Album Review: AYREON Transitus (9/25)

 

Released by Music Theories Recordings on September 25th, 2020

Quick Background

Ayreon, the brainchild of Dutch prog master Arjen Lucassen, was born two decades ago Arjen was suddenly and inexplicably overwhelmed by a compulsion to create rock-operas. Those rock-operas contain complex storylines and feature a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist. There's usually a high emphasis on female singers. Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays most of the instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside guest musicians. The artists on an Ayreon album are all carefully hand-picked by Arjen to be the perfect musical fit for the role he has in mind. Musically, Ayreon albums combine traditional rock instruments with digital synths and folk instruments. The Final Experiment is the debut studio album released in 1995. Since then 8 other albums were released including the 2017's The Source which was one of the top 3 albums of that year. So I do like this project a lot.

Transitus 

And now 2020 we get the new effort named Transitus with 22 songs (9 or 14 on Spotify CD1 and 13 CD2). The 10th studio album runs for 80 minutes. According to Arjen the lyrical content is inspired by supernatural movies such as The Others, The Changeling and Ghost. It focuses on a new story fusing a sci-fi theme with a gothic ghost story, partially set in the 19th century starring lead characters Abby and Daniel. In terms of musicians the album features Tommy Karevik (Kamelot) as Daniel and Cammie Gilbert (Oceans of Slumber) as Abby. The cast also features Simone Simons (Epica), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Joe Satriani, Marty Friedman, Johanne James (Threshold), Noa Gruman (Scardust), Marcela Bovio (MaYan), Caroline Westendorp (The Charm The Fury), Paul Manzi (Arena), Micheal Mills (Toehider) and Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium) amongst many others. 

Musically the album was inspired by the soundtrack composers John Carpenter (Halloween), Ennio Morricone (Once upon a Time in the West) and Jerry Goldsmith (Omen). I personally think that the music on the album is typical Ayreon and reminds me of Nightwish and Kamelot but specially this time it brings me back to Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. That's due to the heavy emphasis on keyboards but most notably because of the constant narrations. Transitus is narrated by one of the most iconic and recognizable voices in sci-fi history, most known from his eight-year stint as Doctor Who, Tom Baker. The usual drummer partner Ed Warby is not on this album and the chops were done by Juan van Emmerloot. Joost van den Broek on piano, electric piano, and electric organ is one of the musical foundations on the album.

Tom Baker sounds great on all his narrations. It really brings the theatrical feel to the album. The singer cast is not as jaw dropping as in some previous Arjen's works, but it is quite OK.  Tommy Karevik does a good job as the main character but I don't think it was his best performance. He is probably the singer to be heard the most here and therefore it reminds me of Kamelot at several moments, take "Daniel's Descent Into Transitus" for example, it's almost like a dark Kamelot song. As he did with Avantasia, Dee Snider delivered the goods and his song "Get Out! Now!" is one of the highlights on the album. Some other cool things, the Pink Floydian moments on "Fatum Horrificum" and "Two Worlds Now One". "Talk Of The Town" and "Hopelessly Slipping Away" bring on the folk influences and are very Nightwish-like. I also found the Marty Friedman's solo on "Message From Beyond" is pretty cool. Overall, there's a lot going on throughout the 80 minutes with some great moments and songs.

The Picky Guy

But, the album is too long with an extended number of narrations with some awkward lyrics at times. In Nightfall in Middle-Earth album, Blind Guardian opted to separate the narrations from the actual songs in different tracks. It's not the case here, so you can't easily skip the narrations. While it's fun to listen to all the 80 minutes with all of it a couple of times as full album and story but after several listens it gets very tiring for me. It's borderline theater play and I am not a big theater fan. And I was disappointed with my guitar hero's solo. Not the best Satriani solo.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Transitus is the most cinematic and outrageous album by Ayreon. For diehard fans, I think Transitus  will work and be well received. But for new comers there are better albums to choose from. I' giving it 77/100 so just enough to be considered a good album. It's certainly worth a try.

 SCORE: 77/100

Genre: Progressive Rock

Released by Music Theories Recordings on September 25th, 2020

Rating System*
99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

* slightly adapted on May 24th, 2020 due to statistical review
wordcount = 788

Album Review: HEATHEN Empire Of The Blind (9/18)

Released by Nuclear Blast on September 18th, 2020

Quick Background

Heathen is a thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area, active from 1984 to 1993 and again from 2001 onwards. They have gone through several line-up changes, leaving guitarist Lee Altus and singer Dave White as the only constant members in all studio albums. Heathen released two studio albums in the first phase: Breaking the Silence (1987) and Victims of Deception (1991). Then they went on a hiatus from 1993 until returning with the excellent The Evolution of Chaos in 2010. 

Empire of the Blind

Empire of the Blind is now the 4th studio album by Heathen. The album has been ten years on the making due to the guitar players being busy with Exodus. Apart for the intro and outro short tracks, the album features 10 proper metal songs in just about 45 minutes. That's at the limit of what I consider a good length for a metal album. So that's good news. I also like that the intro and outro song are related as they have the same harmony and melody which brings the album full circle. This intro "This Rotting Sphere" features a build up that is perfectly designed to open their shows. "The Blight" follows bringing on the aggressive speed combined with melody, it's pure old school Bay Area thrash metal. It's a fantastic thrash song with some amazing riffs, guitar solos and drum work. The almost 6-min long title track follows with an epic feel to it. It was the right choice for the title of the album. It's a great song and continues the musical path from the previous records. The guitar work is just great. It combines ferocious thrash riffs with a melodic guitar lines unearth the mix throughout the whole song. It made me think of early Iced Earth songs. "Sun in My Hand" uses similar ideas and it is more traditional heavy metal than thrash. The use of catchy melodies via the guitar phrasing or vocal lines is a constant throughout the album. "Blood to Be Let" and "The Gods Divide" are two other thrash jewels. It's also refreshing to hear a fully instrumental almost 6 min thrash song "A Fine Red Mist" 

At several moments Heathen can sound like their east coast peers from Anthrax specially in the near crossover songs such as "Dead and Gone" and "Devour". Unfortunately those don't really work for me. The production is quite contemporary and clear, the bass is locked in with the drums and it works well as the foundation, but it's never a highlight. The guitarwork and tone sound great though.

The Picky Guy

The album is a bit of a victim of its own success. I say that because the first two proper songs are so good that the ones that follow while good became a bit of a disappointment.  Not to mention the ballad "Shrine of Apathy" which is totally disposable and it really doesn't fit this album. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Empire of the Blind is a diverse album and while the roots are in the Bay Area Thrash scene, Heathen display influences from traditional heavy metal and crossover thrash metal. Musically they explored with mid tempo songs, a ballad and a instrumental song. Some of those worked, some didn't and overall their best songs here are the speedy thrashy ones. Empire of the Blind,  is not perfect but is a worthy 80/100 addition to Heathen's discography which I hope will growth much faster from now on. 

 

SCORE: 80/100

Genre: Thrash Metal

Released by Nuclear Blast on September 18th, 2020

Rating System*
99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

* slightly adapted on May 24th, 2020 due to statistical review
wordcount = 580

Top 10 Most Obscure Albums in my Collection (Part 1)

Avalanche - Here Comes The King (1994), 29 have in discogs.com

This album is an absolute jewel lost in the world of metal. It may be my favorite album on this list and the most obscure. It was a 1994 independent release. They were a quintet from Germany doing power/speed metal very similar to Helloween. At the time they filled the void between the Keepers and Master of The Rings. While not original, the song writing captivated me and the songs are very catchy. The vocal is unapologetic soaring high pitched. The album is front loaded, and too long, but the first half is brilliant. They are in the metal archives and the album can be found on youtube. I actually don't know how I found them or how I ordered the CD. But I am glad I did. 

Stream: https://youtu.be/XfyIUtM0jFY (not on Spotify)

For the fans of Helloween

Jackal - A Safe Look In Mirrors (1994), 89 have in discogs.com

Jackal  was a 4-piece  Power Metal band from Denmark who enjoyed some success in Europe and Japan. A Safe Look In Mirrors (and their 1993 album Vague Visions ), I remember ordering from Japan! It cost me a 'fortune'. A Safe Look In Mirrors is their 3rd album and my favorite, even if their best song is "There by the trees" is from Vague Visions. I remember those albums filling the void left by Maiden without Bruce/Adrian. Instrumentally they are more like Primal Fear, but the vocals are very similar to Bruce's. They put a touch of progressiveness into their power metal with a bit longer songs and mid-tempo passages. It's close to how Maiden sounded in Fear of The Dark. Unfortunately Vocalist Brian Rich (R.I.P. 2013) was replaced by Carsten Olsen in 1996 and band was dissolved some years later due to label difficulties. They are in the metal archives and the album can be found on youtube. 

Stream: https://youtu.be/9Hnz-0QM_ek (not on Spotify)

For the fans of Iron Maiden and Primal Fear

Time Machine - Act II - Galileo (1995), 120 have in discogs.com

Time Machine was a Prog Rock/Metal band from Italy and Act II - Galileo was their first full-length album. They were a five piece with the bass player also doing the keyboards. It'a an ambitious concept album full of instrumentals, samples, even a song with sax. Beautiful melodies and arrangements. It's a very cool mid-tempo prog album with a bit of atmospheric moments. Singer Folco Orlandini sounds a but like Andre Matos, but he didn't exaggerated on the high pitched screams. He did a great job here. Unfortunately he left the band before their second album which I didn't like. 

Stream here (not on Spotify)

For the fans of Dream Theater and Angra

Ivanhoe ‎– Symbols Of Time (1995), 170 have in discogs.com / 510 Monthly listeners on Spotify

Ivanhoe is one of the few still active bands on this list, they actually released an album in 2020! So I debated if they are really that obscure. Also, they can be found on Spotify albeit very small number of followers. This album is a bit buried in their page though. I must admit, it's not a perfect album, but it has some awesome moments. The opening title track is fantastic and it is what led me to get to know the band in the first place. I also own the album prior and the one after Symbols Of Time. The singer back then was Andy B. Franck who is still very active with Brainstorm. But here they were making a more progressive metal and not the power metal of Brainstorm. Franck in Ivanhoe uses less drive in his vocals and more high notes than he does in Brainstorm. The performance on "By A Feeling" is stunning. 

For the fans of Dream Theater and Fates Warning

Superior – Behind (1996), 202 have in discogs.com

Superior was a Prog Metal band from Germany formed in 1988 and releasing this full-length debut in 1996. They were a 6-piece with two guitars and keys. This album has some amazing songs, specially the first three. "Why" in particular is my favorite, a 9-min masterpiece with an amazing build-up. Ypu know it's good when the longest song comes as track 2 on the album. The vocalist delivers a fantastic performance. Superior sound something like the less complex songs from early Dream Theater. They released a couple more albums and split up at the end of 2007. They are in the metal archives and the album can be found on youtube. 

Stream: https://youtu.be/lVFKZCtLUtw

For the fans of Dream Theater 

Hollow ‎– Modern Cathedral (1998), 224 have in discogs.com / 96 Monthly listeners on Spotify

Hollow were a progressive power metal band from Sweden active from 95 to 98 releasing two albums and since 2018 a solo project by Andreas Stoltz (Vocals, Guitars). The debut Modern Cathedral featured three other band members and it's more power/traditional metal than progressive. It features 12 songs in 45 minutes. Despite the last few songs getting a bit boring, the first 2/3 of the album are great. It's just straightforward metal with incredible hooks. 

For the fans of Crimson Glory and Angel Dust

Artension ‎– Into The Eye Of The Storm (1996), 262 have in discogs.com / 584 Monthly listeners on Spotify

This is simply a magnificent album! Artension is a North American neoclassical progressive metal band, founded in 1993 by keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij. The band split up after recording seven albums from 1996 to 2004. I have some, if not all, of those albums. But their debut is still my favorite. The musicianship is superb, but instrumental interludes are not overdone. In addition, the band has also a good mix of melody and aggressiveness. John West is an amazing underrated singer and this album also features Mike Terrana on drums. It a prog metal class. 

For the fans of Dream Theater and Threshold 

Below ‎– Across The Dark River (2014), 404 have in discogs.com / 436

We turn gears to something very different within this list. First it's a rather recent album and it's an Epic Doom Metal from Sweden. Medium length and well-written songs with soaring clean vocals, doomy riffs and a love for Candlemass. While not really original, this band knows how to deliver epic doom. This is their first LP, the second one Upon a Pale Horse is a bit better but also got much more attention due to Metal Blade's promotion. For this list purpose I chose the debut. 

For the fans of Candlemass 

Scanner ‎– Ball Of The Damned (1997), 491 have in discogs.com / 2289

Scanner is a German power metal band and Ball of the Damned is the fourth full-length album. I may have another album from them somewhere but this one was the first. The album highlight is Ralf Scheepers guest vocals on "Puppet on a String", the album opener. So it's very confusing when the opening track is fully sang by a guest. In any case, the songs that follow with Leszek Szpigiel are also very good. The longest more progressive songs being the best ones.

For the fans of Gamma Ray and Vicious Rumors

Lethal ‎– Programmed (1990), 928 have in discogs.com / 1762

Programmed is the first album of two by American heavy metal band Lethal. This a fantastic metal album in the lines of early Queensryche and relatively know in the underground power metal scene. Despite being with Metal Blade, I have no idea why they didn’t get more exposure. This is the last hidden jewel on this list and for some the strongest. As with all of those 10 albums, better late than never.

For the fans of Queensryche and Crimson Glory

Reference point: 

54,063 have Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind in discogs.com and Iron Maiden has 5,786,974 monthly listeners in Spotify 

Album Review: SKELETAL REMAINS The Entombment Of Chaos (9/11)

 

Released by Century Media Records on September 11th, 2020

Quick Background

Californian death metal band Skeletal Remains was formed as Anthropophagy back in 2011, released two albums and in 2018, their acclaimed third record, Devouring Mortality. A good album and my intro to the band. Their sound is heavily influenced by the death metal legends of the 90’s, such as Pestilence, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Sepultura, and Cannibal Corpse. 

The Entombment Of Chaos

The Entombment Of Chaos is therefore the fourth album by Skeletal Remains. It continues the tradition of the previous record, 2018’s Devouring Mortality: Pure 90's Death Metal with a super modern clean production. The new effort runs for 44 minutes featuring 10 tracks, one being the instrumental intro which is a mix of horror movie soundtrack with sci-fi feel, and track six "Enshrined in Agony" which is also a short instrumental based on clean guitar phrasing. It's a nice break to catch some breath as it splits the album into two groups of 4 songs each.  From the single and second song "Illusive Divinity" (with its Slayer-ish guitar moments) to the track five "Tombs of Chaos" the album is an avalanche of furious paced Death Metal. Vocalist/guitarist Chris Monroy roars somewhere between Max Cavalera and Chuck Schuldiner. And the guitar riffs and solos are part of James Murphy school. 

Once again mixed by Dan Swanö, the album deserves to be enjoyed with good headphones. It sounds brilliant and the panning effects are often really cool to listen. "Synthetic Impulse" and the single "Congregation of Flesh" which is one of my highlights, showcase the production values clearly. 

On the second half, following the instrumental interlude, the single "Dissectasy" is another ear smashing song. And the slower Morbid Angel hommage "Eternal Hatred" creates a nice contrast to the rest of the album and it's one of the album's best. By the way, as in many moments in the album, what tasteful guitar solo on this one! Another great guitar song is "Tombs of Chaos". The furious "Unfurling The Casket" closes the album with style. I love the slow pace intro before it unleashes its fury. Finally the cover art is really great, not only the concept and drawing but also the color pallet is very distinctive.

The Picky Guy

My only real problem with the album is the lack of originality, it's nothing we haven't heard before. Yes, it's well written and executed and it sounds great, but so does tons of Death Metal classics from the 90's. And a touch of progressiveness and maybe more variability would make The Entombment Of Chaos even more appealing to me. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

If you want timeless and uncompromising death metal with class, look no further!  The Entombment Of Chaos is a relentless death metal punch in the face that will please any death metal fan (as long as you don't mind the lack of originality). Therefore I'm giving it 79/100, a good album which is at the same level to its predecessor. 

SCORE: 79/100
Genre: Death Metal

Released by Century Media Records on September 11th, 2020

Rating System*
99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

* slightly adapted on May 24th, 2020 due to statistical review
wordcount = 493

Album Review: STRYPER Even The Devil Believes (9/4)

 

Released by Frontiers Music srl on September 4th, 2020

Quick Background

Stryper is a southern California multi-platinum crossover Christian metal band. In 1983, they released their debut album The Yellow and Black Attack. In the mid-1980s, Stryper enjoyed their most successful period beginning with the release of To Hell with the Devil. Since returning from a 12-year hiatus in 2003, Stryper has managed to frequently release new music, including Fallen in 2015 which was a good album and God Damn Evil in 2018. The group's lineup consists of original members Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Robert Sweet (drums), and Oz Fox (guitar), plus the addition of seasoned bassist Perry Richardson (formerly of Firehouse). Stryper is recognized as the first openly Christian heavy metal band to gain recognition in the mainstream music world. But that's mainly due to the lyrics, if you would't know English, you can't really tell.

Even The Devil Believes

Stryper returns with their 13th studio album, Even the Devil Believes. the 11-track project is filled with the band’s signature riffs, catchy melodies and positive themes. Michael Sweet, who has served as the band’s primary songwriter since its inception in 1983 also produced the new album. It's only 47 min and easy to digest with short songs and relatively simple structures. Musically, Even The Devil Believes reminds me a lot of late 90's and early 2000's Yngwie Malmsteen with Mark Boals on vocals, but of course with less virtuosity and more focus on the vocals. Stryper's music is very melodic hard rock almost glam metal at times and it's loaded with high pitched vocals. The unpretentious but very effective guitarwork is one of the highlights. There are several cool heavy riffs in this album, right from the start, the opening riff of opener "Blood From Above" or in the single "Do Unto Others". Both being very good songs with heaviness, speed, great guitar work and high energy. There's no lack of very tasty guitar solos. The drums are locked well with the bass, and there are enough drum fills all over the album that keep things interesting.

From the title to the song flow, "For God & Rock 'n' Roll" has to be an homage to Kiss. But also some chugging guitar riffs here and in "Divider" actually made me think of Primal Fear. Meaning, Stryper can be borderline power metal at times and those for me are their best moments. Now I must say I was very skeptical when I saw the single song title "Make Love Great Again", but after a couple of listens, it's actually a cool hard rock song.

The production is OK, very clear and modern. I do love the guitar tone. It's very crunchy and dirty, with a low tone, it sounds really cool. But unfortunately apart from some exceptions the bass is mostly behind in the mix. Moreover,  there were several lost opportunities to have a cool bass line, for example in the title track and "For God & Rock 'n' Roll". Listen to FireHouse the debut album and you will see the difference. Hopefully, Perry will be better utilized in the next album. 

The Picky Guy

This is an easy one to be picky, of course that the lyrics are cheesy and weird at times. For the most part it didn't bother me much, but "This I Pray" (which sounds like Gotthard) and "Middle Finger Messiah" and some other moments are difficult to swallow. The other classic problem with hard rock albums is the mandatory and often boring ballads. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Even The Devil Believes first half  is very strong, with a good sequence of five hard rock hits. But the second half is a hit-and-miss due to the ballads (e.g. "This I Pray") and AOR influenced mellower tracks (e.g."Invitation Only" or "How To Fly"). Of course if Hard Rock and Glam Metal related music is not your thing, Stryper will likely not work for you either, but for those who are into those genres and don't mind the cheesy lyrics, put on your bee costume and Even The Devil Believes can be a lot of fun. 

SCORE: 79/100
Genre: Hard Rock

Released by Frontiers Music srl on September 4th, 2020

Rating System*
99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

* slightly adapted on May 24th, 2020 due to statistical review
wordcount = 679