New stuff Friday ...

[introclaus]

One of the final big release dates of the year, Black Friday, sees live albums by Voivod, Dream Theater and Volbeat all arrive. Well, I ordered the CD of Dream Theater and according to Amazon I’ll have to wait till Monday for that one. At least I’ve got the other two now thanks to iTunes.

Also picked up a few other items released today:
Cats in Space - one spin through, it sounds great as expected although I miss Paul Manzi’s voice
Shores of Null - Italian doom in the MDB style. Guest appearances by Thomas A.G. from Saturnus and Mikko for Swallow the Sun!
Be The Wolf - new album to come in February 2021 but it’s available for preorder on iTunes now and the first two songs came with the preorder. Both sounds like I expected (alternative hard rock with some weird twists and turns).

Also, new Sodom is out today - still debating if I’ll pick it up or not, as I liked the singles but didn’t “love” them.

[introclaus]

This week had some good releases as well - I picked up the following:
Leprous - just a new single, and honestly not a particularly inspired song, pretty bland in fact - but Einar sounds better than ever, and it's Leprous, so its not like I have a choice!
Tori Amos - a Christmas EP from my favorite artist of all time. I buy anything she puts out, so ..
Allegaeon - 2-song single of instrumental tech-death goodnesss (although, very low of the death part)
Majestica - super cheesy Christmas concept album of pure unadultered power metal
Avatarium - incredibly strong live album! I'm blown away by how great this is! Song choices are perfect, and Jennie-Ann's voice is bone chilling

I also finally received this one in the mail:
Wuthering Heights - Far From the Madding Crowd Special Edition (new mastering and bonus tracks) - I think I have this album in 7 different versions now. I love it!

[Mardoch]

I'm loving the Allegaeon release from today. I've been binging them for like, a month.

[introclaus]

I'm loving the Allegaeon release from today. I've been binging them for like, a month.

It’s so great, right? One of the most versatile prog-death/tech-death bands.

[introclaus]

Leprous - just a new single, and honestly not a particularly inspired song, pretty bland in fact - but Einar sounds better than ever, and it's Leprous, so its not like I have a choice!

After spending 24 hours with this I will go on record and say that first instinct was all wrong. There’s nothing bland about this song - in fact it’s one of the most emotional songs I’ve heard all year and the entire band is on fire here. The drumming is out of this world!!! I can not get enough of this tune.

https://youtu.be/85drl9-lqRU

[Mardoch]

It’s so great, right? One of the most versatile prog-death/tech-death bands.

Have you checked out the guitarist's spinoff Nuclear Power Trio? I don't remember if you liked the jazzier metal stuff, but man this is fantastic. Disregard the stupid song titles and stuff, the music is astoundingly good.

https://nuclearpowertrio.bandcamp.com/

[introclaus]

It’s so great, right? One of the most versatile prog-death/tech-death bands.

Have you checked out the guitarist's spinoff Nuclear Power Trio? I don't remember if you liked the jazzier metal stuff, but man this is fantastic. Disregard the stupid song titles and stuff, the music is astoundingly good.

https://nuclearpowertrio.bandcamp.com/

Yeah it's definitely well-performed. I don't mind jazz combined with metal at all, but I'm not much of a funk fan (and especially the single has borderline too much funk for my taste). Besides that, I really don't do well with all-instrumental music - perhaps one or two albums a year, but that's about it. I might, just for the fact this is Havok and Allegaeon members, pick it up eventually, but not in a rush.

[Mardoch]

Leprous - just a new single, and honestly not a particularly inspired song, pretty bland in fact - but Einar sounds better than ever, and it's Leprous, so its not like I have a choice!

Finally making it back around to some of the other stuff from Dec 4. This Leprous tune is really good. What kinda throws me off though is that Einar stays in his head voice like 80% of the time and it just doesn't have the power of his chest. I know that's kinda the point here, but it sounds a bit thin (though the ephemeral beauty totally works).

And the Soilwork A Whisp Of The Atlantic tune/video. There's basically no death left in this once melodeath band, which isn't bad per se, but they were my favorite melodeath band by miles for over a decade so it's disappointing in that sense. The tune's great, though. And the video is weird. Cosplay Atlantian lady goes for a walk with another nice lady then they get mid-day drunk on a public bench. Ok, whatever, I guess.

[Sir Exar Kun]

introclaus wrote: ↑
Fri Dec 04, 2020 10:45 pm
Leprous - just a new single, and honestly not a particularly inspired song, pretty bland in fact - but Einar sounds better than ever, and it's Leprous, so its not like I have a choice!

After spending 24 hours with this I will go on record and say that first instinct was all wrong. There’s nothing bland about this song - in fact it’s one of the most emotional songs I’ve heard all year and the entire band is on fire here. The drumming is out of this world!!! I can not get enough of this tune.

https://youtu.be/85drl9-lqRU

Definitely feeling like Leprous's metal days are rapidly growing distant in the rearview mirror...... That being said, I do like this new track a lot, possibly more than anything on the last album.

[introclaus]

And the Soilwork A Whisp Of The Atlantic tune/video. There's basically no death left in this once melodeath band, which isn't bad per se, but they were my favorite melodeath band by miles for over a decade so it's disappointing in that sense. The tune's great, though. And the video is weird. Cosplay Atlantian lady goes for a walk with another nice lady then they get mid-day drunk on a public bench. Ok, whatever, I guess.

I haven't checked it out - I haven't cared for them since "Natural Born Chaos" which is almost 20 years ago. Should I check it out? I love TNFO, and have finally warmed up to Strid's melodic voice.

[introclaus]

This Friday (yesterday - I know, I'm late at writing) I only purchased two full albums:
Satan's Fall "Final Day" - this is heavy / speed metal somewhere between Mercyful Fate (duh!), Iron Maiden, early Metallica, Accept and Judas Priest.
Veil of Secrets "Dead Poetry" - this one was actually released two weeks ago but I didn't get around to pick it up till now. It's great DOOM metal somewhere between My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Candlemass - with some nice violins. Selling points are Vibeke (ex-Tristania) on vocals and Asgeir (ex-Spiral Architect, Borknager) on drums.

Also got a few single tunes from upcoming albums that I have pre-ordered: Soen (second single, and great), Be the Wolf (third single and all of them absolutely fantastic) and Witherfall (now three songs released, and album sounds like expected).

And finally got the final (12th) song from the "Alexander Theatre Sessions" album by Poets of the Fall. It took them a year to release all 12 tunes, with a month between each, and it's soooo damn good.

[Mardoch]

And the Soilwork A Whisp Of The Atlantic tune/video. There's basically no death left in this once melodeath band, which isn't bad per se, but they were my favorite melodeath band by miles for over a decade so it's disappointing in that sense. The tune's great, though. And the video is weird. Cosplay Atlantian lady goes for a walk with another nice lady then they get mid-day drunk on a public bench. Ok, whatever, I guess.

I haven't checked it out - I haven't cared for them since "Natural Born Chaos" which is almost 20 years ago. Should I check it out? I love TNFO, and have finally warmed up to Strid's melodic voice.

I think you might be surprised with what's inside if you've warmed up to the melodic version of Strid. Give it a shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X--duaCO8IU

[introclaus]

And the Soilwork A Whisp Of The Atlantic tune/video. There's basically no death left in this once melodeath band, which isn't bad per se, but they were my favorite melodeath band by miles for over a decade so it's disappointing in that sense. The tune's great, though. And the video is weird. Cosplay Atlantian lady goes for a walk with another nice lady then they get mid-day drunk on a public bench. Ok, whatever, I guess.

I haven't checked it out - I haven't cared for them since "Natural Born Chaos" which is almost 20 years ago. Should I check it out? I love TNFO, and have finally warmed up to Strid's melodic voice.

I think you might be surprised with what's inside if you've warmed up to the melodic version of Strid. Give it a shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X--duaCO8IU

That was absolutely horrible .... sorry! It is a great example of how you might be good at writing one style of music, but the moment you venture outside of that realm, you've got no clue on how to write a good song (at least in my opinion). Very few artists can do that, and from what I heard here Soilwork can't as far as I'm concerned. That video doesn't do them any favors either - TNFO did one at same location with same director, so Strid must owe the guy money from gambling or something LOL

[Mardoch]

Ahahahahaha, well different strokes! I do agree that it all feels a little weird, but I still like it anyway.

[introclaus]

Slow day today - only picked up one release;

ROYAL HUNT - Dystopia

I picked this up around 4am (yes, my day starts very early!) and I have been listening intensively every chance I got throughout the day - every time I wasn't in a meeting I turned on the music and listened through headphones, so by now I'm probably ~10 full spins through the disc. My thoughts? Well ... this will probably be the most divisive RH album ever, for several reasons.

Pro: the "raw/organic" production from last album has disappeared
Con: vocal production is a bit weird and subdued this time around

Pro: the band sounds great - especially guitarist Jonas Larsen delivers some awesome solos
Con: what the heck happened to DC? Why is he only singing on 4 songs?

Pro: nice to see some interesting guest vocalists - including 2 former RH singers (Henrik and Mark), Kenny Lubcke (who's been the band sback up singer since day 1 and also sang on Andre's first solo disc) as well as Mats Leven
Con: if you invite all RH vocalists back, then where is John?

Pro: I always liked RH's instrumental tunes, and the "intermissions" here are great
Con: why 3 instrumentals though? I would like some more songs

Pro: when the songwriting is on, it's spot on!
Con: sometimes Andre's songwriting becomes a bit too samey (but I guess that's his trademark)

Anyway, overall I like the album a LOT - there are some great tunes, super solo stuff from Andre and Jonas, band is tight, and all singers sounds great. However, the production could need a boost up (perhaps it's time Andre stop producing his own stuff?)...

The big question left is why on earth is DC only singing on 3 songs by himself and 1 together with Mats (yeah, he supposedly do provide vocals on 2 other along with the guest singers but I don't hear that) ???
1) Is this part of the idea of doing a career-spanning album by including all these guest singers that have been close to the band - and perhaps John couldn't make it so they asked Mats?
2) Did DC finally show signs of getting old and his voice just wasn't up to par for a full album and Andre had to bring in other people to cover up?
3) Did COVID prevent DC from going back/forth btw US and DK to record? If so, why didn't he use a local US studio?

If I was a betting man, I would put money on this being a sign of DC leaving the band ... although I really hope not.

[introclaus]

First big release week of the year and it already provided some amazing stuff:

Dread Sovereign - Alchemical Warfare
This is a side project of Nemetheidontcarehowitsspelled from Primordial, moving into less folk, less black, but more doomy territory. It's kind of "raw" and occasional drops into black metal. I've gone through the album 5 times now and I really like it a lot. It reminds me of Count Raven and a hint of Candlemass mixed with the rawness of Venom and early Bathory.
Video for "She Wolves of the Savage Season": https://youtu.be/-gZcniZ7b_0

Need - Norchestrion
Classic prog metal done just right. Imagine Pain of Salvation around Perfect Element/Remedy Lane time fronted by a singer who molds his vocal melodies after Ray Alder (Fates Warning). Super great. Why release it middle of the week though? Anyway, not a big deal, just curious as to why not release on Friday as everyone else does.
Stream of "Circadian": https://youtu.be/HjzkrFkm48s

Be the Wolf - Torino
Already now I can guarantee that this is going to end up very high on my year-end list .. might even be AotY contender. I love everything this band has put out so far and this is no different. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Imagine Train or Maroon 5 getting f***ed over by a hard rock/metal band. Occasionally it goes into more "proggy" territory, but not really. I don't know who to compare them to, which is why they actually ends up reminding me of my favorite band in prog metal (Port Noir) without sounding like them ... yes, it doesn't make sense, but ... Amazing alternative hard rock?
Video for "Teenage Mutants" (this song has quite a Polyphia inspiration): https://youtu.be/QfZDxvBMOqM
Video for "Failures" (this is quite indicative of the album style): https://youtu.be/OEy5kfX9TcU

[Guillaume]

Be the Wolf - Torino
Already now I can guarantee that this is going to end up very high on my year-end list .. might even be AotY contender. I love everything this band has put out so far and this is no different. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Imagine Train or Maroon 5 getting f***ed over by a hard rock/metal band. Occasionally it goes into more "proggy" territory, but not really. I don't know who to compare them to, which is why they actually ends up reminding me of my favorite band in prog metal (Port Noir) without sounding like them ... yes, it doesn't make sense, but ... Amazing alternative hard rock?
Video for "Teenage Mutants" (this song has quite a Polyphia inspiration): https://youtu.be/QfZDxvBMOqM
Video for "Failures" (this is quite indicative of the album style): https://youtu.be/OEy5kfX9TcU

Tried this. Really well done and all, but way too alternative in style for me.

[introclaus]

Wow, what a Friday - 1/29/2021 was a day of several great releases, with 4 of them potential top 10 albums when this year is over ...

Soen - Imperial
These guys does their stuff better than most anyone. They've got the Tool meets Opeth sound down to a science and it's so well-done you can't help love it. That said, and the coming year will show if it maters at all, the band has begun repeating themselves, as this sound pretty much identical to their last album(s). For now I'm looking past that when listening, and I have been spinning the disc quite heavily the last week.
Video for "Antagonist": https://youtu.be/oKUuA1MnCs4

Michael Schenker Group - Immortal
I'm a fan-boy of Mr. Schenker's so obviously I'm loving this. The guitar playing is as always mind blowing, the song writing is great, and even vocalists I never thought would fit in, does a wonderful job. Heck, I'm even digging Romero's contributions (don't quote me on that). Only complaint I have is the somewhat "flat" production, but it's not enough to deter from the quality here.
Video for "In Search of the Peace of Mind" (yes, old Scorpions tune): https://youtu.be/5gy69onDzXQ

Tribulation - Where the Gloom Becomes Soun
Swedish black metal meets retro hard rock done right! By now there should be no doubt that Tribulation have kind of built their own genre by taking the sounds of classic Dissection and mixing it with Maiden, Kiss, Type O Negative and several other "hard rock/metal/goth" bands, and more importantly, been super successful at it, gaining lots of fans and several new bands trying to sound like them. Their new album is great - sounds like a heavier version of the last one, without sacrificing the big melodies.
Video for "Leviathans": https://youtu.be/HKRQ0OFHJrg

Trial (SWE) - Sisters of the Moon
New single from Swedish progressive metal band, who armed with a new vocalist (who does a great job) have decided to release a sngle with two cover tunes. First one is the Fleetwood Mac tune "Sisters of the Moon" (from "Tusk") which in this quite "metal" rendition sounds like a progressive Ghost to me, and the second being "Die Young" (Black Sabbath classic from "Heaven and Hell") that ends up sounding more like Maiden than Sabbath in this version. Quite impressive and I'm looking forward to the next full length, hopefully this year.
Video for "Sisters of the Moon": https://youtu.be/wgPwlio2PJE

and finally ...

Demoniac - So it Goes
What the heck? All the way from Chile (of all places) comes surprise of the year so far, a band playing really technical/progressive-minded thrash metal with a blackened attitude. I hear lots of old Destruction/Kreator in this, I hear a bit of Slayer/Possessed, I even hear some Hexenhaus occasionally. The next moment you're in a black metal mode (think Bathory meets Bewitched), before some impressive neo-classical shredding takes over (think Malmsteen meets King Diamond), topped by some intense bass playing and drumming that brings to mind Atheist or Cynic (without ever becoming death metal though). And guess what, the band also throws in a good deal of clarinet (!!!) in two of the songs, which makes this even weirder to comprehend. At times it sounds like the band is playing beyond their means, but it's all held together so damn well, and the melodies that float throughout entire album is just phenomenal. I'd be surprised if this doesn't end up very high on my list when the year is over.
Stream of the 20-minute title track: https://youtu.be/IDTGznj8qIg

[jhallum]

For those who remember Event from Boston, they quietly released a new album: Light of Truth. Available on all of your streaming platforms (digital only it seems).

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Truth-Event/dp/B08QN28XDD/

Some videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHS2U- ... D1_83Mpzkg

[introclaus]

For those who remember Event from Boston, they quietly released a new album: Light of Truth. Available on all of your streaming platforms (digital only it seems).

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Truth-Event/dp/B08QN28XDD/

Some videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHS2U- ... D1_83Mpzkg

Thats ehhmmm ... interesting? I must say though that the 18 year break hasn’t been kind to their music... sounds like they are stuck trying to blend prog with funk and something more “alternative” which honestly was also the problem with them back in the day. I liked the debut (I even have the version under their old name) and only dug a few tunes if the following two albums, but the blend of genres didn’t work well for them then and it doesn’t now either. It’s like a curse when classically trained musicians (like these Berklee guys) feel like they have to write outside of the genre they are best at just to prove they are not defined by genre tags.

[jhallum]

Yeah, I think it's prog with a bit of funk and maybe a bit of electronic sound, or what it tries to be. I had the same thought: it's pretty much the same sound as 18 years ago, but my opinion is that maybe it's aged better, or at least I'm more willing to give it a shot when they changed from Mystic Fishhook and electric Skies to Event.

[prog_powermetal99]

This week had some good releases as well - I picked up the following:

Tori Amos - a Christmas EP from my favorite artist of all time. I buy anything she puts out, so ..

I love old Tori Amos. Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink are my 2 favorite CD's by her....But I couldn't really get into any cd's after that. Her lyrics just got too weird LOL..... But Little Earthquakes is my favorite by her....

On a side note, I won a free lunch with Tori back in 1993 while I was living in Sacramento. I won a radio show contest and the price was Lunch with Tori Amos. She was so sweet and down to earth....Got my Little Earthquakes CD autographed....It was so awesome!

I also love Kate Bush............all her older stuff anyway...

[introclaus]

This week had some good releases as well - I picked up the following:

Tori Amos - a Christmas EP from my favorite artist of all time. I buy anything she puts out, so ..

I love old Tori Amos. Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink are my 2 favorite CD's by her....But I couldn't really get into any cd's after that. Her lyrics just got too weird LOL..... But Little Earthquakes is my favorite by her....

On a side note, I won a free lunch with Tori back in 1993 while I was living in Sacramento. I won a radio show contest and the price was Lunch with Tori Amos. She was so sweet and down to earth....Got my Little Earthquakes CD autographed....It was so awesome!

I also love Kate Bush............all her older stuff anyway...

I have and love everything Tori Amos and Kate Bush - there's just something about those two that keeps me buying without sampling first.

[Packgrog]

I love old Tori Amos. Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink are my 2 favorite CD's by her....But I couldn't really get into any cd's after that. Her lyrics just got too weird LOL..... But Little Earthquakes is my favorite by her....

If you haven't tried Scarlet's Walk, I would recommend it. I struggle with a lot of her post-Pink material, but some of it still clicks with me. I enjoyed Choirgirl a fair amount, but it was definitely different from her other releases. The live disc from To Venus and Back is also WELL worth the time thanks in part to the excellent drumming of Matt Chamberlain. Night of Hunters was an interesting experiment, and the last time I saw her live. I haven't bothered with anything else since. But yeah, at least give Scarlet's another go if you haven't. Love that one.

On a side note, I won a free lunch with Tori back in 1993 while I was living in Sacramento. I won a radio show contest and the price was Lunch with Tori Amos. She was so sweet and down to earth....Got my Little Earthquakes CD autographed....It was so awesome!

That *IS* awesome! She's a quirky lady, but an interesting one.

I also love Kate Bush............all her older stuff anyway...

Hounds of Love and Sensual World are about all I can sit through with her. Later stuff doesn't interest me, and her early stuff is like nails on a chalkboard for me, particularly her vocal performance. Once she toned down the high pitched weirdness and focused more on depth, she got a lot more interesting for me.

[introclaus]

I picked up two new albums yesterday:

INGLORIOUS - We Will Ride
Really good hard rock with a slightly bluesy edge (less of a Whitesnake-copy than on the first couple of albums). Nathan James is one of the best vocalists in this genre nowadays, and I sure hope he doesn't end up as another casualty of the "frontiers-syndrome" (where great vocalists gets exploited by appearing on way too many albums each year_). Nathan has changed out the entire band (except the drummer), but the end result is unmistakingly Inglorious, with a perhaps slightly heavier edge to it. I was one of those really late to the game on this band, but after purchasing all the three previous albums and having gotten to know them well over the past year, I have a good idea of where this band is headed, and I personally love "We Will Ride" and how it fits into that direction - more personality, less Whitesnake
Video for "Messiah": https://youtu.be/RB2qy7boLlw
Video for "Medusa": https://youtu.be/WExS6XRYPHE
Video for "She Won't Let You Go": https://youtu.be/IJlXCn96qfU

ABIOTIC - Ikigai
Incredibly technical aggressive death metal with leanings into both metalcore/deathcore and more subtle spots of non-metal genres like jazz and Japanese folk music. It's a relentless listen, and unless you are into such bands as Gorguts, Archspire, Inferi, The Faceless or Fallujah, this will be pretty tough to enjoy. I'm digging it tremendously, and can't wait to spend a lot of time with it in the coming months.
Video for "Grif Eater, Tear Drinker" (most melodic tune on the album): https://youtu.be/hkimVkCIDlc
Video for "Souvenir of Skin": https://youtu.be/kPsWD0oH6uw
Full album stream: https://youtu.be/JRHOy6yzTmQ

[Nos]

INGLORIOUS - We Will Ride

I didn't get into the first couple albums, but the last one was good, and I'd say this one is even better. The balance between blues and melodic rock is right where I would want it. The whole record just sounds 'big'. Really good stuff.

[introclaus]

This week:

LAKE OF TEARS - Ominous
This is one dark slow album - not totally doom and not totally goth but rather somewhere in between. There are a lot of Pink Floyd moments in it as well. Only through it 4 times so far so need to spend more time with it. It has potential to end up really high on my list this year.
Full album stream:
https://youtu.be/hzR6pYohCfc

PARANORM - Empyrean
Swedish tech/prog thrash with a slight edge into death metal territory. Guitars are awesome and reminds me totally of something Andy LaRoque would put into a King D tune ... almost borderlining neoclassical soloing. The vocals are probably a deal breaker for some though, but damn these guys can play.
Full album stream:
https://youtu.be/HcMRRBLoY28

HAIL THE SUN - second single from their coming album and it’s absolutely mind blowing. This is gonna be a sure top 10 candidate once this year is done. I sent it to my ex-wife for her to check out and her comment was “it’s good, a little abrupt, like I wouldn’t play it for anyone over 70 or w an underlying heart condition”, LOL. Can’t disagree with that - it’s like if Coheed and Cambria went all out proggy and aggressive at the same time.
Official video for “Parasitic Cleanse”:
https://youtu.be/OrufVbZEOIc

[introclaus]

A lot (!) of great stuff this Friday:

FROZEN CROWN - Far Beyond
First single from their third album “Winterbane” which is set for an April release. It’s majestic power metal where eagles fly high, dragons rule supreme and swords are crossed ... yeah, it’s just like that! Great vocals, great guitar playing and the melodies rule.
https://youtu.be/yoKmHAmtopk

ARCHITECTS - For Those That Wish To Exist
One of those metal core bands I had only followed sporadically over the years, and found their earliest releases their most interesting when they had a blend of that UK djent style that bands like Sikth were so good at. Over the years they got more mellow and this new disc (and their previous one a few years ago actually) is really sweet in that sense. Lots of “drama” in it, almost like a metal core musical.
https://youtu.be/jdWhJcrrjQs

MOONSPELL - Hermitage
It’s been quite a while since their last English language studio album, the amazing “Extinct”, and I for one didn’t get into their Portuguese album a few years ago, so it was with anticipation this new one came around. Sonically they’ve gone back to the times of “Sin-pecado” where it’s the gothic melodies and almost progressive songwriting wrapped in a laid back atmosphere. I like this part of their sound and it occasionally reminds me of later day Katatonia. However, this disc fails terribly in its production that makes Fernando sound absolutely boring. He was never the greatest vocalist but he had a lot of “dynamics”, which unfortunately is completely missing here. The album wins you over when you’re listening through some good headphones and dedicate your time to it, but in any other scenario this album really falls through because of poor sound.
https://youtu.be/wW_UcOJaaSI

IOTUNN - Access All Worlds
I’ve already commented on this band in another post, but now that I’ve spent a while with it I can reiterate my original comments that this is a top 3 contender of the year. Progressive extreme metal leaning heavily towards such bands as In the Woods, Green Carnation, Arcturus etc. I also hear a bit of Mercenary, which I guess is logic as most younger Danish bands latched onto that sound seeing they were one of the first Danish acts to get success outside of the country. Wonderful disc and seriously one that anyone here should give a listen.
https://youtu.be/8Wsm-4PP3Cg

EPICA - Omega
I think I’ve listened to every Epica album over the years, and I probably own half of them, but they’ve honestly always been a far cry from any kind of “favorite” of mine. I appreciate their music and I’ve always enjoyed their live shows. However, this new album is absolutely stunning. It’s like they looked at the last Nightwish album and said “if you want to make a concept like that, well then this is how it’s done”. It’s superb! Really, an amazing disc and it’s been a while since I enjoyed an album in this genre as much.
https://youtu.be/kWZmpZTDtkU

SIGNIFICANT POINT - Into the Storm
A Japanese speed metal band, sounding like if Riot and Judas Priest were out driving and the pedal got stuck at bottom of the car ... fast, furious and tons of fun. The accent of the vocalist is absolutely hilarious and I’m loving this disc even more because of that. Will this ever win any awards for bringing anything new to the table? Nope! But it’s just the kind of metal spirit I enjoy.

[Random Axe]

A lot (!) of great stuff this Friday:

FROZEN CROWN - Far Beyond
First single from their third album “Winterbane” which is set for an April release. It’s majestic power metal where eagles fly high, dragons rule supreme and swords are crossed ... yeah, it’s just like that! Great vocals, great guitar playing and the melodies rule.

ARCHITECTS - For Those That Wish To Exist
One of those metal core bands I had only followed sporadically over the years, and found their earliest releases their most interesting when they had a blend of that UK djent style that bands like Sikth were so good at. Over the years they got more mellow and this new disc (and their previous one a few years ago actually) is really sweet in that sense. Lots of “drama” in it, almost like a metal core musical.

MOONSPELL - Hermitage
It’s been quite a while since their last English language studio album, the amazing “Extinct”, and I for one didn’t get into their Portuguese album a few years ago, so it was with anticipation this new one came around. Sonically they’ve gone back to the times of “Sin-pecado” where it’s the gothic melodies and almost progressive songwriting wrapped in a laid back atmosphere. I like this part of their sound and it occasionally reminds me of later day Katatonia. However, this disc fails terribly in its production that makes Fernando sound absolutely boring. He was never the greatest vocalist but he had a lot of “dynamics”, which unfortunately is completely missing here. The album wins you over when you’re listening through some good headphones and dedicate your time to it, but in any other scenario this album really falls through because of poor sound.

IOTUNN - Access All Worlds
I’ve already commented on this band in another post, but now that I’ve spent a while with it I can reiterate my original comments that this is a top 3 contender of the year. Progressive extreme metal leaning heavily towards such bands as In the Woods, Green Carnation, Arcturus etc. I also hear a bit of Mercenary, which I guess is logic as most younger Danish bands latched onto that sound seeing they were one of the first Danish acts to get success outside of the country. Wonderful disc and seriously one that anyone here should give a listen.

EPICA - Omega
I think I’ve listened to every Epica album over the years, and I probably own half of them, but they’ve honestly always been a far cry from any kind of “favorite” of mine. I appreciate their music and I’ve always enjoyed their live shows. However, this new album is absolutely stunning. It’s like they looked at the last Nightwish album and said “if you want to make a concept like that, well then this is how it’s done”. It’s superb! Really, an amazing disc and it’s been a while since I enjoyed an album in this genre as much.

SIGNIFICANT POINT - Into the Storm
A Japanese speed metal band, sounding like if Riot and Judas Priest were out driving and the pedal got stuck at bottom of the car ... fast, furious and tons of fun. The accent of the vocalist is absolutely hilarious and I’m loving this disc even more because of that. Will this ever win any awards for bringing anything new to the table? Nope! But it’s just the kind of metal spirit I enjoy.

And there was an album drop by some guys named Evergrey...I'll have to check them out. Heard they're quite good.

[introclaus]

And there was an album drop by some guys named Evergrey...I'll have to check them out. Heard they're quite good.

No comment ... well ... one comment ... let's just say there's no way in hell I'd spend a second of my time listening to them.

[BC]

And there was an album drop by some guys named Evergrey...I'll have to check them out. Heard they're quite good.

No comment ... well ... one comment ... let's just say there's no way in hell I'd spend a second of my time listening to them.

Absolutely your loss. The new album is fantastic. I rarely do repeated back-to-back listening of albums, but I did with this.

[introclaus]

Absolutely your loss. The new album is fantastic. I rarely do repeated back-to-back listening of albums, but I did with this.

I'm happy you like them. It's just not for me. Enjoy

[introclaus]

A few other albums from February (which weren't part of my Friday purchasing-sprees, but just "random" purchases):

CORONARY - Sinbad
Finnish trad-metal that has a lot of old school heavy metal memories connected to it. Think Saxon, Accept, Priest and even Motorhead. Although some of the songs are very melodic and might occassionally lean into Dokken/Scorpions territory it remains metal at its core, not hard rock.
https://youtu.be/NOKFTpsYjdU

STARGAZER - Psychic Secretions
This was mentioned briefly in an episode of the wonderful Radical Research podcast, and I had to check it out... it's very technical death/black metal, that falls somewhere between multiple chairs - I hear some fancy-ass tech death in the Atheist/Death/Cynic style, I hear the death thrash of old Sadus, some flamboyant black metal like Deathspell Omega, Ved Buens Ende or even Absu, and I even hear a ton of progressive thrash metal leaning towards Mekong Delta territory.
https://youtu.be/iXenzmFVF-M

[introclaus]

Only one new release this week I felt compelled to pick up:

WITHERFALL - Curse of Autumn
What a disc. This is undoubtedly a serious contender for a top 5 spot once the year is over. This is how I like my heavy metal: fast, heavy, amazing vocals, thundering drums, insane bass, and a guitar player who should be recognized as one of the best in this genre today. Music has lots of progressiveness, lots of power and a ton of melody. The production is spot on and helps lift each instrument. I can't say enough good things about this album. Check it out if you like anything remotely connected with Nevermore, Sanctuary, Helstar, King Diamond, Iced Earth, Yngwie Malmsteen ... well, if you like METAL in general, and especially of the proggier kind.

Official video for "As I Lie Awake":
https://youtu.be/KFbrq-n17Gs

Official video for the radio edit of "... And They All Blew Away":
https://youtu.be/sHbotmVnFlE

However, you really need to check out the full 15-minute version of this song. It's so awesome!
https://youtu.be/ZOeyn3lM-uk

[Sir Exar Kun]

WITHERFALL - Curse of Autumn
What a disc. This is undoubtedly a serious contender for a top 5 spot once the year is over. This is how I like my heavy metal: fast, heavy, amazing vocals, thundering drums, insane bass, and a guitar player who should be recognized as one of the best in this genre today. Music has lots of progressiveness, lots of power and a ton of melody. The production is spot on and helps lift each instrument. I can't say enough good things about this album. Check it out if you like anything remotely connected with Nevermore, Sanctuary, Helstar, King Diamond, Iced Earth, Yngwie Malmsteen ... well, if you like METAL in general, and especially of the proggier kind.

OK..... Yngwie? I hear a bit of all the others mentioned (most especially Iced Earth), but not any Yngie in here. Did you just add that to see who's reading???

I do enjoy this though! It's not my standard cup of tea, but it works for me. Heavy, but super melodic still. I swear I checked out their last one and wasn't overly impressed, but may have to go back and revisit.