Festival Review: Graspop Metal Meeting 2025 (#GMM2025)

Excellent 

Soen 

One of my current favorite bands delivered a great show. The fact that they opened with Sincere already made my day. But it was much more than that, the whole setlist was strong and the performance solid.  

Dream Theater  

After seeing them on a 3hr headline set last year, a 1h15m show could be disappointing, but hell no! They still delivered. New songs were added to the 2024 setlist and they worked great. Peruvian Skies was one of the highlights of the festival. 

Slipknot  

Perfect Slipknot show, I have nothing to complain. Best time I saw them live and I loved the setlist. 

Dødheimsgard  

They win the prize of surprise of the weekend for me. Great black metal atmospheric proggy stuff. Very entertaining frontman. I was right in front, a fantastic experience. 

Primordial  

Great band, frontman, setlist and sound. I was also right in front and it was a joy! Too short for them but well they made made the best out of it.

Apocalyptica  

This was so much fun. I probably had more fun than I would've with Metallica (nowadays). I was singing all those songs, so for me worked well. 

Airbourne  

Much better than I expected. Great show, good songs and a lot of fun. 

Creeper  

I knew I loved their latest album, but I had no clue they were so good live as well. I was right in front and singing like a funboy, great stuff!

Savatage  

Legendary band, one of my all time favorites. They can't have a bad setlist, I was pretty close and had a memorable experience (again, as I saw them in April as well). The songs they changed worked for me and enhanced the experience.  

In Flames  

Another one of my favorites, strong setlist, lot of energy, simply perfect In Flames festival show. 

Judas Priest  

Initially I was not planning to see them again, but when I saw the setlist, wow! All but 2 songs out of Painkiller which is one of my favorite albums of all time. So I decided to watch and it was great. I was really close and had a blast. However, I did not want to miss King Diamond, so I left just before the encore. 

Great 

Deafheaven  

First band of the festival, the sound wasn't great. But it was great show, all but one song from the new album which is a strong one. Short set but decent, I missed hearing Brought to Water though.

Landmvrks  

This one I saw from a distance as I looked for a shadow to hide from the heat. But I was positively surprised with the Frenchmen. Good modern metal with a French touch.  

Paradise Lost  

I only saw half of it due to the need to go to find a spot for Dream Theater. But what I saw was great, so I will try to see their headline tour later this year.

Iron Maiden  

That's a tough one. It was close to what I expected. I loved the beginning of the set and the epics were also a highlight (Rime and 7th Son). But there were several disappointments as well, mainly the stage based on screens and the encore. Aces High didn't sound great, I can't stand Fear of the Dark and Wasted Years is not a setlist closer. I wish we had a couple more surprises, including another song from FOTD and one from NPFTD (as it was implied by the tour announcements).

Hatebreed   

Great show, but I was super tired and missed the beginning as it was not easy to get there from all the way in front for Iron Maiden. 1:15 for Hatebreed is quite long so they played almost every hit. 

British Lion  

I really like this band which is now 40% Iron Maiden lol. But that doesn't really matter, the fact is that the songs are great and the setlist was very strong. 

Orange Goblin  

Great show, I don't know the songs very well. But enjoyed it a lot, it's sad that they are retiring from touring. 

Vandenberg  

So much fan, a short trip down memory lane with a set of only Whitesnake classics. I also really like the singer.

Lorna Shore  

It was so fucking hot that at times it was difficult to pay attention. But their performance, specially from the singer, is from another planet. I think they will keep growing. Fun note, I saw their patch for sale on the first day. During the last day I went back to buy it, and got the last one. Sold out! 

Power Trip  

I was surprised by the new singer who has immense shoes to fill. Strong setlist and very energetic band. One of the only thrash metal acts of the whole weekend.

King Diamond  

I only saw the last 40% of the show or so due to the clash with Priest. But I loved every minute of it. I really wish I didn't have to make this choice.

Good

Beast In Black  

One of my favorite bands currently and I've already seen them several times. While the show was not bad, it was the worst time for me personally. Short and not my favorite setlist. 

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes  

It's more for the show and fun, it's not to be taken seriously. So mission accomplished. 

Blood Incantation  

Worst technical problem I witnessed this festival. It was a big let down. Despite of that they played the new album which is fantastic. I am happy I saw their headlining show a couple of months before. 

Whitechapel  

Nothing wrong with the band or show, it just didn't have a wow factor or memorable songs. 

The Dead Daisies  

Basic old school Hard Rock is always fun to watch. Bonus points for the covers: Fortunate Son and Helterskelter.  

Dragonforce  

I didn't love the setlist, even though the show and performances were good. Cutting Last Dragonborn from the set was a big let down for me. 

Seven Hours After Violet  

A good surprise. Good new band with a kind of diverse and dynamic modern sound.

Beyond The Black  

Very generic female fronted power metal. But still good songs and capable frontwoman.

Heaven Shall Burn  

I love this band, specially early albums. But Marcus was out sick. The lady replacing him did a good job. but it wasn't the same experience overall. Also I wasn't too crazy about the setlist despite some of my favorites like Combat and Eindzeit.    

OK

Warkings  

First time seeing them and not super familiar with their material. But enjoyed it quite bit, good performance. It's kind of basic power metal, nothing too special. 

Bloodhunter  

They kept my attention and the singer is good and also good to watch. The music? Very generic melo death and very similar to Arch Enemy.

Knocked Loose  

Not bad, but this was a breathing moment for me, I watched more from the back under a shadow. 

Gloryhammer  

The "new" singer is very poor live and the new songs take place from the much better ones from their now more and more distant past. 

Behemoth  

I was really tired, rather far and it was super late. It wasn't bad, but also it's not a main stage headliner. Their show at Alcaraz was so much better. 

Unto Others  

A bit boring honestly, but used the time to rest a bit. To make matters worse they skipped the Ramones cover. 

Bullet For My Valentine  

It's not a band that I need to listen to a full album on a festival. They are "best of" band for me.  

Bad

Nothing More  

That's the worse band I saw this festival. I just didn't like their sound at all. Also not crazy about a shirtless frontman.

Epica 

Honestly I didn't pay much attention as I don't like them really. But I was standing there waiting for Maiden. 

The Top 20 Best Metal/Rock Albums of 2024 by BeMetalways Editor

It's that time of the year again and despite some issues keeping the channel alive, I am back to talk about my favorite albums of 2024. Due to those other priorities I have also reduced significantly the number of albums I checked out this year. Some years ago it used to be almost 150. This year was down to about a third of that. There were 5 albums that I missed during the year but due to analyzing other lists I gave those albums a chance and some of them made my top 20 others are in the honorable mentions. And I guess that's the most useful outcomes of those lists, to help people discover new music and albums that they may have missed. So I hope my list will also help some of you. I do have some very mainstream records in here, but also some personal favorites that I haven't seen in any lists and of course some gems to be discovered. So I hope you enjoy it! See you in 2025.

20.Riot V - Mean Streets
19.Rothing Christ - Pro Xristoy
18.Flotsam And Jetsam - I Am The Weapon
17.Orden Ogan - The Order Of Fear
16.Saxon - Hell, Fire and Damnation
15.Linkin Park - From Zero
14.Kerry King - From Hell I Rise
13.Crownshift - Crownshift
12.Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition
11.Judas Priest - Invincible Shield 
10.Ihsahn - IHSAHN
9.Borknagar - Fall
8.Witherfall - Sounds of the Forgotten
7.Bipolar Architecture - Metaphysicize
6.Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose
5.Opeth - The Last Will and Testament
4.IOTUNN - Kinship
3.Vanden Plas - The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
2.Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
1.Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

------------------------------------

Honorable Mentions:

1. Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All
2. Evergrey - Theories Of Emptiness
3. Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To
4. My Dying Bride - A Mortal Binding
5. Category 7 - Category 7
6. HammerFall - Avenge The Fallen
7. Rage - Afterlifelines
8. Dark Tranquillity - Endtime Signals
9. Darkest Hour - Perpetual Terminal
10. Magnum - Here Comes The Rain
11. Persefone - Lingua Ignota: Part I
12. Wintersun - Time II
13. Accept - Humanoid
14. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange
15. Portrait - The Host

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Chapel Of Disease - Echoes of Light
2. Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace
3. Leprous - Melodies Of Atonement
4. Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive

Favorite Shows: 

Dream Theater

Opeth

The list to end all lists: Best Metal/Rock Albums of 2023 (Aggregated Mega List)

 As in most years, I have compiled several yearend lists to form an aggregated list. This year I got a hold of 24 lists (see description for the list). They are all metal or rock related. If you have others, please let me know in the comments. I avoid individual lists, so I prefer already aggregated lists from publications. I took the top 10 of each list and assigned ten points to number 1 and 1 point to number 10. And distribute accordingly in between. There were two lists that did not feature a ranking so I divided the 55 points equally among their chosen albums. Tiebreakers were first number of lists, and then highest position in a list. Only number 20 was a complete tie so the list features 21 bands.

Without further ado let's look into it. 

The 24 publications:

1. Revolver
2. Metal Hammer UK
3. Metal Injection
4. Kerrang
5. Stereogum 
6. Decibel
7. BRAVEPICKS 
8. MetalHammer Germany
9. https://consequence.net/2023/12/best-metal-albums-of-2023-hard-rock-list/2/
10. laut.de
11. Rolling Stones
12. treblezine
13. Classic Rock Magazine
14. Pop Matters
15. https://heavymusichq.com/2023-best-heavy-metal-albums/
16. Guitar World
17. Total Guitar
18. Metal Sucks
19. Loudwire
20. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-rock-albums-2023/
21. https://metalinsider.net/columns/top-15/metal-insiders-combined-top-15-albums-of-2023/2
22. Angry Metal Guy
23. https://www.iopages.nl/
24. https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2024/01/03/heavy-blog-is-heavys-top-25-albums-of-2023/

 

The Top 20 Best Metal/Rock Albums of 2023 by BeMetalways Editor

It's that time of the year again and despite some issues keeping the channel alive, I am back to talk about my favorite albums of 2023. Due to those other priorities I have also reduced significantly the number of albums I checked out this year. Some years ago it used to be almost 150. This year was down to about half of that. There were 5 albums that I missed during the year but due to analyzing other lists I gave those albums a chance and some of them made my top 20 others are in the honorable mentions. And I guess that's the most useful outcomes of those lists, to help people discover new music and albums that they may have missed. So I hope my list will also help some of you. I do have some very mainstream records in here, but also some personal favorites that I haven't seen in any lists and of course some gems to be discovered. So I hope you enjoy it! See you in 2024.

20.Nospūn - Opus

Nospūn, the Progressive metal band from Charlotte, NC was a late addition to my list and a big surprise. After a couple of recommendations, I checked Opus out and I am very happy I did. This is an impressive debut on the lines of Dream Theater meets Symphony X with a hint of BTBAM. That means impressive musicianship, catchy song writing and heaviness. For any prog metal fans it's a must listen. 

19.Primordial - How It Ends

Having lasted 32 years, the Irish band have consistently delivered their epic blend of Celtic and black metal. The 2023 effort is no different. The opening a title track is classic Primordial, it's big, epic dark and yet catchy. There's nothing really different from previous albums, it's more of the same, but the same works for me and How It Ends delivers on what the band is set out to do. 

18.Obituary - Dying of Everything

Dying of Everything is a solid addition to Obituary's extensive discography. The band's trademark sound is on full display throughout the album, with heavy, chugging riffs and John Tardy's guttural growls leading the charge. The musicianship is tight and precise, with each member of the band delivering a strong performance. Overall, fans of Obituary and death metal in general will find plenty to enjoy on this very good album.

17.Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium

Horrendous is no stranger to my year-end lists, and here they are back with Ontological Mysterium. While not as impactful as 2014's Ecdysis, this new endeavor is pretty solid. With 9 songs in only 38 minutes, it's a direct and straightforward modern but deep rooted in the 90's Death Metal. It's brutal and energetic but also melodic, atmospheric and technical. Welcome back!  

16.Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

Another band that has been on a roll, did they ever release a not great album? Anyways, with Terrasite Cattle Decapitation continues to demonstrate their unique blend of deathgrind and progressive elements, while addressing environmental and social issues. The tempo changes and the incredible versatile vocal style of Travis Ryan is a notable aspect of Cattle Decapitation's sound, adding depth and intensity to their music. The album closer, "Just Another Body", is a curve ball from the band, A 10min epic song with slow tempo moment and even clean vocals. It was an interesting experiment, but not my favorite part of the album. 

15.Metallica - 72 Seasons

If 72 Seasons would be released by any other band, it would get no attention at all and nobody would care. But it's Metallica, so we try. I guess I mostly hoped that without any pressure from timelines or financially that those guys could use the potential they have to create something cool, heavy and sharp. We saw some light of it, pun indented, with "Lux Æterna". The album has good moments all over it and some cools riffs and hooks. But it just feels that they didn't care enough to trim the album and polish the song writing further. With all that said, I still had some fun with it and listened to it quite a few times.

14.Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A Dream

This album was a roller coaster for me, it went from being a disappointment to a top album and it gets better with every listen. But initially I hate it, it was only once I put aside expectations and pre conceptions that I started to enjoy it. I mean I am a prog metal/rock fan and I do like their early albums. So Life Is But A Dream combines the best of both worlds. Yes, it's weird but in a good way. The first 4 songs are kind of A7X from Nightmare and Self Titled album, then the middle session is a bit weaker, and the closing with GOD is super proggy and fun. The final and title track is an epilog that could be in a jazz album. I gotta give it to them, it's a cool album.

 

13.Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle

Another late entrant to this list Moonlight Sorcery's album is a mesmerizing journey into the realms of atmospheric black metal and, wait for it, Power Metal! In fact the themes, lyrics, imagery and vocals are all traditional black metal, but the musically it's pure power metal melodies, intricate guitar work, and atmospheric synth layers. Moonlight Sorcery successfully captures the essence of dark magic and medieval fantasy. The album's dynamic compositions offer a compelling blend of genres and stand-out as something rather different and engaging. 

12.Sorcerer - Reign of the Reaper

A doom metal masterpiece that displays crushing guitar riffs, thunderous drumming, and hauntingly melodic vocals, creating an atmosphere that is dark and emotional. Special shout out to the vocal delivery! Awesomely powerful melodies. The band's ability to blend traditional doom elements with a modern touch is evident throughout the album, showcasing a dynamic range that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. Reign of the Reaper not only pays homage to the genre's roots (think Candlemass) but also dives into traditional Heavy Metal elements, delivering a powerful and emotionally charged listening experience that solidifies Sorcerer's place among the contemporary master of doom metal.

11.TesseracT - War Of Being

A progressive metal journey showcasing the band's virtuosity, complex polyrhythms, ethereal atmospheres, and emotive melodies create a captivating listening experience. The seamless integration of intricate guitar work, dynamic rhythms, and Daniel Tompkins' evocative vocals which are much more aggressive this time, result in a complex journey without sacrificing melody and accessibility. It's not a short album as it runs for 60min and features a couple of epics, but it holds my attention and it's worth the effort. 

10.Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre

Periphery's latest album, Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre, is a progressive metal musicianship journey. With complex and intricate guitar riffs, precise and dynamic rhythms, and powerful vocals, the band showcases their technical proficiency and versatility throughout the album.  Periphery experiments with different time signatures and textures, keeping listeners engaged and interested. The album's impressive production quality and innovative songwriting make it a must-listen for fans of the genre.

9.Spirit Adrift - Ghost At The Gallows

This is where doom and traditional heavy metal meet and this time around more traditional than doom. Overall, the album seamlessly blends thunderous riffs, intricate melodies, and Nathan Garrett's powerful (and not over the top) vocals to create a sonic experience rooted in 80's Heavy Metal. The first 1.5 min could be out of Killers. Even the format reminds me of Maiden in the 80's, 8 songs withing 45min. Ghost at the Gallows is likely the best entry in the already prolific Spirit Adrift's discography. 

8.Code Orange - The Above

It's groovy, heavy and melodic at times. Call me crazy, but I get some serious Pantera vibes here and there. I really liked their Forever album and Underneath was quite OK, but lost track of them, when I heard this release only a few days ago I was immediately hooked. This is much less noisy and experimental than the previous albums. There's still some of that, but now, to me, at the right dose. Probably their best and most mature album. These guys have a promising future. 

7.Riverside - ID.Entity

ID.Entity Riverside's latest album is a masterful blend of hardrock and experimental prog rock. The band takes the listener on a journey through a variety of moods and emotions. Overall, ID.Entity is a must-listen for fans of prog-rock. The band has truly allowed themselves the freedom to create something unique. It is a testament to their skills as musicians and composers in this newly open new phase for the band. To me except for a couple of missteps it's a very good album deserving the 7th place. 

6.Insomnium - Anno 1696

Anno 1696 is a solid addition to Insomnium's discography, with the band continuing to deliver their unique brand of melodic death metal. While the album may not necessarily break new ground, it certainly delivers on the expectations of Insomnium's fans. It's a more cohesive and easily digestible statement and yet very dynamic between sadness and anger. A very good melo death album deserving spot #6 proving further why Insomnium are at the top of their class. 

5.In Flames - Foregone

Overall Foregone is the best In Flames album in many years, and while some songs really bring me back to their 90's sound, the band has maintained their later alt-rock influences very much alive, I just think the song writing and the balance is much better than in previous albums. At the end of the day, it may just be that I wanted to like a new album from them so much that I'm glancing over their over produced vocals and sounding like Bullet From My Valentine at times. With that said, I'm enjoying it and it's a very good effort deserving spot number 5.

4.Soen - Memorial

I love this album and I even got it in vinyl (something I reserve now for very special albums only). The two reasons why it's not number 1 in my list are one because it's a bit too long and two I don't really like the two ballads. Other than that it is a perfect modern progressive metal album. The accomplishment here was to keep it interesting and complex and yet accessible and the songs short. Soen have boiled it down to the essentials without compromising their already well stablished signature sound. "Sincere" was my top Spotify song and 4 other made the list. Enough said! Great album.

3.Primal Fear - Code Red

Not a lot of Power Metal albums on my list this year which is a pity since it is one of my favorite sub-genres. But Primal Fear is an awesome representation claiming the bronze medal. I've always liked their albums but often they are too long and feature many fillers. This time around they were able to keep it consistent despite being almost 1 hour long  and featuring a couple of less interesting songs on its last third. Regardless of this, the album is full of well known Primal Fear style anthems, "Deep In The Night" being my favorite. An inspired Power Metal album full of hooks, heaviness and catchiness.

2.Creeper - Sanguivore

Creeper, an English rock band from Southampton, was the surprise of the year for me. I missed Sanguivore when it was released in mid-October as I didn't even know the band. But then when casually listening to some year-end lists, Sanguivore stood out as something different from anything else in those lists. In sum, I'd describe Creeper as a darker version of Meat Loaf. There's also quite a bit of 80's Rock and that theatrical dark elements we see in the band HELL. "Cry To Heaven" is such a catchy rock anthem, and the album is dynamic, for example the opening track "Further Than Forever" is a 9min epic masterpiece. It's been a refreshing experience to listen to this great album and it certainly deserves number 2. 

1.Haken - Fauna 

Overall, Fauna is one of Haken's best albums since The Mountain and a must-listen for fans of progressive rock and metal. It is a testament to the exceptional musicianship of Haken, with each member of the band contributing to a sound that is both technically impressive and emotionally engaging. The result is a unique blend of progressive rock and metal, with elements of jazz and pop music. The album theme using animal kingdom as metaphor for personal messages is quite interesting and the lyrics sound amazing under the soaring vocal melodies. My album of the year since it was released and no one could beat them.

------------------------------------

Honorable Mentions:

1. Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
2. Enslaved - Heimdal
3. Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit
4. Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds
5. Immortal - War Against All
6. Enforced - War Remains
7. Marduk - Memento Mori
8. ANGUS McSIX - Angus Mcsix and the Sword of Power
9. Kataklysm - Goliath
10. Baroness - Stone
11. Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting
12. Uada - Crepuscule Natura

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Myrkur - Spine
2. The Ocean - Holocene
3. Gloryhammer - Return to the Kingdom of Fife
4. Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)
5. Twilight Force - At The Heart Of Wintervale

Favorite Album Cover Art:

Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit

Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle

Haken - Fauna

Creeper - Sanguivore

Favorite Guitar Solos:

Rise by Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt 

Nobody by A7X's Synyster Gates 

Top songs:

1. Sincere                                 by Soen         from Memorial
2. Taurus                                 by Haken         from Fauna 
3. The Alphabet of Me         by Haken         from Fauna 
4. Rise                                         by Extreme         from Six
5. Wildfire                                 by Periphery from Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
6. Deep In The Night                 by Primal Fear from Code Red
7. Friend or Foe?                 by Riverside         from ID.Entity
8. The Place Where I Belong by Riverside         from ID.Entity
9. Violence                                 by Soen         from Memorial

Favorite Shows: 

Iron Maiden 

Pantera

Disappointing Shows: None, after COVID...I think a concert will never be disappointing again in my life.

 

NE OBLIVISCARIS Exul | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Season of Mist on March 24th, 2023

Quick Background

Ne Obliviscaris (Latin for "forget not"; the motto of the Clan Campbell, one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans) is a six-piece Australian progressive metal band from Melbourne. Well actually they are now working with a session drummer so technically a 5-piece band. The trademark and uniqueness of their sound comes from having two singers, Marc "Xenoyr" Campbell responsible for the harsh vocals and Tim Charles who not only does the clean vocals but also is the full time violinist. 

The band is known from writing long pieces, that are dynamic and complex. Often using a string quartet and choirs in their compositions and arrangements. Their second album, Citadel, from 2014 made quite a splash that year being featured in several year-end lists. It consists of only 3 songs! But still clocks-in at 48 minutes. And honestly the other 2 albums are also quite good and also featuring just a handful of songs, so let's see what 2023 has to offer.

Exul

Exul is now their fourth studio album following 2017's Urn. It features 6 tracks in 52 minutes. The album has been in the works since 2020 but the pandemic caused several delays. Now here we are finally ready to enjoy a new Ne Obliviscaris album. And there's no kidding around, the album already opens with the single and longest song on the album, "Equus" and its 12min30sec of length. Within the first couple of minutes we already have a pretty decent sample of the Ne Obliviscaris sound. A solid rhythmic session with interesting drum groves and prominent bass sound, we also have a flavor of the violin and the two singers performing a duet in the second verse. Ah, and very nice guitar work, complex and interesting guitar riffs. The vocal lines, specially the clean ones, are melodic and even catchy at times. But that's of course in contrast with the harsh aggressive vocals.

"Misericorde" is a 17min-long song broken into two parts. Part I is titled "As the Flesh Falls" and it starts quite brutally, nice heavy riffs and harsh vocals. The bass is one of the highlights of this song and album. When the clean vocal kicks in the bass is shredding on the background. And it goes like this for most of the song. The mixing really helps as the bass sound is clear and prominent. I also love the violin heavy section, it's pretty Mozart-like. "Misericorde II - Anatomy of Quiescence" is mostly instrumental. It features a really beautiful start with soft piano and melodic string solos. This leads to a fantastic guitar solo, one of my favorites of the year. Honestly I did not know those guys were such good guitar players. Those 3 first songs are certainly my favorites of the album. 

"Suspyre" features a melodic intro leading into the harsh vocals and more beautiful violin phrases. It builds up into the clean vocals super catchy kind of chorus. During its 10 min the song continues this journey of ups and downs. Some cool features of this song are the acoustic guitars and relentless drumming. Both subtle but noticeable. "Graal" goes directly into a sort of heavy symphony, classical music meets metal sort of feeling. It's fast pacing and again we hear the bass shredding on the background and the drummer going nuts all over the kit. "Anhedonia" which is by far the shortest song on the album functions more as an outro and reminds me of Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky" and while that's OK, I am not sure we needed an almost 4min outro.  

The Picky Guy

It's not always easy to keep focus when the songs are that long. I feel the band can improve their music writing skills further to make the full songs even more engaging from start to finish. Other than that, not much to complain about this album. It is however for prog music nerds, there's nothing direct and simple on Exul. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Ne Obliviscaris is back with an album that builds on previous releases. The technical proficiency, a prominent string quartet and the melodic sensitivity combined with Death Metal influences is their hallmark. The songs are long and some may have difficulty keeping the focus. With that said Exul is a further improvement from previous albums as a whole. However, individually none of the 6 songs stood out compared to their older best songs. I think fans will dig this album and it won't change the opinion of those who didn't enjoy their previous releases. To me a good album, 81/100. 

SCORE: 81/100

Genre: Progressive Metal

Released by Season of Mist on March 24th, 2023

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

wordcount = 768

METALLICA 72 Seasons | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Blackened Recordings on April 14th, 2023

Quick Background

Obviously there's no introduction needed. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold more than 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018. The black album, from 1991 to this day still pops up on most sold albums list, say what? Yeah, it's just crazy. Despite being one of the first bands I fell in love with when I was a teenager, I haven't cared for anything they did after And Justice. Then Hardwire came and I was open to that, and it's an OK album. I even have it in vinyl. Now almost 7 years later let's check the super yellow follow up 72 Seasons.

72 Seasons

I came to this album as I did in 2016, with an open mind. The very first single was promising but also deceiving. I reviewed it on the channel, it is a short energetic song mixing Kill em All era with NWOBHM vibes. I didn't love it, but I liked it. Now the album came, and every of the other 11 songs are much longer than that. There's a lot of fat on this album, and no time was spent trying to trim it down. 77 minutes and 12 songs is just too much. Moreover, it's not that the songs needed to be all that long. No, they drag and mostly extend their welcome. "Too Far Gone?" with 4:30 is one pleasant exception. Nice Heavy Metal, notice not thrash, song with cool guitar harmonies and catchy groove and chorus. And even the closer "Inamorata" with its whopping 11 minutes and a Sabbath-like sound is an ok song and not the album's biggest problem. At least here they tried something different and explored new (heavy) avenues.  The problem are most of the other songs being around the 6, 7 minutes. Those could and should've been shorter. And it's not only the length but the fact that they are mostly mid-tempo with a lot of repetition and ideas being recycled. It all sounds familiar and too much the same.

For example, "Crown of Barbed Wire" sounds exactly like Glenn Huges song "The Liar" and from the same Live album "Room of Mirrors" reminds me of Deep Purple's "Stormbringer". Just exemples, because many parts resemble something out of And Justice or the black album (there's a "Enter Sandman" part 2 with " ").

With that out of the way,  there are some good moments, the first 4 tracks, for example, are fun with nice grooves, some cool ideas and catchy vocal lines. James is singing really well on this album. The singles "Lux Æterna"  and "If Darkness Had a Son" are also some of the highlights. During many songs, we hear some moments of cool bass lines that we can actually hear it, so that's cool. The drumming is not too bad, we know what to expect. And the production despite being too loud and pristine, at least the mix is OK. The guitar tones are also not that impressive. The artwork is horrible and the guitar solos substandard specially because we know what Kirk can accomplish. The 80's albums were hugely influential for me and some of those solos are iconic. But this...I won't even go there. It's mostly bad. 

The Picky Guy

"You Must Burn!", "Crown of Barbed Wire", "Chasing Light" didn't have to be in this album, they add no value or anything interesting.

Wrap Up Opinion 

I realize that this may sound too negative, but I actually see some value on this album and I still consider it a good 79/100 album. But, if 72 Seasons would be released by any other band, it would get no attention at all and nobody would care. But it's Metallica, so we try. I guess I mostly hoped that without any pressure from timelines or financially that those guys could use the potential they have to create something cool, heavy and sharp. We saw some light of it, pun indented, with "Lux Æterna". But it just feels that they don't care, the album is just an excuse to tour and sell new merch and on the bright side it does add some cool moments to the set list. That's just my opinion, and when it comes to Metallica everyone has one from love to hate and anything in between. So it's fine for me either way. Have fun with it or go check the new Overkill if you are on the hate it side. 

SCORE: 79/100

Genre: Heavy/Thrash Metal

Released by Blackened Recordings on April 14th, 2023

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

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KAMELOT The Awakening | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Napalm Records on March 17th, 2023

Quick Background

Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in 2011. On June 22, 2012, Youngblood announced on their website that their new vocalist would be the Swedish singer Tommy Karevik, who was first featured on Kamelot's album Silverthorn as the main vocalist, co-songwriter, and lyricist. 

The Awakening

The Awakening is the thirteenth studio album by Kamelot. It is the band's first studio album in five years, following 2018's The Shadow Theory, making this the longest gap between two of their studio albums. It is the first one to feature Alex Landenburg on drums and it's already the 4th album with Tommy as singer. His soaring vocals complement the band's sound, and his range allows him to transition from melodic ballads to powerful, high-energy anthems. No surprises there and good to see that the band could survive a difficult frontman change.

In addition to the intro and outro tracks, the albums features 11 songs and totals almost 53 minutes. The 11 songs stay very consistently between 4 and 5 min long and there are no epics or longer songs in parts. As always, the focus of the band is not on the guitars really, those are mostly chugging guitars and power chords, rarely we have riffs and long elaborated guitar solos. But the symphonic elements, choirs and keys make Kamelot to sound big and epic. That's their style. And most importantly, Youngblood focus have always been on melody and catchiness, so special attention is given to vocal lines and big catchy choruses. 

The first track following the intro is "The Great Divide", a trademark modern Kamelot in the  "Veil of Elysium" style, it's heavy and by the way it does feature a nice guitar solo. "Eventide" keeps the tempo fast and the heaviness, specially due to to the super heavy Post-Chorus while being catchy and melodic. It's a perfect Kamelot single and I dare to say a future live favorite.  It's also a nice way to bring us to another heavy tune, "One More Flag in the Ground" which was the album's first single. A stand out track is "Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)" featuring Tina Guo who has toured the world as a Classical Cellist soloing player. It's a cool song bringing back the Ghost Opera vibe. Tina also plays a major role in the ballad "Midsummer's Eve". I don't necessarily dislike ballads, and Kamelot has some good ones such as "Abandoned" and "Song for Jolee" but the only thing good about this one is Tina's presence. 

There's a lot of call backs on this album and "Bloodmoon" brings back the eastern music influences that we have seen in the past in songs such as "Nights of Arabia". "New Babylon" featuring Melissa Bonny, a Swiss heavy metal singer from the symphonic metal band Ad Infinitum, is one of my favorite songs on the album. Recently I reviewed the new album from Xandria, and this song reminds me a lot of it. But with the added benefit of the dynamic between Tommy and Melissa voices. The last song before the outro, "My Pantheon (Forevermore)" leave us on a high note, it's a good anthemic song.  

The Picky Guy

In addition to the 2 ballads mentioned before, I also find the over melodic "NightSky" a bit repetitive. Overall, that's my only concern with the album, repetition and similarity. Besides the guest appearances which added a nice flavor to the album, the band play quite safely in known territory. We've heard all of this before and it's difficult to distinguish songs and the last 4 albums as it is all sounding very much the same. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but for seasoned fans, the band is loosing that edge of appeal. For example "The Looking Glass" tries to recreate "Karma" and many others.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Overall, The Awakening is a solid album that showcases Kamelot being back to the roots. The album's themes and sound are well known to long time fans and well-executed, making it a must-listen for fans of the band. Despite not being too adventurous, it's still a good album deserving 80/100. 

SCORE: 80/100

Genre: Power Metal

Released by Napalm Records on March 17th, 2023

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

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