Between January 3rd and March 27th, there were some very decent releases that didn't get a full review but deserved my attention anyway.
MYSTIC PROPHECY Metal Division (01/10)
Mystic Prophecy is a power metal band from Germany. The highlight of this band is vocalist R.D. Liapakis who is the only founding member left. He has an unique voice with a cool drive and able to reach some high notes from time to time. Metal Division is already their 10th album. Mystic Prophecy is straightforward power metal with aggression, hooks and catchy melodies. A couple songs are borderline thrash and, thank God, no ballads. While it is a good album and none of the songs are bad, none are truly memorable either. It's a fun listen for power metal fans but for the most part very basic with low repeatability.
SONS OF APOLLO MMXX (01/17)
The 100th or so band from Mike Portnoy releases its second album just x year after the debut. This is another so called "supergroup" that Mike is part of. I didn't care for their debut, I thought it was disappointing given the caliber of the musicians involved. I mean I love all of them in previous bands but together it didn't bring anything new or exciting. MMXX is a step up but still very disappointing. I must the say the single and album pener "Goodbye Divinity" is great and I was really hoping for prog metal such as this track. "King Of Delusion" and the epic 16' closer "New World Today" kind of get me there again but for the rest, it's pretty basic stuff. I am not a fan of supergroups because they usually lack soul and a signature sound. I don;t know what SOA sound like except when it reminds us a bit of DT. In sum, it's a OK album and not a bad listen, but it's again underwhelming.
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THOUGHTS FACTORY Elements (01/24)
Elements is the sophomore release of the German prog-metal quintet band Thoughts Factory. I was caught by surprise with this release and I am happy I checked them out. The 10 power prog metal songs sound similar to Symphony X and Dream Theater (not the vocals though) but while metallic for the most part, there's also a deep influence of progressive rock (e.g. Ayreon). The production is acceptable, musicianship proficient and the music writing quite engaging, all leading to very memorable songs. I mostly enjoy the addictive melodies sang beautifully by Cornelius Wurth (the only new band member). My only criticism is that a couple of songs in the middle of the album go too slow and soft and the flow looses momentum. With this out of the way, it's a very good disc and a promising new band. For the fans of the aforementioned bands or prog rock/metal in general, I can only recommend this album.
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SHADOWQUEST Gallows of Eden (01/27)
Shadowquest is a power metal band from Örebro, Sweden formed as a sort of supergroup featuring Jari Kainulainen (Bass, ex-Stratovarius), Ronny Milianowicz (Drums), Peter Huss (Guitars), Ragnar Widerberg (Guitars, Witherscape), Kaspar Dahlqvist (Keyboards) and Patrik J Selleby (Vocals, Bloodbound). The debut full-length came out exactly 5 years ago making Gallows of Eden their sophomore LP. Excluding "I Want Out" (Helloween cover), the album features 10 tracks in 50 minutes. Previously they covered Priest's "Freewheel Burning". I must say their cover choices summarize their sound. High speed catchy power metal with traditional metal aggressiveness and melody. The keyboards add a bit of a Stratovarius element to the mix and the vocals are clean and high pitched (but to my taste not exaggerated). There's also a touch of progressiveness. Some songs are pure Priest inspired such as the opener "The Avenger", others Andi Deris era Helloween e.g. "Dr Midnight" and there's also a welcomed 90's era Maiden homage with the closer "The Kinsmen Awaits". Yes there's a lot of PM cliches musically and lyrically (e.g. like an eagle in the sky) but it's well written, executed and produced. For PM fans it's an interesting album worth checking.
SYLOSIS Cycle of Suffering (02/07)
Sylosis mastermind Josh Middleton has reactivated the band and returned with the long-anticipated new record. Cycle Of Suffering breaks the band's 3-year hiatus and it's the 5th studio album following up 2015's Dormant Heart. I honestly thought that after that record, they would take a even more progressive direction. But actually Cycle Of Suffering is pretty straight forward with subtle sparks of experimentation (e.g. the piano here and there). I also felt a hint of Architects influence as Josh is now the guitar player for that band as well. With that said, it still sounds authentic and trademark Sylosis. Melodic and proficient guitar work without getting over the top is one of the highlights. I also like how aggressiveness and melody meet each other. John can sound pissed off and at the same time create anthemic passages. Despite sounding a bit repetitive, it's a very good modern thrash meets metalcore album.
OZZY OSBOURNE Ordinary Man (02/21)
Ordinary Man, almost ten years after Scream, is the twelfth studio album by heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. This is exactly what you would expect from Ozzy, despite the guitar player Andrew Watt being unknown in the metal scene. For a band that had Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde, it can come as a disappointment but we do have the contributions from Slash and Tom Morello. And the super line-up doesn't stop there. The third single and title track features Elton John on piano and co-vocals. The rhythm section is formed by no one less than Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. All those guests bring a nice variability to the album. With that said, Ozzy sounds just like classic Ozzy, I mean it's hard to believe it's a 2020 recording. Most of the songs are very good, specially the first half of the album. But it looses some energy on the last 5 tracks. We must also highlight the orchestral arrangements and nice addition to his sound. Ordinary Man is not the best work from Ozzy, but it's good and given his age and health, quite impressive accomplishment.
H.E.A.T. H.E.A.T II (03/13)
H.E.A.T is a Swedish hard rock group strongly influenced by 80's melodic rock groups such as Whitesnake. I got introduced to the band when they were the opening act to Edguy in January 2009. At that point they only had their great self titled debut album out. Vocalist Kenny Leckremo left the band after it and somehow I lost track of the band. Now I got two independent recommendations from trusted sources to check H.E.A.T's new output, part II. It's kind of a perfect title for me since I skipped all the other albums in between H.E.A.T and H.E.A.T II. I'm quite impressed with this album, H.E.A.T continue to make text book AOR/Melodic Rock featuring strong emphasis on melody and anthemic choruses. The song writing while not original is fantstic and delivers on the promise. Super catchy and melodic and yet they manage to do so with enough heaviness to keep me interested, guitar solos and the impressive vocal performance from Erik Grönwall. There are a couple of slow tempo ballads in the later part of the album that are too soft for me, and that's my only criticism. I have a soft spot for 80's hard rock, call it guilty pleasure if you will, but it's really difficult to find a band that can execute this style with the right ingredients. H.E.A.T can do it like almost nobody else these days.
Mystic Prophecy is a power metal band from Germany. The highlight of this band is vocalist R.D. Liapakis who is the only founding member left. He has an unique voice with a cool drive and able to reach some high notes from time to time. Metal Division is already their 10th album. Mystic Prophecy is straightforward power metal with aggression, hooks and catchy melodies. A couple songs are borderline thrash and, thank God, no ballads. While it is a good album and none of the songs are bad, none are truly memorable either. It's a fun listen for power metal fans but for the most part very basic with low repeatability.
The 100th or so band from Mike Portnoy releases its second album just x year after the debut. This is another so called "supergroup" that Mike is part of. I didn't care for their debut, I thought it was disappointing given the caliber of the musicians involved. I mean I love all of them in previous bands but together it didn't bring anything new or exciting. MMXX is a step up but still very disappointing. I must the say the single and album pener "Goodbye Divinity" is great and I was really hoping for prog metal such as this track. "King Of Delusion" and the epic 16' closer "New World Today" kind of get me there again but for the rest, it's pretty basic stuff. I am not a fan of supergroups because they usually lack soul and a signature sound. I don;t know what SOA sound like except when it reminds us a bit of DT. In sum, it's a OK album and not a bad listen, but it's again underwhelming.
Shadowquest is a power metal band from Örebro, Sweden formed as a sort of supergroup featuring Jari Kainulainen (Bass, ex-Stratovarius), Ronny Milianowicz (Drums), Peter Huss (Guitars), Ragnar Widerberg (Guitars, Witherscape), Kaspar Dahlqvist (Keyboards) and Patrik J Selleby (Vocals, Bloodbound). The debut full-length came out exactly 5 years ago making Gallows of Eden their sophomore LP. Excluding "I Want Out" (Helloween cover), the album features 10 tracks in 50 minutes. Previously they covered Priest's "Freewheel Burning". I must say their cover choices summarize their sound. High speed catchy power metal with traditional metal aggressiveness and melody. The keyboards add a bit of a Stratovarius element to the mix and the vocals are clean and high pitched (but to my taste not exaggerated). There's also a touch of progressiveness. Some songs are pure Priest inspired such as the opener "The Avenger", others Andi Deris era Helloween e.g. "Dr Midnight" and there's also a welcomed 90's era Maiden homage with the closer "The Kinsmen Awaits". Yes there's a lot of PM cliches musically and lyrically (e.g. like an eagle in the sky) but it's well written, executed and produced. For PM fans it's an interesting album worth checking.
Sylosis mastermind Josh Middleton has reactivated the band and returned with the long-anticipated new record. Cycle Of Suffering breaks the band's 3-year hiatus and it's the 5th studio album following up 2015's Dormant Heart. I honestly thought that after that record, they would take a even more progressive direction. But actually Cycle Of Suffering is pretty straight forward with subtle sparks of experimentation (e.g. the piano here and there). I also felt a hint of Architects influence as Josh is now the guitar player for that band as well. With that said, it still sounds authentic and trademark Sylosis. Melodic and proficient guitar work without getting over the top is one of the highlights. I also like how aggressiveness and melody meet each other. John can sound pissed off and at the same time create anthemic passages. Despite sounding a bit repetitive, it's a very good modern thrash meets metalcore album.
Ordinary Man, almost ten years after Scream, is the twelfth studio album by heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. This is exactly what you would expect from Ozzy, despite the guitar player Andrew Watt being unknown in the metal scene. For a band that had Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde, it can come as a disappointment but we do have the contributions from Slash and Tom Morello. And the super line-up doesn't stop there. The third single and title track features Elton John on piano and co-vocals. The rhythm section is formed by no one less than Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. All those guests bring a nice variability to the album. With that said, Ozzy sounds just like classic Ozzy, I mean it's hard to believe it's a 2020 recording. Most of the songs are very good, specially the first half of the album. But it looses some energy on the last 5 tracks. We must also highlight the orchestral arrangements and nice addition to his sound. Ordinary Man is not the best work from Ozzy, but it's good and given his age and health, quite impressive accomplishment.
H.E.A.T is a Swedish hard rock group strongly influenced by 80's melodic rock groups such as Whitesnake. I got introduced to the band when they were the opening act to Edguy in January 2009. At that point they only had their great self titled debut album out. Vocalist Kenny Leckremo left the band after it and somehow I lost track of the band. Now I got two independent recommendations from trusted sources to check H.E.A.T's new output, part II. It's kind of a perfect title for me since I skipped all the other albums in between H.E.A.T and H.E.A.T II. I'm quite impressed with this album, H.E.A.T continue to make text book AOR/Melodic Rock featuring strong emphasis on melody and anthemic choruses. The song writing while not original is fantstic and delivers on the promise. Super catchy and melodic and yet they manage to do so with enough heaviness to keep me interested, guitar solos and the impressive vocal performance from Erik Grönwall. There are a couple of slow tempo ballads in the later part of the album that are too soft for me, and that's my only criticism. I have a soft spot for 80's hard rock, call it guilty pleasure if you will, but it's really difficult to find a band that can execute this style with the right ingredients. H.E.A.T can do it like almost nobody else these days.
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