Swallow the Sun is a Finnish death-doom band that emphasizes melody and atmosphere and different vocal approaches. The sextet counts with 3 original members: Juha Raivio (guitar),Mikko Kotamäki (vocals) and Matti Honkonen (bass). The Morning Never Came is the debut studio album released in 2003 and followed by five other albums. Released in 2015, Songs From The North I, II & III is a massive triple album and it was very well received by critics and fans alike. No surprise that it took 4 years to return. The question is, how to follow a 2.5-hour diverse record?
To answer this question, Swallow the Sun is releasing When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light, the seventh studio album. Compared to the previous record, this one is a straightforward 8 tracks in 53 minutes affair. I must say that based on the fist single and track four "Upon the Water" my expectations were very high. This is a fantastic song mixing very slow doom verses and chorus with a heavy almost black metal-ish bridge. The transition of vocal styles is seamlessly and impressive. Despite being dark and mid-tempo, the song has enough raw energy mainly driven by the vocals. The second single "Firelights" and third song on the album, is a great slower doom song. The clean vocals dominate but there's a post-chorus of explosion into the growling vocals that gives the song so much power. There are other great moments like the title track and album opener: An epic seven minutes track combining symphonic arrangements, acoustic guitars and a black metal chorus. "The Crimson Crown" follows and it's an even longer track with eight minutes of goth melancholy. The last two tracks "Here on the Black Earth" and "Never Left" are melancholic beautiful and very dark at the same time.
The difficulty for me was that not all songs in the album lived up to my expectations as some stay on the goth influenced sound for too long. Nonetheless, When a Shadow is Forced Into the Light is a grower. For the goth/post-rock songs and passages, you need time and focus to fully appreciate the emotions pouring from them. Mikko Kotamaki (vocals) performance is quite impressive on how he goes from beautiful clean singing into black metal screens, deep funeral doom growls with perfection. Musicianship and production are flawless. All in all, a few days may not be enough to fully appreciate this beautiful dark emotional record. Therefore, I won't be surprise if it gains a few more points by the end of the year.
Evergrey is a progressive metal band from Sweden founded by Tom S. Englund (guitar and vocals). They released the debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998. Englund is the only found member left as the band has been through numerous line-up changes. The Atlantic is the eleventh studio album and the third with the same line-up. It is also the third album of a concept which started with 2014's Hymns for the Broken.
The Atlantic displays Evergrey's trademarks: progressive, mid-tempo and melancholic metal. But it's a "heavier" and darker album when compared to previous releases. Take the video single "Weightless" for example, it features a heavy intro with almost djent-like guitar riffs. Overall the song is great, the melody and chorus are catchy and full of energy while still being dark. It's by far my favorite track. The album opener and first video single "A Silent Arc" likewise is a heavy track but also showcasing some mid-tempo sections during its almost 8 minutes. It's a good contrast that often comes back throughout the The Atlantic. Also the guitar solo in this song is pretty cool, melodic with just the right notes, reminds me of David Gilmour. Evergrey were also spot on selecting "Currents" as the third single, still a groovy and heavy track but with a rock vibe to it. It features this Pink Floydian guitar section at the end which is just great. There are other good tracks on the same lines, but overall it's a bit of hit and miss album. I'd expect a bit more hooks and epic moments like "Weightless". But instead many songs are slow-tempo and very depressive for my taste.
To be clear, The Atlantic is a good album from a band I respect a lot, it just could've been a bit sharper and more diverse. Like any prog album, it's a grower and I may appreciate even more with time. Luckily there are some gems to be added to their set list.
Phoenix, Arizona Flotsam and Jetsam is one of the thrash metal pioneers with their highly acclaimed 1986 debut Doomsday for The Deceiver. At that time featuring bassist Jason Newsted. Over the next three decades, Flotsam and Jetsam would release another 11 studio albums and change the line-up numerous times. Vocalist Eric AK Knutson is the one member always present and founder guitar player Michael Gilbert returned in 2010.
Now in 2019, Flotsam and Jetsam are back with The End Of Chaos, their 13th studio album and second record with AFM Records. This album is fast, heavy and yet very melodic full of memorable choruses. The album opens in full force with four great tracks: "Prisoner Of Time" with memorable chorus and distinctive bass riff, "Control" a video single with a cool drum-fill intro and full of energy and speed, the other video single "Recover" features a nice groove and a catchy chorus and then the sort of title track "Prepare For Chaos" which has more of a 80's traditional metal feel.
The third video single "Demolition Man" is another highlight with a Maiden-like guitar work and once again a memorable chorus. Despite being only 50 minutes long, The End Of Chaos can feel a bit repetitive and at the mid session some of the 12 tracks can start to blend in together. The good thing is that it ends on a high note with "The End". The most distinct tracks in the album and one of my favorites. Here singer A.K. delivers his best performance and finally leaves his comfort zone and try new ranges. Other example are the excellent drum work on "Unwelcome Surprise" and "Good or Bad" bringing it a very special flavor. I wish Flotsam and Jetsam had taken a bit more risks like those.
Overall a very good album, well written, executed and produced (special nod to the bass sound), it ticks like a clock and never looses the energy (but actually some mid tempo songs or bridges would've been nice). Despite some lack of variability and dynamic, it's a very good addition to their catalog and a good start for pure no non-sense thrash metal in 2019.
Battalions of Fear (1988), Format: CD, Score: 79
Blind Guardian's debut album was released in 1988. The line-up is their classic one with the 3 masterminds Hansi Kürsch, lead vocals and bass, André Olbrich & Marcus Siepen on the guitars. And Thomas "Thomen" Stauch on the drums. Battalions of Fear is a raw and unpolished power/speed metal highly influenced by Iron Maiden (specially the guitar work) and Helloween's first album. But with a vocal approach and overall hints of thrash metal. In that sense, Blind Guardian was at the early days on a similar direction as Grave Digger. The early albums lack many of their musical characteristics that would mark the band's music in later years. With that in mind, it's not a bad album and features a couple of important deep cuts, mainly the powerful songs: "Majesty" and "Run for the Night".
Follow the Blind (1989), Format: CD, Score: 83 Follow The Blind is similar to the debut but heavier with clear influences by thrash metal, namely Testament. But BG were always an evolving band and already here they experimented with orchestral parts for the first time. Two classic fan favorites: "Banish from Sanctuary" and "Valhalla" make this album already a powerful release that started to gather a dedicated fan base for the band, even outside Germany. "Banish from Sanctuary" has also been on the set-list in many tours and it's a battle hymn of a track with a fast galloping riffs and a huge chorus full of vocal harmonies. And what to say about "Valhalla"? Still today is the set-list closer and features Kai Hansen on vocals to give an additional hint of greatness. Additionally, the album cover is a huge step-up from the debut.
Tales from the Twilight World (1990), Format: LP, Score: 90
BG Once again raised their quality considerably in every aspect: musicianship, song writing, production, album cover and number of classic BG anthems. All of it without stopping to evolve, with TFTTW, BG penned a very distinct style for the very first time. The huge choir and guitar orchestrations would become their trademarks. "Traveler In Time", "Welcome To Dying" and "Lost In The Twilight Hall" are phenomenal songs that exemplify their sound. The guitar work evolved from Maiden-ish to very unique arrangements and the song structures are complex and unformulated. "Lord Of The Rings" slows things down and adds the acoustic element. Kai Hansen was again helping the band by performing backing vocals, vocals on "Lost in the Twilight Hall" and guitar solo on "The Last Candle". All and all, it's their first masterpiece. No surprise that with this release the band’s reputation continued to grow. It all led to signing with Virgin Records in 1992, a major accomplishment for the 90's.
Somewhere Far Beyond (1992), Format: LP, Score: 87
The album saw the band solidifying and expending their original sound that was born with the previous record. "Time What Is Time" , "Journey Through The Dark" and "The Quest For Tanelorn" are now classic tracks combining their trademark sound and speed metal. But songs like "Black Chamber" and "Theatre Of Pain" expand further their toolbox by adding piano and orchestral arrangements. And of course "The Bard's Song- In The Forest" became a sing along BG anthem. The album was acclaimed by power metal fans all across Europe and Japan. After entering the international charts, Blind Guardian took their first trip to Japan to record their first live album, Tokyo Tales. The cover artwork was again created by Andreas Marschall and it's again fantastic!
Imaginations from the Other Side (1995), Format: LP, Score: 99
3 years and one live album after SFB, BG came back with a masterpiece. The atmosphere of this album is darker in comparison to their earlier works. It's a well crafted musical journey in less than 50 min and 9 full songs. There are now intro tracks, instrumentals or transitions. All of the songs are fantastic and have been played live at different tours since its release. What I love the most about Imaginations is the complex song structures with different verses, bridges and choruses without a clear formulated structure. You never know what coming next, there are so many different tempos and changes, it's a roller-coaster and a goosebumps "generator". The new producer, Flemming Rasmussen who worked on the classic Metallica albums, brought the band to a different level. The guitar arrangements, vocals and backing vocals are all magnificent. The title track is one of the best songs in metal and the next 6 songs are not far behind. To me Imaginations is one of the top 10 metal albums of all times. It's 5 minutes too long from perfection.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998), Format: LP, Score: 97 Nightfall is at the same level as the predecessor. Meaning, another masterpiece. To its advantage are the lyrics and concept based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Silmarillion. To its disadvantaged is the number of tracks (specially the interlude ones) and the total length with 22 songs in 65 minutes. Once again the album was produced by Rasmussen and to many it is regarded as a pinnacle achievement in the band’s career. BG went further into creating an even more complex musical journey with orchestral arrangements, renaissance-styled acoustic sequences, spoken word, and flute & violin passages, all without loosing the hallmarks of power and speed. There are no bad or even OK songs, they are all great, but "Nightfall" is specially amazing, another one of my top songs of all times. Without a doubt Nightfall is head-to-head against Imaginations as BG best albums and both are among my all time favorites.
A Night at the Opera (2002), Format: LP, Score: 87
In 2002 BG had the difficult task to release the follow-up of two incredible albums. The band decided to go further into a more progressive and complex sound. According to their website, due to their extensive tracking and the epic nature of the band’s musical orchestrations, the album took nearly seventeen months to complete. The pinnacle of this direction is the single “And Then There Was Silence,” a 14-minute masterpiece featuring fifty vocal tracks, thirty guitar tracks, and took over four months to record. It's an amazing musical journey. While the other 9 tracks are all much shorter, they are equally complex with multiple overlaid vocals, choirs, orchestral keys and several cleaner guitar leads. Overall, I really like this album, it was a tough job to follow Imaginations and Nightfall, but A Night at the Opera delivered the goods.
A Twist in the Myth (2006), Format: CD, Score: 80
Long 4 years after A Night at the Opera, BG returned in 2006 with their eighth studio album. As was the case with the previous record, they worked with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (Helloween, Gamma Ray). The record marks two significant changes for the band. In addition to being the first record with Nuclear Blast, BG welcomed new drummer Fredrik Ehmke following the departure of founder Thomen Stauch. In the first seconds of the powerful opener "This Will Never End" we can hear a heavy guitar riff, a return to their older guitar sound which was almost absent in the previous record. The single "Fly" is by far the best song on the album. It sounds very different and yet catchy and progressive with simpler guitar riffs and a percussion approach never seen before in BG. Overall, the album arrangements are rather simpler than ANATO, e.g. "Another Stranger Me", but without loosing their characteristic sound and progressiveness. A Twist in the Myth is definetely a natural reaction to the complexity of the previous records. It's not bad record, but it's not BG at their best.
At the Edge of Time (2010), Format: mp3, Score: 80 4 years after the simper and more direct predecessor, BG kicks of their 9th studio album with an orchestra intro of 1:30! The whole song "Sacred Worlds" and the closer "Wheel Of Time" fuse the last album guitar approach with the more symphonic elements from 2002's ANATO.At the Edge of Time is a collection of very unique tracks. “Tanelorn (Into The Void)” brings us back to 1992, the melancholic “Road Of No Release” slows the tempo just to be contrasted with the fast “Ride Into Obsession,” the folk inspired “Curse My Name” features flute arrangements,” and the single “A Voice In The Dark” is another fast and powerful one. I never fully got into this album but it's definitely not a bad one.
Beyond the Red Mirror (2015), Format: LP, Score: 82 BtRM is certainly Blind Guardian's best album in years. The sequel of the fantastic "Imaginations..." has all the traditional BG elements: Epic, big choruses and complex arrangements. Additionally, as in the wonderful opener "The Ninth Wave", BtRM includes orchestra and choirs that beautifully add to mix. But as with the previous two records than the last few albums, they took care to not overcomplicate the complexity, actually some songs are very direct and thrashy, like "The Holy Grail". Overall great album for old fans and power epic metal lovers in general.
Verkligheten (English: Reality) is the eleventh studio album by the Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork (meaning "working from the ground up").
Quick background: Soilwork was formed in late 1995 by Björn "Speed" Strid and Peter Wichers who left the band in 2012 due to "creative differences". The band has been through other several line-up changes most notably loosing their drummer Dirk Verbeuren to join Megadeth in 2016.
The last two albums The Living Infinite (2013) and The Ride Majestic (2015) were very well received by critics and fans. In parallel singer Speed and guitar player David Andersson have also been enjoying success with their hard rock band The Night Flight Orchestra. I personally got to know Soilwork during the Sworn to a Great Divide tour in 2008. Ironically, an album that received mixed reviews and nowadays no songs out of it have been on the live set for many years. Soilwork brings a unique form of Swedish melo death by adding clear vocal melodies and unique piano parts into their music.
It's been a long wait to get Verkligheten because ''The Ride Majestic Tour'' went on massively for more than two years until the fall of 2017. But the wait was worth it as Verkligheten is magnificent. It's a cohesive album but also very diverse. The band has experimented more and took more chances sonically which all paid off. Each song has its own character and interesting elements while not loosing the Soilwork identity. Meaning the catchy melodies combined with aggressiveness and furious tempo at times. The balance between clean and growling vocals and the keyboard base sound is as prominent as before. While the vibe from the last two great albums is still there, one of the things that is specially clear on this new album is the influence of classic heavy metal elements probably driven by the success of The Night Flight Orchestra latest albums.
Even with 12 songs, the album flows very well, keeps your attention and it's not too long. In addition to the excellent song writing and execution, the diversity of sounds from track to track keeps you on the edge. It all contributes to avoid a common problem in death metal which is the blending of songs together. It's not the case with Verkligheten. Some tracks are fast and aggressive like "Arrival" , "Bleeder Despoiler" and "The Wolves Are Back in Town". Others heavily influenced by NFO like "Full Moon Shoals" (great 80's-like guitar riff), "The Nurturing Glance" (one of my favorite tracks, another great riff and the coolest guitar solo) and "The Ageless Whisper". "Stålfågel" (feat. Alissa White-Gluz) is very catchy and distinct due to the almost pop-music beat without loosing its heaviness. There's the groovy "Witan". And then, when the album could feel a bit long they cleverly included "Needles and Kin" (feat. Tomi Joutsen from Amorphis). It's a heavy and fast track with black- metal-like riff and Tomi's vocals fit very well.
I suspect Verkligheten will resonate very well with old and new Soilwork fans. Despite the recent changes, it looks like this formation has reached stability and creativity peak. People will recognize the musical elements this formation has created in the latest two albums, but they've taken the sound even further by trying new elements and not discarding the success of NFO. The first release of the year is already a contender to be among my top 10 albums of 2019.
Slaves of the Shadow Realm is the seventh studio album by Dutch extreme metal band Legion of the Damned. It is their second through Napalm Records and it comes 5 years after the label debut Ravenous Plague. I got to know them with that record. But they have come a long way, the band was formed in 1992 as Occult. In 2006, they changed their name to Legion of the Damned and released Malevolent Rapture. An interesting fact about the band: 6 of their 7 albums were released in the first week of January.
The five year wait was worth it because Slaves of the Shadow Realm is a no non-sense and fun thrash metal album. The Dutch quartet is highly influenced by their thrash masters German neighbors from Kreator, Destruction and specially Sodom. But Legion is far from being a copycat, they incorporate elements of Death and Black metal and some moments of Slayer, all to create their own sound.
While there's nothing new or revolutionary about Slaves of the Shadow Realm, it is a great joy to listen to it and you can feel that every song was well written to be performed live. That works well because the album is energetic and punchy. The riffs and tempo changes work magnificently. The vocals are harsh and yet understandable. And while there are no bad songs, I specially like the Slayer-influenced "Charnel Confession" featuring a fantastic high tempo groove. The single "Slaves of the Southern Cross" which fuses Slayer and Destruction to create a great slower tempo but even groovier monster song is another highlight. Other songs like the excellent "Nocturnal Commando" are furious and high speed thrash madness. Production wise, the band brings for the second time in a row producer Andy Classen and he presents an album with clear and clean production.
All and all, following the same vein as their previous records, Legion deliver with Slaves of the Shadow Realm a brutal thrash fest with unique flavor that should please old schoolers and become a neckbreaker live.
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