Between October 4th and December 6th, there were some very decent releases that didn't get a full review but deserved my attention anyway.
GATECREEPER Deserted (10/04)
Gatecreeper caught me completely by surprise. I was not anticipating this release but after reading good reviews and listening to the video single, I got interested in it. I can't comment how this album relates to the 2016's debut album, but Deserted is the best new old/classic Death Metal (DM) album I heard recently. Surprisingly the album opens up with a NWOBHM-like intro as part of the title track that evolves into classic DM. Most tracks are groovy and mid-tempo such as the awesome "From the Ashes" sometimes flirting with Doom (e.g. "Sweltering Madness") and sometimes picking up on hardcore speed (e.g. "Ruthless"). If you want classic no-frills DM with touches of Hardcore, you came to the right album.
AIRBOURNE Boneshaker (10/25)
Here a fun game for you, while listening to the 5th Airbourne album, try to match each song and/or riff to an AC/DC song. The band has never hidden their AC/DC worship and their debut album 2007's Runnin' Wild was breath of fresh air displaying a very fun and competent version of good old 70's AC/DC. 2013's Black Dog Barking showed a bit of diversity and some other rock influences and I appreciated that. But by now the formula is wearing out and even the lyrics are not as fun as they used to be. Boneshaker is more of the same but it is fun. I'll continue to see Airbourne live as they put out a great show. I'll adjust my playlists accordingly and enjoy it very much. But a full album like this won't add much to me.
BLIND GUARDIAN TWILIGHT ORCHESTRA Legacy of the Dark Lands (11/08)
First things first, I thought it was a wise decision to launch this album with a slightly different band name. If you look on Spotify, it is not under the regular Blind Guardian discography. Why do I say that? Because despite the Blind Guardian feeling due to Hansi Kürsch vocals and similarity to their more symphonic songs, this is a soundtrack album and arguably not even metal. The most important musicians here are the Prague Filmharmonic and get this, there are no guitars whatsoever! With that aside, do I like it? Yes, I do. It sounds great and the band deserves a 10 out of 10 for the effort and ambitiousness. I can only imagine the complexity and hard work to put this all together.
It's impressive. Legacy of the Dark Lands is a concept album that takes a fusion of Nightfall and At the Edge of Time to a whole new level. It's a monumental project: 24 tracks in 75 minutes. But notice that 13 of them are narrations or short interludes. Which leaves us with 11 full anthems with unforgettable choruses. In that sense Hansi singing and the vocal melodies are pure Blind Guardian. On the other hand, I must say I spent 74 min waiting for those guitars to kick in and as they never did, I was left with a bittersweet taste.
STORMWARRIOR Norsemen (11/29)
This was quite a late surprise from a band that I did not know. But they have all the elements that make the part of my heart that melts for good power metal. We have Gamma Ray meets Iron Maiden with the spirit of Amon Amarth. And even though it reminds me a log of those bands, surprisingly it didn't bother me. It's well written, executed and catchy as hell. Songs like "Norsemen (We Are)", "Storm of the North" and "Odin's Fire" are already stuck in my head. The album follows my rules of a good album, just over 50 min, 8 proper songs, no ballads and even an 11 min epic closer. If you are into Viking Power Metal, you can't go wrong with this!
Gatecreeper caught me completely by surprise. I was not anticipating this release but after reading good reviews and listening to the video single, I got interested in it. I can't comment how this album relates to the 2016's debut album, but Deserted is the best new old/classic Death Metal (DM) album I heard recently. Surprisingly the album opens up with a NWOBHM-like intro as part of the title track that evolves into classic DM. Most tracks are groovy and mid-tempo such as the awesome "From the Ashes" sometimes flirting with Doom (e.g. "Sweltering Madness") and sometimes picking up on hardcore speed (e.g. "Ruthless"). If you want classic no-frills DM with touches of Hardcore, you came to the right album.
Here a fun game for you, while listening to the 5th Airbourne album, try to match each song and/or riff to an AC/DC song. The band has never hidden their AC/DC worship and their debut album 2007's Runnin' Wild was breath of fresh air displaying a very fun and competent version of good old 70's AC/DC. 2013's Black Dog Barking showed a bit of diversity and some other rock influences and I appreciated that. But by now the formula is wearing out and even the lyrics are not as fun as they used to be. Boneshaker is more of the same but it is fun. I'll continue to see Airbourne live as they put out a great show. I'll adjust my playlists accordingly and enjoy it very much. But a full album like this won't add much to me.
First things first, I thought it was a wise decision to launch this album with a slightly different band name. If you look on Spotify, it is not under the regular Blind Guardian discography. Why do I say that? Because despite the Blind Guardian feeling due to Hansi Kürsch vocals and similarity to their more symphonic songs, this is a soundtrack album and arguably not even metal. The most important musicians here are the Prague Filmharmonic and get this, there are no guitars whatsoever! With that aside, do I like it? Yes, I do. It sounds great and the band deserves a 10 out of 10 for the effort and ambitiousness. I can only imagine the complexity and hard work to put this all together.
It's impressive. Legacy of the Dark Lands is a concept album that takes a fusion of Nightfall and At the Edge of Time to a whole new level. It's a monumental project: 24 tracks in 75 minutes. But notice that 13 of them are narrations or short interludes. Which leaves us with 11 full anthems with unforgettable choruses. In that sense Hansi singing and the vocal melodies are pure Blind Guardian. On the other hand, I must say I spent 74 min waiting for those guitars to kick in and as they never did, I was left with a bittersweet taste.
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