My musical 2022

[Random Axe]

As I’ve done the past couple of years, I’m not ranking, just observations and musings. It was an odd year for me and some pretty significant employment and personal changes so maybe if these had been released in 2021 I’d feel different. I'm at work and couldn't add a music link for samples. This is rather lengthy but here it goes…


A-Z – What a great album with a shit band name and album cover. I was initially unimpressed with this as it wasn’t what I expected. But, with continued listens I appreciate it for what it is rather than what it is not. It really sounds like a Ray Alder solo album. Vocals are stellar as always. Probably my fav this year.

Preincarnation – Great, varied album. They show off many musical styles and influences throughout the 15 songs. However, that can also keep them from having a true identity. They’ve got prog rock/metal, AOR, some bluesy stuff. Singer is killing it here and reminds me of Jamie Rowe from Guardian in spots.

Speaking to Stones/Inhuman Error – Nice blend of the first two albums but quite uneven in the vocal department. He could have hired better. Overall pleasant but not overly thrilling. I absolutely adore Elements, so this was a little bit of a letdown.

Vass/Katsionis/Ethical Dilemma – Someone has been listening to their FW Inside Out album. Def has a Fates vibe and production. Bob Katsionis is in and produces a lot of power metal acts. Here he’s restrained and is outstanding. Billy Vass has a unique timbre to his voice, but slays this material.

Kings of Mercia – I know why this was recorded and it’s likely a one-off, but this fell so flat for me. It feels like there was an intentional dumbing down of the songs to take the prog elements out to better fit Overland. It feels awkward when Jim has anyone else singing his stuff outside of Ray and John. Not giving up on this but not really interested either.

Figure of Speechless/Tunnel at end of Light - Very underwhelming album. This is like tying to eat a fudge covered cabbage. They don’t go together AT ALL. These compositions are an absolute terrible match for Ray Alder’s vocals, and he feels a little off on this, so it was likely difficult to write for these songs. This is perhaps the only album he’s sung on I dislike. That says everything.

Ardarith/Home – Haven’t fully digested this as it’s pretty dense. So far it’s a really cool metal opera with a couple of singers, one of which is Rob Lundgren. He’s a youtube guy known for his covers. Total badass, actually. The music is heavy, riffy and poignant at times with some death growls here and there.

Ginevra/We Belong – Unsure what to think about this one. It feels like Magnus is out of ideas. He’s written so much material in the last decade these feel like leftover songs. Great singer though from Seventh Crystal. It’s Magnus so we pretty much know what to expect. Quality but forgettable.

Compass/Theory of Tides – Nice melodic prog rock with a good DeYoung-like singer. Nothing really stands out as superb, but it’s all quality, just lacking dynamic and character. They make the best of this but its a concept album about Galileo. Not the most exciting source material.

Sarayasign/Throne of Gold – I know Claus and Glenn dig this. I do to but I have a minor gripe. The songs are great, singing is godly with the dude sounding like a perfect marriage of Jorn and Soto. Sheer power. My problem is he starts almost every song with a whhoaa, yeah, ooohhhh. I know Soto does alot of that too. Outside of that this is amazing priggish heavy rock.

Fellowship/Sabrelight Chronicles – This is not really my genre, but I dig this. It’s like mixing Rhapsody with Ice Age. The singer is a higher tenor with medium power. Not your typical sound. These are some uplifting melodies, good mood metal. I doubt anyone else will dig this.

Threshold/Dividing Lines – This completely cements the fact these guys are just not for me. They have insane talent, but something throws them off for me. I’ve really tried to like them over the years. In fact, I own their entire discography as an attempt to force myself.

Dynazty/Final Advent – Same shit on repeat for four albums now. I keep waiting for them to turn a corner and try a little variety. Renatus was fantastic, but every one since is a carbon copy with different production. Nils is so much more talented than the rest of the band. I get it, they have an audience that brings in some revenue. After this, I’m no longer one of them.

All Things Fallen/Shadow Way – This has everything I normally would like but the vocalist just isn’t equal to the music. I love Marcus and his work with other bands but this is rough for me.

Guild of Others – What a great find. This is some fantastic prog rock that mixes it up just the right amount. They have Henrick Bath and Mike Sadler guesting. The overall vibe of the album is a modern day version of some of the Wooden Nickel Styx albums. Highly recommended.

Seventh Wonder/Testament – I wanted to like this so much. Tommy is a vocal deity so I’ll buy anything he works on. This is just... okay. There’s no edge to it, no urgency and little energy. The dynamics we heard on Great Escape are gone. Maybe it’s the label they’re on, maybe Tommy lost his progginess working with Kamelot. I like this but I wanted to love it.

JLT/Belly of Beast – Hadn’t had a lot of time with this but it’s very solid so far. He’s not the same voice but few are. This is heavier than anything he’s previously done, so that’s kinda cool.

Queensryche/DNR – Wow. I never thought I’d be back on the QR train but here I am shoveling coal and blowing the whistle! I don’t dislike Todd. He’s super talented but I couldn’t listen to the old stuff with him. Sure he hits the notes, but they weren’t his notes nor did he have the vocal character Geoff brought. Totally not his fault. I was not thrilled with the newer albums with him as it felt like a totally different band with screechy vox and no Degarmo. Well, this one absolutely kicks my ass, and I think its because its so different that previous releases. This has a definite Empire vibe, more cathartic, spiritual and shows depth. Surprise of the year for me by far.

Osyron/Momentous – I’m not sure how these guys slipped past me over the years, but this is some great proggy power metal. The vocalist is similar in many ways to Zak Stevens with a little grit and a lot of range. Everything flows so well and the songs are memorable. I bought their entire discography. The previous album is also fantastic. It stumps me how I’d never heard of them or read about them till a few weeks ago.

Borealis/Illusions – The only illusion here was me thinking this album would sound better than the previous two. They are a good band but suffer from, what I find to be, horrific production. Everything is the wall of sound. The guitars, keys, drums, vocals are all on the same level, and that makes the music unintentionally superficial. There’s some good songs under all this noise. Loud should be a volume choice, not a production level.

Atomic Symphony/Hybris – Great female fronted prog metal. I normally don’t deal with this genre too much, but this girl is a beast. The heavy prog metal mixed with her powerhouse lungs is a great combination. Musically it’s similar to Vanden Plas, maybe a little heavier? Great stuff, though.

[introclaus]

As I’ve done the past couple of years, I’m not ranking, just observations and musings. It was an odd year for me and some pretty significant employment and personal changes so maybe if these had been released in 2021 I’d feel different. I'm at work and couldn't add a music link for samples. This is rather lengthy but here it goes…

I hear you - changes in life (personal, career, etc) all play in on what we listen, how much/often we listen, under which circumstances and how we perceive music. It’s what makes
It a personal experience rather than music just being “white noise”.

A-Z – What a great album with a shit band name and album cover. I was initially unimpressed with this as it wasn’t what I expected. But, with continued listens I appreciate it for what it is rather than what it is not. It really sounds like a Ray Alder solo album. Vocals are stellar as always. Probably my fav this year.

Preincarnation – Great, varied album. They show off many musical styles and influences throughout the 15 songs. However, that can also keep them from having a true identity. They’ve got prog rock/metal, AOR, some bluesy stuff. Singer is killing it here and reminds me of Jamie Rowe from Guardian in spots.

Speaking to Stones/Inhuman Error – Nice blend of the first two albums but quite uneven in the vocal department. He could have hired better. Overall pleasant but not overly thrilling. I absolutely adore Elements, so this was a little bit of a letdown.

Vass/Katsionis/Ethical Dilemma – Someone has been listening to their FW Inside Out album. Def has a Fates vibe and production. Bob Katsionis is in and produces a lot of power metal acts. Here he’s restrained and is outstanding. Billy Vass has a unique timbre to his voice, but slays this material.

Kings of Mercia – I know why this was recorded and it’s likely a one-off, but this fell so flat for me. It feels like there was an intentional dumbing down of the songs to take the prog elements out to better fit Overland. It feels awkward when Jim has anyone else singing his stuff outside of Ray and John. Not giving up on this but not really interested either.

Figure of Speechless/Tunnel at end of Light - Very underwhelming album. This is like tying to eat a fudge covered cabbage. They don’t go together AT ALL. These compositions are an absolute terrible match for Ray Alder’s vocals, and he feels a little off on this, so it was likely difficult to write for these songs. This is perhaps the only album he’s sung on I dislike. That says everything.

Ardarith/Home – Haven’t fully digested this as it’s pretty dense. So far it’s a really cool metal opera with a couple of singers, one of which is Rob Lundgren. He’s a youtube guy known for his covers. Total badass, actually. The music is heavy, riffy and poignant at times with some death growls here and there.

Ginevra/We Belong – Unsure what to think about this one. It feels like Magnus is out of ideas. He’s written so much material in the last decade these feel like leftover songs. Great singer though from Seventh Crystal. It’s Magnus so we pretty much know what to expect. Quality but forgettable.

Compass/Theory of Tides – Nice melodic prog rock with a good DeYoung-like singer. Nothing really stands out as superb, but it’s all quality, just lacking dynamic and character. They make the best of this but its a concept album about Galileo. Not the most exciting source material.

Sarayasign/Throne of Gold – I know Claus and Glenn dig this. I do to but I have a minor gripe. The songs are great, singing is godly with the dude sounding like a perfect marriage of Jorn and Soto. Sheer power. My problem is he starts almost every song with a whhoaa, yeah, ooohhhh. I know Soto does alot of that too. Outside of that this is amazing priggish heavy rock.

Fellowship/Sabrelight Chronicles – This is not really my genre, but I dig this. It’s like mixing Rhapsody with Ice Age. The singer is a higher tenor with medium power. Not your typical sound. These are some uplifting melodies, good mood metal. I doubt anyone else will dig this.

Threshold/Dividing Lines – This completely cements the fact these guys are just not for me. They have insane talent, but something throws them off for me. I’ve really tried to like them over the years. In fact, I own their entire discography as an attempt to force myself.

Dynazty/Final Advent – Same shit on repeat for four albums now. I keep waiting for them to turn a corner and try a little variety. Renatus was fantastic, but every one since is a carbon copy with different production. Nils is so much more talented than the rest of the band. I get it, they have an audience that brings in some revenue. After this, I’m no longer one of them.

All Things Fallen/Shadow Way – This has everything I normally would like but the vocalist just isn’t equal to the music. I love Marcus and his work with other bands but this is rough for me.

Guild of Others – What a great find. This is some fantastic prog rock that mixes it up just the right amount. They have Henrick Bath and Mike Sadler guesting. The overall vibe of the album is a modern day version of some of the Wooden Nickel Styx albums. Highly recommended.

Seventh Wonder/Testament – I wanted to like this so much. Tommy is a vocal deity so I’ll buy anything he works on. This is just... okay. There’s no edge to it, no urgency and little energy. The dynamics we heard on Great Escape are gone. Maybe it’s the label they’re on, maybe Tommy lost his progginess working with Kamelot. I like this but I wanted to love it.

JLT/Belly of Beast – Hadn’t had a lot of time with this but it’s very solid so far. He’s not the same voice but few are. This is heavier than anything he’s previously done, so that’s kinda cool.

Queensryche/DNR – Wow. I never thought I’d be back on the QR train but here I am shoveling coal and blowing the whistle! I don’t dislike Todd. He’s super talented but I couldn’t listen to the old stuff with him. Sure he hits the notes, but they weren’t his notes nor did he have the vocal character Geoff brought. Totally not his fault. I was not thrilled with the newer albums with him as it felt like a totally different band with screechy vox and no Degarmo. Well, this one absolutely kicks my ass, and I think its because its so different that previous releases. This has a definite Empire vibe, more cathartic, spiritual and shows depth. Surprise of the year for me by far.

Osyron/Momentous – I’m not sure how these guys slipped past me over the years, but this is some great proggy power metal. The vocalist is similar in many ways to Zak Stevens with a little grit and a lot of range. Everything flows so well and the songs are memorable. I bought their entire discography. The previous album is also fantastic. It stumps me how I’d never heard of them or read about them till a few weeks ago.

Borealis/Illusions – The only illusion here was me thinking this album would sound better than the previous two. They are a good band but suffer from, what I find to be, horrific production. Everything is the wall of sound. The guitars, keys, drums, vocals are all on the same level, and that makes the music unintentionally superficial. There’s some good songs under all this noise. Loud should be a volume choice, not a production level.

Atomic Symphony/Hybris – Great female fronted prog metal. I normally don’t deal with this genre too much, but this girl is a beast. The heavy prog metal mixed with her powerhouse lungs is a great combination. Musically it’s similar to Vanden Plas, maybe a little heavier? Great stuff, though.

Great list - I enjoy a lot of it, but also disagree on a few. There’s also a good deal of stuff I haven’t heard so I’ll have to check them out. Will leave comments on those when I get around to listen. Thank you for writing those awesome reviews.

[introclaus]

All Things Fallen/Shadow Way – This has everything I normally would like but the vocalist just isn’t equal to the music. I love Marcus and his work with other bands but this is rough for me.

Guild of Others – What a great find. This is some fantastic prog rock that mixes it up just the right amount. They have Henrick Bath and Mike Sadler guesting. The overall vibe of the album is a modern day version of some of the Wooden Nickel Styx albums. Highly recommended.

Osyron/Momentous – I’m not sure how these guys slipped past me over the years, but this is some great proggy power metal. The vocalist is similar in many ways to Zak Stevens with a little grit and a lot of range. Everything flows so well and the songs are memorable. I bought their entire discography. The previous album is also fantastic. It stumps me how I’d never heard of them or read about them till a few weeks ago.

I've been listening to these 3 today;

All Things Fallen: generic, didn't like
Guild of Others: music reminds me in places of King's X, but with a more "prog-metal" edge, however, songwriting didn't move me

Osyron: now this is awesome. there's a huge Into Eternity vibe to the music, except the final song which sounds like a lost Flotsam & Jetsam tune. Great vocals, lots of interesting "folksy" elements to music, and lots of power and prog -> moved to "purchase" list

[Hearing Aid Man]

Atomic Symphony/Hybris – Great female fronted prog metal. I normally don’t deal with this genre too much, but this girl is a beast. The heavy prog metal mixed with her powerhouse lungs is a great combination. Musically it’s similar to Vanden Plas, maybe a little heavier? Great stuff, though.

This one is going to be very high on my list this year. Been playing it constantly since it came out.