly different to the choirs used by Rhapsody; it’s a smaller but more powerful range of voices that brings a lot of the interludes/choruses a Basil Poledouris/Carl Orff feel. The male section of the choir reminded me a lot of the Manowar classic “The Crown and the Ring”, so if that kind of thing is your gig, you should be in hog heaven. Luckily, thanks to numerous interludes between almost every song, this keyboards/choirs are used fully and come shamefully close to outdoing the actual songs, of which only two or three I would consider great.

“Rerum Memoria” kicks of the prelude to war, with a suitably medieval sounding intro, which sets the mood for the history changing event. Then one of the albums better cuts “The King and the Warrior”, the choir led chorus will have you yelling, “WARRIORS AND KIIIINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!”, in your car on the way to work (or that could just be me that does that). Another folky interlude, then another of the albums better songs “Echoes of War”. It’s far more moody than most power metal with lots of tempo changes and not so much of the happy-happy-joy-joy material. The choir leads the song through a lot of moods, and is a sobering for a power metal song. However, if you want epic, you got it. Try the choral chant that overlays Dario through “The Sight of Telham Hill”; it’s utterly breathtaking. I could almost smell the oiled chain-mail at Senlac. As far as power metal goes it simply doesn’t get any better, the folky breakdown halfway through the song demonstrates how far Thy Majestie have come since the cliched The Lasting Power, although I certainly think the subject matter helped immensely, as it forced them to be a little more medieval and realistic rather than over-the-top fantasy. Songs six and seven are interludes, but only six is titled “Incipit Bellum”, and again allows the Teatro Massimo Choir to show off their grand talents in fine style. Thy Majestie actually come very close to being out performed by the choir, as without out it, this album might be just another power metal album, but with the dominating voices belting out such immense power, it becomes a very good album. The perfect example is “Anger of Fate”, is opened by the rousing choir, but then descends into a normal power metal ballad that Dario tries to carry but simply lacks the glory of the choir-dominated material. “The Pride of the Housecarl”- (Housecarls were medieval Secret Service Agents with battleaxes) brings the glory back with some vocal structures in the first minute that sent shivers down my spine.

To be honest though, by this point in the album I’ve had my fill of power metal, and the interest is waning a little, but quite simply the movie quality choirs have me hooked, even if I’m losing interest in the bouncy rhythms and historical content of the lyrics. As far as I can tell, these boys did their research lyrically, making key references to all the major event and players of Hastings. However, despite the many high points of this album, I had one nagging feeling at the back of my mind: the whole theory of putting a historical concept put to power metal. At times, it came very close to sounding like a horrid Broadway show put to metal. I kept seeing “Hastings! The Musical!” in bright neon lights in my head.

They do end the album on an odd high yet somber note, “Demons on the Crown” (i.e., the English losing to the French). Thy Majestie have proved themselves to be major players in the Italian power metal scene and Rhapsody should be looking over their shoulders lest they meet the same fate as King Harold at Hastings. Hang on, Harold got shot in the eye with an arrow. Maybe they won’t meet that fate, but bad rhetoric aside, Thy Majestie should be proud of themselves for releasing a solid power metal album that will give them a major foothold up the cheese and steel ladder of power metal.

Now, The Provenance seemed to have streamlined their sound into a far more emotive form of goth and progressive rock. Less death metal, despite the presence of some snarled vocals, overall the sound is tamer and far more acceptable to the non-metal ear. With an increased use of a Hammond, and less of Emma Hellstrom’s flute, their sound is now more akin to, dare I say, Opeth’s musical duality, being equal parts intrinsic, solemn harmony laced with some more aggressive driving guitar work, intermingled with some ’70s-ish progressive rock. Although to be fair, the “heavy” parts never quite veer off into Opeth levels of death metal competence.

Still at Arms Length is a lot less varied than their debut, with essentially two moods fighting for air time – a mellow, hazy relaxed vibe and a more forced progressive metal edge. Personally, and basically due to Emma Hellstrom’s voice and keyboards, The Provenance are more convincing when Emma takes my hand and leads me into smoky, warm, back alley art-house bars with oaken tables and deep conversation afoot. The metal element now seems piecemeal as if to keep guitarists Tobias Martinsson and Joakim Rosen interested and employed. Some of the more relaxing moments on the album are beautiful and evocative, but at the same the injections of a more metallic harsh mood ruin the buzz.

I was disappointed with the lessened role of the flute; it adds a mood to the music that many bands of this ilk lack. The flute does not surface until “Carousel of Descent”, and by no coincidence, turns out to be one of the album’s deepest and most impressive cuts. The spoken part that breaks up the song introduces a sublime moment of musical rhetoric, whereby I am truly drawn in by Ms. Hellstrom’s lament and the soft acoustics create a peaceful sonic beauty. It’s then aided then by Tobias Martinsson’s clean vocals that are more suited to the ambience than his occasional growl. It’s a shame it took three songs for it to get my attention. That seems to be the theme throughout the album.

Still at Arms Length is pretty good but not consistently great. The standout material is often hidden by fairly average goth metal fodder. But, and I mean this most seriously, when The Provenance hit on all creative cylinders and kick out something as special as the last few minutes of the title track, I doubt there a few music aficionados that are not moved. It’s no coincidence that generally the better moments feature Emma Hellstrom, either when singing or playing she simply steals the show. Enough about her.

“Mimic” is another of the better songs, with a very regular rock feel, and an accentuated guitar melody, and again no surprise some wonderful atmospherics and brilliant mood setting. The delicate riff at 2:38 gives another brief glimpse of The Provenance’s uncanny ability to sometimes weave musical perfection. However, with equal ease it disappears into thin air with the attempted goth blasting of “At Random Choose”. However, they follow up with “World of Hurt”, a somber roller coaster ballad that has peaks and valleys of both emotional and musical qualities. As the album closes with the title track, its aforementioned closing few moments leave you scratching your head wondering how The Provenance can come up with such mind blowing perfection, but let some of the other songs be assailed by frustrating mediocrity. The production is fine, as the whole sound is spot on; even the guitars, while less than memorable most of the time have a nice natural quality about them.

Overall Still at Arms Length is certainly a good album, especially for those more artistically inclined. Personally, I’m glad The Provenance narrowed their range of diversity from four of five styles to two, but still this band often just teases, and for that The Provenance are still at arms length from greatness.

The Provenance are truly a musical sponge – they have soaked elements from all genres, styles and influences and melded a very dramatic mix of gothic, NWSDM, doom and traditional metal. From the twisted opening symphonic Arcturus style riffing of “Deluded into Delirium” to the elegant, emotive structure of “Shut Down” that resembles The Gathering, you get it all. To give them credit, they actually do manage to pull it off without complete sense of plagiarism. Generally all the songs are guitar driven, punchy, upbeat songs with the occasional moody slowdown.

However, where The Provenance show a pinch of individuality if the use of a flute (ala Anglagard) throughout the album. Much like when Ebony Tears introduced a violin to the NWSDM, The Provenance have given the album just a small aspect by which they can stand out just a little from the hordes of similar bands. The flute (courtesy of very talented band member Emma Hellstrom, who also sings and plays keyboards), is not just utilized as a predictable backdrop to acoustics or instrumentals, but dances a melody nicely along with the main guitar/bass structures of the songs; the crunchy flute-led main riff on “Ignominy Embodied” and the closing few minutes of “Listening” being particular highlights. In fact, the songs that feature this element are definitely the standout songs; in contrast the flute-less songs merely seem average in comparison.

The album’s better tracks (“All of Reality,” “Shut Down,” “Ignominy Embodied,” “Listening,” and “Deluded into Delirium”) are tracks that combine multiple elements and stray towards the heavier side of the metal spectrum. They feature lush powerful keyboards that are atmospheric without being too cheesy. In fact, the keyboard playing is stellar and provides just enough pomp and mood to please any goth fan, but they really flow well within the heavier riffs to get the attention of your average metalhead. When they kick in on “Deluded into to Delirium,” it’s quite beautiful. The good songs also take advantage of Emma Hellstrom’s silky smooth voice that when sided with Tobias Martinsson’s cliched rasp produces an effective “Beauty and the Beast” ambience that I enjoy. (Czech doomsters Thalarion have this effect down perfectly). Tobias also has a fairly competent clean voice that adds to the mix well.

Unfortunately, the other songs drift into familiar Goth/doom territory, reaching out to the emotional side in us by being a little light and weepy for my taste (especially after recent clunkers by Danse Macabre and Alas). These less varied tunes wane and simply come across as The Gathering (circa Mandylion) clones, as they rely far too much solely on Ms. Hellstrom’s voice rather than the complete spectrum of the whole band. The guitar work of Martinsson and Joakim Rosen is competent and is a mainstay in the better songs, but far from technically awe-inspiring. As expected, the whole affair is well produced, organic and lush. Even after all the tangible positives I could find, I still had a hard time voluntarily listening to the whole album – after a while it just kind of drags into the realms of the uninteresting (I think that may be more of personal genre issue). However, this is a promising and varied debut that, if anything, highlights the talents of Emma Hellstrom, and hopefully in the future will pay dividends for the entire band. I feel they will be very deserving very soon.