1. Faith No More - Sol Invictus
2. Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Other than a few songs here and there, I haven't been a big fan of the band. But their live DVD with Floor Jansen was really good, so I approached EFMB with open ears. I'm glad I did because this is a great disc. Tuomas Holopainen is a great song writer and can create catchy, melodic and emotional tracks, no doubts about it. But now you add the powerful and versatile voice of Floor to it and you have a perfect mix. The album is a bit too long, but the closing track is such a special one that we let it slide.
3. Armored Saint - Win Hands Down
The powerful opener, title track and first single says it all: traditional heavy metal with the unique and awesome voice of John Bush. Luckily the following songs keep it up with the quality, speed and memorable choruses. The only exception being the slow "Dive" that didn't really work for me, but they come back and close with another good one "Up Yours". Welcome back guys!
4. Kamelot - Haven
This one has grown on me after listening a few times. At first not as memorable as the predecessor but still very good. The formula is the same as previous albums big choruses, very melodic and catchy. Tommy Karevik delivers again a very solid performance, but he could by now bring some more diversity to his performance and not feel the need to replica Roy's voice/style. My highlights are Citizen Zero, Veil of Elysium and Under Grey Skies (here we do see something different and it went very well).
5. Crypt Sermon - Out Of The Garden
I'm not a Doom aficionado but this album is very high contender for debut of the year. So that tells you how much I dig it. 7 tracks in 43 min of pure Doom overdose - no fillers and not really anything to complain. All songs are great. Full of big riffs and great vocal work, Candlemass style.
6. Byzantine - To Release Is To Resolve
A Headbanging fuel with lots of groove and a powerful vocal. Picture this: Symphony X covering Lamb of God - that's what Byzantine sounds like. More progressive than other "groove metal" bands, great guitar work and vocals that remind me of Russell Allen. On the other hand the riff are heavy, choruses are catchy and the groove is there. I don't know why those guys are not getting the attention they deserve, I hope this fantastic To Release Is To Resolve will help change that.
7. Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers
2015 presents us with another huge come back album, 18 years later Faith No More's Sol Invictus. This is an outstanding album, it was worth the wait! The title track and first song is a slow intro that is followed by the single Superhero. Now, I didn't get this song as a single, but in the context of the full album, it works very well. It gives the explosion with melody needed to get the album going with full energy. It also shows that FNM groundbreaking style from the 90s is kept in the new record. The pleasant Sunny Side Up brings up the funk beat with heaviness. Separation Anxiety has continuous riff and soft singing over that reminds me of The Dillinger Escape Plan - great song. Cone Of Shame has a spoken voice over very slow guitar, but it all makes sense when halfway through, the song gets huge. Rise Of The Fall is an easier track to follow and a great groove. The groove continues with Black Friday which features an acoustic guitar and moments of heavy bursts. Motherfucker is the other single and also works very well within the whole context. Matador is the longest track with 6-min and arguably the best. From The Dead closes the album with a very silly song that only FNM can pull it off.
All in all what I liked the most in this 40-minute killer comeback is how one song flows into the next. At the same time each of them provides a unique experience and uses different but typical FNM elements. Even if not as good as their classic albums, Sol Invictus is not far behind. The only problem is the super high standards that those guys set for themselves.2. Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Other than a few songs here and there, I haven't been a big fan of the band. But their live DVD with Floor Jansen was really good, so I approached EFMB with open ears. I'm glad I did because this is a great disc. Tuomas Holopainen is a great song writer and can create catchy, melodic and emotional tracks, no doubts about it. But now you add the powerful and versatile voice of Floor to it and you have a perfect mix. The album is a bit too long, but the closing track is such a special one that we let it slide.
3. Armored Saint - Win Hands Down
The powerful opener, title track and first single says it all: traditional heavy metal with the unique and awesome voice of John Bush. Luckily the following songs keep it up with the quality, speed and memorable choruses. The only exception being the slow "Dive" that didn't really work for me, but they come back and close with another good one "Up Yours". Welcome back guys!
4. Kamelot - Haven
This one has grown on me after listening a few times. At first not as memorable as the predecessor but still very good. The formula is the same as previous albums big choruses, very melodic and catchy. Tommy Karevik delivers again a very solid performance, but he could by now bring some more diversity to his performance and not feel the need to replica Roy's voice/style. My highlights are Citizen Zero, Veil of Elysium and Under Grey Skies (here we do see something different and it went very well).
5. Crypt Sermon - Out Of The Garden
I'm not a Doom aficionado but this album is very high contender for debut of the year. So that tells you how much I dig it. 7 tracks in 43 min of pure Doom overdose - no fillers and not really anything to complain. All songs are great. Full of big riffs and great vocal work, Candlemass style.
6. Byzantine - To Release Is To Resolve
A Headbanging fuel with lots of groove and a powerful vocal. Picture this: Symphony X covering Lamb of God - that's what Byzantine sounds like. More progressive than other "groove metal" bands, great guitar work and vocals that remind me of Russell Allen. On the other hand the riff are heavy, choruses are catchy and the groove is there. I don't know why those guys are not getting the attention they deserve, I hope this fantastic To Release Is To Resolve will help change that.
7. Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers
This Finnish band dropped a very solid Progressive Metal album. Influenced by Opeth but still different and rather original. The vocal range and versatility of Jón Aldará are impressive and the highlight. But I also like how the keyboards are used. The songs have several tempo changes but overall are more on the slow/melancholic side. The intro track sets the tone for the other 7 tracks which are almost all above the 7 min mark.
8. Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
These top-class instrumentalists from Sweden deliver an epic doom metal masterpiece. Even though the musicians have been around for a while, just recently they re-joined the band and now released their first real full length album. I really enjoyed the catchy choruses and the clean but powerful vocals from the singer Anders Engberg (Lion's Share, Therion, 220 Volt) . All over very traditional doom riffs. By the way the Therion influence is quite clear. I love albums with 8 songs which is the case here, And still the longest song is "only" 8min30s which makes it an easier album to digest.
9. Paradaise Lost - The Plague Within
In a list unusually represented by doom bands, how could the genre godfathers be missing? There's something about this record that makes you come back to it constantly and with each time it grows on you, This is a very diverse disc combining different styles that the band has touched over the years. But the common theme is that it's heavy and dark. From the catchy opening riff followed by Nick Holmes throat singing you know you are up for an experience.
10. Gruesome - Savage Land
11. Tribulation - The Children Of The Night
This is the first time I check this band, yet again from Sweden, and already releasing their third full length studio album. Tribulation makes a very distinct sound, I'd call it Black N' Roll. To me it sounds like black metal, but diverse influences like Iron Maiden and The Doors are also present.
12. Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields
I don't usually get enthusiastic about technical Death Metal. But every now and then there's an exception. This time is Irreversible Mechanism from Belarus. Great guitar riffs and a touch of symphonic arrangements were some of the key elements that caught my attention. If you are into this genre then you will love Infinite Fields.
8. Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
These top-class instrumentalists from Sweden deliver an epic doom metal masterpiece. Even though the musicians have been around for a while, just recently they re-joined the band and now released their first real full length album. I really enjoyed the catchy choruses and the clean but powerful vocals from the singer Anders Engberg (Lion's Share, Therion, 220 Volt) . All over very traditional doom riffs. By the way the Therion influence is quite clear. I love albums with 8 songs which is the case here, And still the longest song is "only" 8min30s which makes it an easier album to digest.
9. Paradaise Lost - The Plague Within
In a list unusually represented by doom bands, how could the genre godfathers be missing? There's something about this record that makes you come back to it constantly and with each time it grows on you, This is a very diverse disc combining different styles that the band has touched over the years. But the common theme is that it's heavy and dark. From the catchy opening riff followed by Nick Holmes throat singing you know you are up for an experience.
10. Gruesome - Savage Land
A tribute to Death and Chuck Schuldiner led those guys to create their own music, but not surprisingly sounding just like "new" songs from the old Death (mainly Leprosy time). I think it's pretty cool. It's not like they are pretending to be creating something originally new, the references to Death are in your face, including the cover by the same artist. The songs are well written and full of groove and great riffs. Warning: Side effect of this album may include going back to the Death catalog.
11. Tribulation - The Children Of The Night
This is the first time I check this band, yet again from Sweden, and already releasing their third full length studio album. Tribulation makes a very distinct sound, I'd call it Black N' Roll. To me it sounds like black metal, but diverse influences like Iron Maiden and The Doors are also present.
12. Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields
I don't usually get enthusiastic about technical Death Metal. But every now and then there's an exception. This time is Irreversible Mechanism from Belarus. Great guitar riffs and a touch of symphonic arrangements were some of the key elements that caught my attention. If you are into this genre then you will love Infinite Fields.
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