Destrage is an Italian progressive metalcore band, formed in 2002. Prior to The Chosen One, they released four studio albums. I came in contact with the band when they were touring to promote their previous album A Means to No End (2016). Destrage makes modern metal, very progressive and eclectic. It's actually very difficult to label them within any other genre. There are elements of metalcore/mathcore/djent in the lines of Periphery and The Dillinger Escape Plan, but also Death/Thrash Metal, Industrial, Hard Rock, among others.
The Chosen One is one of those rare cases of progressive music executed in short songs. The album is only 38 minutes, all tracks except the closer "The Gifted One" are around the 4:30 minute mark. But a lot happens in those few minutes of each track. It's a roller-coaster with ups and downs even within a song. The single and opener title track is a good example, the song is aggressive and yet catchy. It feels like a blend of Avenge Sevenfold and German thrash metal. The song opens with a cool guitar riff full of licks, a tool that the band uses at other moments. Musicianship in general is one of the albums highlight. Not only the guitars but also the drums and of course singer Paolo Colavolpe who is very versatile and supports the band with their genre gymnastics. The chaotic "Mr. Bugman" closes with an almost Pink Floyd like instrumental session. That's how far their eclectic tendencies go. There are some very heavy moments on the album like "At the Cost of Pleasure" that opens like a Meshuggah song but Destrage somehow manages to perfectly blend it with their soft side. The more accessible side of the band is clear with "Hey, Stranger!" and its almost pop chorus. "Rage, My Alibi" is the song with the most pronounced use of industrial samples. All in all, every of the 8 songs is very unique uses different tools. For a progressive music fan like me, this is all very positive. The one criticism I have is that The Chosen One looses some steam in its last third part.
The Chosen One is a fantastic piece of modern metal. Destrage blends many music styles in a way that actually works. I can't praise them enough for accomplishing that while keeping the songs short and catchy and balancing heaviness and accessibility.
SCORE: 79/100
DR: 5
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Released by Metal Blade on May 24th, 2019
Full of Hell is an American grindcore band formed in 2009. Trumpeting Ecstasy, their third studio album, was met with positive reviews when released two years ago. I personally put it in my top 15 albums of 2017. I do like some grindcore bands and albums, but it's not my go-to metal. So as one of the few I do like, I had high expectation for their fourth studio album, and Relapse debut, Weeping Choir. But also unsure if they would continue the same musical path.
At first look, it seems that it does. As it was the case with its predecessor, Weeping Choir features 11 tracks in 25 minutes. The album starts with the same brutality and the first three songs display that voracious headbanging metal madness that I remember. "Thundering Hammers" impressed me the most for its fantastic groove. The album is dynamic with pauses, samples, tempo changes and two vocal styles. The slow tempo, dark and long song, "Armory of Obsidian Glass" is a haunting tune and very interesting example of this dynamic applied well. Full of Hell use of electronics and samples is accentuated in Weeping Choir and that's something that I generally don't appreciate much. One of the only songs above 3 minutes "Rainbow Coil" is just noise samples, I had to skip it. The good news for me is that "Aria of Jeweled Tears" follows it with a good usage of samples (machine guns?) in a song that could be mistaken with The Black Dahlia Murder. "Silmaril" on the other hand focus more on deep low guttural vocals bringing this fantastic contrast and dynamic that Full of Hell do so well. The most brutal jazz song award goes to "Ygramul The Many", a subtle homage to The Dillinger Escape Plan.
This was not an album that I appreciated in the first couple of spins. And it didn't have the same impact that Trumpeting Ecstasy had on me. However, it's very easy to listen to it repeatedly due to its dynamic and short length. Later on it started to grow on me, so give it some time. There's no doubt that the album is explosive and pissed, but also very dynamic and full of interesting details. At the end of the day Weeping Choir is a worthy addition to Full of Hell discography and it certainly kept me interested in this growing band.
SCORE: 80/100
DR: 5
Genre: Grindcore
Released by Relapse Records on May 17th, 2019
Fates Warning is one of my favorite bands of all times. Here you can find my Fates Warning discography review. Guitarist Jim Matheos has been its driving force for thirty-five years and John Arch was the original front-man of that band singing in the first three albums. That includes 1986's Awaken the Guardian, one of the most celebrated masterpieces of progressive metal. Twenty-five years after Arch left Fates Warning, the duo released 2011's Sympathetic Resonance under the Arch/Matheos banner. It's hard to believe it's been 8 years! But the wait is over. They have reunited to follow that record up with Winter Ethereal. The fantastic and unique guitar playing and music writing from Jim Matheos is obviously the strong anchor of the album. Matheos keeps the music not too far from the Fates Warning sound. However, collaborating with John Arch brings a different side to Matheos music, as he would say himself, for Arch/Matheos "more is more". For starters, the album is long and the songs complex. Arch likes to sing over complicated parts and creates crazy melody lines. Winter Ethereal actually displays some of the best melody lines I've ever heard from the duo. The second pillar that defines Arch/Matheos sound is Arch's high pitched voice and impressive range. As a classic "love or hate" situation, his singing style is not for everyone though. But for us on the love side, it's so good to see that after all those years we still get new material from Arch. Despite the fact that he is turning 60 this year, he continues to go strong and even improving his performance and unique tone.
Another welcomed change that brought diversity to the music is the musicians supporting the duo. As opposed to the first album, for this one the duo assembled a lineup featuring not only of present and former Fates Warning drummers and bassists (Joey Vera, Bobby Jarzombek, Joe Dibiase and Mark Zonder) but also other noted musicians, such as Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Testament), Cynic‘s Sean Malone, and drummer Thomas Lang (stOrk). Frank Aresti is also back to perform a couple of guitar solos.
Winter Ethereal features nine tracks and clocks in at almost seventy minutes. The only song below the 6-ish minute mark is the first single "Straight and Narrow" with 4:20. A fast paced and heavy track featuring some awesome drumming. The album opens with a nine-minute masterpiece "Vermilion Moons" that exemplifies the brilliance of the whole album. From the get go, the creativity and uniqueness of their sound is clear. The song starts with a cool heavy guitar riffs and instead of drums and bass to join immediately after, we first get a second guitar playing a clean arpeggio! Certainly not what I expected. Then the beautiful singing followed by some very cool drum fills. Overall the song is heavy, with ups and downs and full of those very interesting guitar layers and superb drumming. The vocal melody foreshadows what's seen in the whole album: very interesting, complex and yet catchy and melodic. You will immediately feel compelled to get the lyrics and start singing along. All the eight songs that follow keep the same quality level and I wouldn't cut any out. Some shorter songs are more on the fast pace and heavy side like the single discussed, "Wanderlust", and "Solitary Man". "Tethered" is a welcomed beautiful melodic and slow song that helps us catch some breath. The other tracks are longer, progressive and full of interesting details. The guitar solo duel in "Never in Your Hands" is just an amazing call back to Maiden's Smith/Murray old days. The guitar tone on "Wrath of the Universe" makes the guitar solo sound almost like a saxophone. Then the 13-min closer "Kindred Spirits" is full of heavy and beautiful moments, also some great solos and overall an emotional ending proclaiming John's love for animals.
I don't have much to complain about Winter Ethereal. The production is clear and well mixed, but it's a bit on the loud side. Yes, it could be shorter and it violates my rule of max length by 13 minutes. But I don't really know where to cut it. Other than that, this is one of the best sonic experiences I had this year and Winter Ethereal is already a strong contender for album of the year. The guitar work, the emotions, the powerful and catchy singing, the song writing and drumming are all perfectly combined in a unique display of emotion and uncompromising creativity that only Arch/Matheos can deliver.
SCORE: 85/100
DR: 6
Genre: Progressive Metal
Released by Metal Blade on May 10th, 2019
Myrath (meaning “legacy” in Arabic ) is a progressive power metal band from France and Tunisia. This may be my first metal record from the African continent. The band’s first album Hope was released in 2007 but it was with 2016's Legacy that they received high international acclaim.
Evolving from a cover band in Tunisia, later Myrath found their own unique sound, a mix between Power Metal and traditional Tunisian music (meaning, Arabian flavor sounds and sometimes even some lyrics). Except for some drummer changes, the line-up has been the same since their second album.
Now Myrath is back with 12 new tracks in the form of Shehili. The album opener is a clear statement, an Arabian chant that flows seamlessly into "Born to Survive" with violins and percussion. But then the drums and guitars kick in and deliver an energetic, bombastic power metal hymn. "You've Lost Yourself" follows and maintain the same vigor. The first tracks already show that singer Zaher Zorgati, who made an appearance in 2017's AyreonThe Source, delivers a strong performance which is sustained throughout the album. He has a distinct and beautiful voice that resembles Gotthard's late Steve Lee.
While the Arabian/regional music influences are all over the band's sound, in tracks such as "Dance", "Monster in My Closet", "Mersal" and "Shehili" this influence and instruments are particularly prominent and on the foreground. Myrath is able to do so in a natural way and it does not feel like gimmick. For me personally, it does help that I am slightly familiar with this sound due to my trips through the region. But their sound is much richer than just that. The band mention that while always sounding like Myrath, they look for new influences and experiment constantly. One example is "Wicked Dice" which seems like a direct influence from touring with Symphony X. In an elegant and unique way, not only the great guitar riff but also the singing reminds me of the great prog masters. Even though mostly labeled as progressive, Myrath does not overuse instrumental passages or solos. But when the solos exist, they are excellent. The best example is on "Darkness Arise". I actually wished that the guitar and keys solo would've been significantly extended.
Formed in 1992, Sweden's celebrated Viking overlords Amon Amarth became modern metal greats slowly evolving from humble origins. It took quite some time but 2008's Twilight Of The Thunder God album cemented their popularity. The band's stage show evolved with each successive tour, transforming into one great spectacle while the band climbed up the festival lineups, sometimes even headlining them. Over 25 years into their career, Amon Amarth has maintained a very stable lineup (except for the drummers, currently Jocke Wallgren is number five). Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and history, and so they have been linked with viking metal, although musically they are referred to as melodic death metal. I personally think that despite the death metal vocals, their sound since 2002's Versus The World is mostly traditional heavy metal. Since then, the production has been very clean and polished and the music very consistent album after album.
In 2019, Amon Amarth bring their 11th studio album, Berserker, comprising 12 Viking metal anthems full of irresistible melodic hooks, twin guitars and amazing guitar riffs. The album was produced by Jay Ruston who has been at the helm of recent works from Anthrax, Stone Sour, Steel Panther, and Uriah Heep. A change from the last two concept albums that were in the hands of Andy Sneap (now touring with Judas Priest). This marks the first album by the band to feature drummer Wallgren who joined the band in 2016. The fact that they moved from a session drummer to a very competent full band member really shows. The drumming was actually the first thing that impressed me on this album. All over the album the drumming is relentless and full of great drum fills. The intro of "Wings of Eagles" is a great example. Or the fantastic single "Raven's Flight" and the instrumental segment culminating with the 3:47 drum fill, it's all just great.
Berserker is an album full of trademark Amon Amarth and because they are such a good and growing live band, you can hear how well crafted the album is for live performances. From the get-go you want to bang your head and pump your fist. Take "Shield Wall" for example, it will certainly work amazingly live. Singer Johan Hegg has mentioned Iron Maiden as an influence in this aspect. Another influence from the Brits is the good use of the twin guitars. One evolution from earlier albums is the different guitars melodies played under verses and choruses. I also noticed more variability of the riffs within a song.
The only criticism is that the band is starting to repeat themselves. This issue is more evident in Berserker than previouslybecause it is one of their longest albums. The first seven songs are all relatively short, powerful and fast tempo metal hymns, in other words, very similar to each other. It's only with "The Berserker at Stamford Bridge", the pseudo title track, that we get an epic mid-tempo song to give the album another flavor. The album closer "Into the Dark" also brings back this side of the band. I also liked that the last two albums had guest singers to bring some variability but that's not the case here.
For the fans who like consistency and want Amon Amarth to continue to produce similar albums, you can't go wrong with Berserker . For others it may sound a bit repetitive and too familiar. My verdict: It could have a bit more experimentation and cut some fat, but it doesn't hurt the overall quality. It's still a good Amon Amarth album. Very well written (within their trademark sound), executed and produced. It features some future live favorites and confirms Mr. Wallgren as an excellent drummer for the band. Vikings raise the shield wall and your horns!
SCORE: 78/100
DR: 6
Genre: Melodic Death/Viking Metal
Released by Metal Blade on May 3rd, 2019
