TRIBULATION Where the Gloom Becomes Sound | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Century Media Records on January 29th, 2021

Quick Background

Tribulation are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in 2005. In early 2009, the band released its debut studio album. In 2015, they released their third full-length studio album Children of the Night which showed a departure from the death metal sound of their first two albums, drawing significantly on traditional heavy metal, black metal, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, as well as the occult and supernatural mythology. This album caught a lot of attention and it was a turning point for the band. Then in 2018 Down Below received worldwide critical acclaim and also won a Grammis award in the group's home country. 

Where the Gloom Becomes Sound

The fifth studio album release, Where the Gloom Becomes Sound isn't representative of a monumental change. It follows the path from the last two albums and it's immersed in the world of myth and magic. A dark and melancholic collection of ten tracks in 49 minutes. The album's elegant cover artwork features a statue by Fernand Khnopff from the 19th century. 

Musically, the almost 7-min "In Remembrance" perfectly opens the album. It borrows a lof from black n' roll but it's also epic, moody, haunting and featuring a super catchy chorus. I can picture in my head this song opening their live set. Most of the album sustain the expectation set by the opening track. For example the singles "Hour of the Wolf" and "Funeral Pyre" display the same intensity and both are groovy uptempo headbangers. "Funeral Pyre" specifically features a more intricate guitarwork that catches the attention. "Leviathans" which was the first single off the album, while on the same lines is also mixing well melancholy with up tempo beat. It's more of a Goth Rock song on the lines of what Sisters of Mercy would sound with a  black metal singer. Other deep cuts feature the same vibe such as the short and direct "Elementals".       

The short instrumental on piano "Lethe" splits the album in two and serves as a breath catcher before we dive into the NWOBHM inspired "Daughter of the Djinn" which features some cool drumming and guitarwork. "The Wilderness" closes the album with almost 7 minutes of a proggier track with a nice build-up. 

Overall, I like the haunting production with just enough reverb while still sounding modern. All instruments clear in the mix, so that's another plus. Johannes Andersson's voice is the perfect match for their music. The guitarwork while not stunning is very wel-done with some very nice moments.

The Picky Guy

One criticism could be the lack of differentiation or evolutions from the previous two album. But why changing a winning team? Well more on that later. For me specifically "Dirge of a Dying Soul" and "Lethe" sequence while not bad, always makes me drift away from the album. Maybe because the songs before and after are much more upbeat and heavier, this slow sequence is not working for me. Then "Inanna" feels like part two of  "Dirge of a Dying Soul" and also doesn't stack up to the rest of the album.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Jonathan Hultén did the bulk of the songwriting on this album, and surprisingly in December the guitarist left the band he started after 16 years. That leaves us with a big question mark where the band is going. Maybe this will force Tribulation  to evolve their sound and incorporate other influences. For now, if you enjoyed their last two albums,  Where the Gloom Becomes Sound is just a big pleasure to listen to. Tribulation makes Black Metal without blast beats and highly influenced by gothic rock in a way that's quite unique and satisfying. So I'm giving it 82/100, a  very good effort from an ascending band that deserves our attention. 

SCORE: 82/100

Genre: Gothic Metal

Released by Century Media Records on January 29th, 2021

Rating System

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

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THERION Leviathan | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

 

Released by Nuclear BlastRecords on January 22nd, 2021

Quick Background

Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. Its name was inspired by the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion. "To Mega Therion" is Greek for "The Great Beast". Originally a death metal band, Therion adjusted its musical style by adding orchestral elements, including choirs, classical musicians, and even a full orchestra at their concert performances. As a result, they are considered pioneers of the symphonic metal genre. 1996's Theli is their masterpiece and one of my favorite albums of all times. But its 1998's Vovin their most commercially successful album. 

Leviathan

Leviathan is the 17th album from the Sweden's symphonic metal pioneers. Named after a giant sea monster from Judeo-Christian myth that has roots in Babylonic lore, Leviathan follows up the massive triple concept album and rock opera Beloved Antichrist (2018). Leviathan is a direct reaction to the complexity of the last few albums. It's a simple, straightforward album, 11 relatively short songs in just 45 minutes. Band leader and mastermind Christofer says "it is the first album that we have deliberately packed with Therion hit songs." The album doesn't bring anything really new, it rather brings us back to their own sound from the most popular songs from their late 90's albums. It's the truly definition of fan service, but I must say it does work. I mean, the songs are catchy, crunchy, full of amazing vocal performances from both male and female singers. Thomas Vikström is the main singer being present in 8 of the 11 tracks. From the get go, you can hear his powerful voice during the upbeat groovy album opener. "The Leaf on the Oak of Far" is power metal-ish, symphonic and a very nice start. Taida Nazraić is Serbian guest singer that brings a Nightwish/Epica kind of vibe to three songs "Tuonela" , "Die Wellen der Zeit" and "Ten Courts of Diyu". "Tuonela" in particular is one of the best songs of the album, Thomas and Taida not only make a nice duo but we also have ex-Nightwish Marco Hietala laying down some very cool vocal lines for the chorus. We also hear Taida on "Die Wellen der Zeit" which is what we could call a symphonic ballad. Finally she also sings on the closer "Ten Courts of Diyu". One of the longest songs on the album with almost 6 minutes is another song that reminds me of Nightwish/Epica. It's a mellow way to close the album. In the title track we hear a call back to the Crowning of Atlantis album. It's a mid paced song with no male singers and very symphonic. The choir dominates and Lori delivers her soprano vocals on top of it. "Nocturnal Light" follows the same lines but with more trading vocals. 

But we also get plenty of aggressive and bombastic songs. "Eye of Algol" is another powerful, high speed and groovy song. Probably my second favorite on the album. "Great Marquis of Hell" is the shortest song on the album. Here Thomas takes again the center stage and deliver a powerful and melodic power metal anthem. We hear some influences from Secret Of The Runes in the high tempo "Aži Dahāka". And on track number 9 "Psalm of Retribution" we are blessed with the contribution of the great Mats Levén who of course worked with the band several times in the best (live and studio). It's another cool song with lots of trading vocals and some ups and downs. In terms of diversity, the song "El Primer Sol" brings some interesting lyrics in Spanish sang very powerfully by Thomas. 

Christian Vidal does a good job with the lead guitars. Not a guitar album, but when needed he is there to deliver it effectively. And the production is clear and modern supporting the bombastic nature of the band's sound. Thomas Ewerhard who worked with some of my favorite bands and album covers from Amon Amarth and Avantasia to Kreator and Vanden Plas blessed us with another fantastic mythic album art.

The Picky Guy

If you are Therion fan since Theli, you can't really complain about Leviathan. The only obvious criticism is the fact they are copying themselves. But even that is unfair as those are well written and have character. I personally do prefer the more powerful bombastic songs instead of ballads and mid tempo songs. But that's just me. Not a real issue.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Therion revisits their roots with Leviathan. A straightforward Therion album full of potential new fan favorites. While not bringing new ideas, it's a powerful, bombastic collection of songs with a good level of variability and dynamism. Several guest singers, tempo changes, lyrics in different languages, all those choices make the album very interesting and each song has its own character. I'm giving it 82/100 a very good album for long time fans. For those who never got into this band, Leviathan won't change your mind. 

SCORE: 82/100

Genre: Symphonic Metal

Released by Nuclear Blast Records on January 22nd, 2021

Rating System

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

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2020 Best Metal Albums Ranked: The Year-End List of All Lists

 As always the "listmania" tradition continues to inflate the internet and magazines around the world during the months of November, December and up to January. And I love them! I have compiled and aggregated 22 "best of 2020" lists that came out in the those months by major blogs and magazines. Most of those are metal focused publications from the USA/UK. But I diversified by including German, Dutch, Swedish, Canadian metal publications as well. Also by including prog and classic rock lists. 

Aardschok (NL)

AMG

BraveWords (CAN)

Classic Rock

Consequences Of Sound

Decibel

Guitar World

Heavymusichq.com

Kerrang!

laut.de

Metal Hammer DE

Metal Hammer UK

Metal Injection

Metal Sucks

Pop Matters (prog and metal)

PROG Magazine

Revolver

Sonic Perspectives

Stereogum 

Sweden Rock

Ultimate Classic Rock

I took the top 10 of each list and assigned 10 points to number 1, 9 to number 2 and so forth. So 10th place got one point. The album had to appear in a minimum of 3 lists to qualify with one exception. 

My conclusions were that the trend is similar from the last few years but with one difference. While individual lists are very diverse, when you aggregate them the big names do well (AC/DC in 2020). With that said, 2020 was, also in this case, a different year. Not many big names released albums. Then you have the critics darlings such as Deftones and Code Orange doing well. But also since many of the lists are US/UK focused they are biased towards alt rock and Nu-metal type of music. And finally the heavier, more underground and newer bands that everyone seems to include in their list. This year the chosen ones being Imperial Triumphant and Anaal Nathrakh. 

So the number one album of the year was a surprise to me, not because I don't like it, it was actually my number 7. But it's not the type of music I'd see doing well in so many diverse lists. Maybe it's because it reflects the darkness of 2020 while being quite catchy. Paradise Lost was by far the favorite album of 2020 aggregated list with 69 points appearing in 9 lists of the 22. They headed 3 lists (laut.de, MHDE, heavymusichq.com) and also 2nd place in other 3 (Sweden Rock, BraveWords, Sonic Perspectives). No other album was anywhere close to this performance.

Second place is already a significant drop Deftones with 49 points appearing in 6 lists. 2 times as number one (Revolver and MHUK) and 2 times as number 3 (COS, Kerrang). Very close to them was AC/DC with 47 points heading two lists (Sweden Rock, Classic Rock). 

Other two bands appeared in 6 lists: Code Orange heading 2 (Metal Injection, Kerrang) and Imperial Triumphant heading one (Pop Matters) almost tied for 4th place with 44 and 43 points respectively.  

Number 7 in my aggregated list was the second most frequent album: Katatonia appearing in 7 lists. However, they collected 31 points, so on average they appeared a lot but usually not at the top of the lists. Their best performance was number 3 in two lists (BraveWords, Aardschok). The opposite happened to  Eternal Champion, the number 20 is the only one to appear in less than 3 lists. But as number one (Stereogun) and two (Decibel). Number 10, Anaal Nathrakh was another effective one, they collected 26 points from only 3 lists, but heading one (AMG) and third place in two (MetalSucks and Metal Injection).  

Other than AC/DC, two non-metal acts made the list Fish (n 11) and Pearl Jam (n 18), that's because they were really strong in the non-metal lists. 

Only 5 albums of the aggregated list did not appear in my personal list: Imperial Triumphant, Fish, Oranssi Pazuzu, Pearl Jam, and Eternal Champion. I probably should give Imperial Triumphant and Oranssi Pazuzu another try. Fish and Eternal Champion didn't appeal to me and  Pearl Jam is not really my thing so didn't even try. My number 1 Spirit Adrift appeared in 16th place with 14 points and mentioned in 4 lists. The aggregated number 1 Paradise Lost was my 7th place. You can check my personal list video on the link below.

Here's the full list aggregating 22 lists into one:

Some runner ups: Sepultura, Dool, Paysage d’Hiver, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX and Pallbearer.

Now, focus on 2021! Bye 2020. 

VOODOO CIRCLE Locked & Loaded | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

 

Released by AFM Records on January 15th, 2021

Quick Background

Voodoo Circle is a German hard rock/heavy metal band founded in 2008, as a project of guitarist Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear) who had the idea to re-think his personal vision of music, making songs more based on his early influences, such as Whitesnake, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple and Rainbow. In 2020, band boss, guitarist and main songwriter Alex Beyrodt gathered singer David Readman (Pink Cream 69), bass player Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner) and drummer Markus Kullman (Glenn Hughes, among others). I find Voodoo Circle first two albums quite nice with some memorable cool songs. But after that I lost touch, the last album 2018's Raised On Rock with singer Herbie Langhans on vocals did not appeal to me. Now with  David Readman back, let's see what Voodoo Circle brings.

Locked & Loaded

Locked & Loaded is Voodoo Circle's sixth album. It features 11 tracks in 53 minutes.  A bit too long for my taste but not that bad. Overall, no surprises or material changes are presented to us by Locked & Loaded. In the last few records Voodoo Circle has really doubled down on almost being almost a Whitesnake cover band. David Readman more often than not sounds just like Coverdalle. Is that a bad thing per se? Of course not, Readman is a great singer paying homage to a legendary singer. But it does get repetitive and frustrating. 

"Flesh & Bone" is nice opener. Very energetic, great drumming and very nice guitar solo. The same goes for one of my favorites "Straight for the Heart". Additionally Voodoo Circle shine when they go a bit more progressive. For example, I really enjoy the groove of "Magic Woman Chile" certainly another one of my favorites. Then "Devil's Cross", the longest track on the album, is one of the only that brings me back to the first albums. It's mid tempo almost Sabbath-like and it moves away from the Coverdalle complex. Great song. Still with the longer songs, "Wasting Time" is another highlight. 

Previously I liked when they bring the bluesy elements into the forefront like in "This Song Is For You". Unfortunately this song reminds me too much of "Still Got the Blues (For You)" by Gary Moore and it drives me crazy! I can't listen to it. 

The Picky Guy

Despite being a well executed and produced album. The resemblance to Whitesnake is too strong and bothers me. The song writing is not consistent and some musical choices didn't stick the landing. For example, the title track has good moments but that happy keys' sound irritates me. And then the ballad, yes...the only good thing about the ballad "Eyes Full of Tears" is the melodic guitar solo, other than that a skippable ballad. One constant positive aspect of the album is the guitar solos. They are always very well though and executed. For example "This Song Is For You" has a very bluesy long and melodic solo. By the way, not a fan of the album cover, it looks like a Malmsteen live album.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Voodoo Circle makes a melodic hybrid of hard rock and melodic metal with some bluesy elements. I must confess that the best thing about this album was to take me back to listen to their first two albums. Those records had better songwriting and more character. Since them, Voodoo Circle has become too much a copy of Whitesnake but luckly with some sparks of creativity. With that said, it's still a fun record to listen to. The songs I highlighted are very good and would go hand-in-hand with their early material. You can't go wrong with Voodoo Circle when trying to have a good hard rocking time. Since the good points outweighed the bad by a bit, I am giving it 77 / 100. Just enough to still be considered a good album. It's worth checking it out. 

SCORE: 77/100

Genre: Hard Rock

Released by AFM Records on January 15th, 2021

Rating System

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

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MIDNIGHT SPELL Sky Destroyer | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

 Released by Iron Oxide Records on January 8th, 2021

Quick Background

Born amidst the Miami underground, Midnight Spell makes pure heavy metal in its truest form. Founded in 2017, the band has the mission to "carry the torch of real heavy metal and push the boundaries of the genre to its limits". The five-piece band has a traditional line-up with two guitars and a frontman. The drummer Brian Wilson is currently also part of the Yngwie Malmsteen's band. 

Sky Destroyer

Sky Destroyer is the debut album by the heavy metallers from south Florida. Nine songs in 41 minutes is a structure that pleased me from the get go. The other thing on their favor releasing the album on the 2nd week of the year when the competition for our ears is very limited. And spoiler alert, I am happy they did because Sky Destroyer was a very pleasant surprise. When I was preparing the listen to the album opener and single "Blood for Blood" I thought 'ok another new wave of traditional heavy metal from the USA with good song writing but boring mid-rangy vocals and very flat sound'. To my surprise the song opens with Paolo Velazquez delivering a high pitched scream that reminds me of Bruce Dickinson on "Be Quick of Be Dead". Throughout the song and album, Paolo balances mid range phrases and high pitched screams. With that said, the vocal performance on the opener is my favorite on the album. Overall both from a singing and musical perspective Sky Destroyer feel like an album part of the early US heavy metal movement. Meaning you hear the clear influences of Queensryche, Fates Warning and specially Riot. The lyrics cover several topics but mainly fantasy, swords and kingdoms and also heavy metal itself.

The opener and single is a jewel of a metal song. The guitarwork reminds me of Hammerfall but at a higher technical level. So some of the riffs are quite catchy and technical. Both Cooper and Hammer can solo, so in this song and during the whole album, they use trading guitar solos in the best Iron Maiden style. It's worth highlighting that the the guitarwork is quite good throughout the album with fun and interesting riffs (e.g. "Between the Eyes") and technical guitar solos (e.g. title track). 

Tracks two to four are short 3 to 4 minutes songs that use simplicity to deliver the catchy hard rock anthems "Between the Eyes", "Lady of the Moonlight" and "Midnight Ride." The title track while also short and direct, it's a bit different. It features a nice drum intro and it's a speed metal song. It's also one of the few times when Paolo uses more drive on his vocal performance. The last 3 songs differ a bit from the first half of the album as they are more dynamic and around the 6 min mark each. "Cemetery Queen" for example is a darker doomy song. It's a great song that made me think on early Helloween. The last song is about heavy metal, but very few band pull it off, in that case it didn't work so well, but it is not a big problem.

The Picky Guy

Despite the claim that they will "push the boundaries of the genre to its limits", Midnight Spell do not bring anything new to the table. Besides great song writing, what they do right is what they love. Not many bands do that well when it comes to over-the-top unapologetic heavy metal with hints of power metal. Another point, the bright and clean production worked well and the album sound ok, even the bass can be heard nicely (e.g. "Cemetery Queen" or the mid tempo "To the Stars"). But at moments, it sounded to me that the treble was too high. It's not really a problem, but half way through the album we get the instrumental "Mercy" which doesn't add much to nor damage the overall album experience. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

At first I was thinking this is sounding good but if they go for 60 minute album with fillers and power ballads, it will ruin it. To my delight they didn't! They kept the ideal format of about 45 min and around 8 songs. Perfect! And no ballads whatsoever. I'll take an instrumental over a ballad anytime! In a year that started no different than the crappy 2020, Midnight Spell was a very nice surprise to kick-off the 2021 reviews. I do miss bands that bring this unapologetic true metal almost 90's power metal without being afraid to put some high pitched vocals in the mix. Of course the music writing has to work and the balance to avoid cheesy territories is needed, gladly I must say Midnight Spell accomplish both. I'll give it 81 / 100. Good album! If you like Hammerfall, Helloween, Riot, early Queensryche, Sky Destroyer is guaranteed fun. 

SCORE: 81/100

Genre: Heavy Metal

Released by Iron Oxide Records on January 8th, 2021

Rating System

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

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Quickies: Fourth Quarter 2020 Releases included ANAAL NATHRAKH, COMMUNIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY and more

Between October 2nd and December 11th, there were some very decent releases that didn't get a full review but deserved my attention anyway. 

ANAAL NATHRAKH Endarkenment (10/02)

Anaal Nathrakh delivered the goods following the previous album that I already loved. There's no way to label this band. It's Melodic Death Metal meets Black Metal and Grindcore with touches of Industrial. And given the riffs and operatic vocals at times, it's even Power Metal with big hints of Mercyful Fate. Not sure how they make it work, but it does and I love it. My only small complain is that a couple of songs are too noisy for me with some super fast drums that even sound electronic. Other than that a top extreme metal album.  

The next three albums did not make my year-end list because they came too late in the year.

COMMUNIC Hiding from the World (11/20)

I really enjoy the dark progressive sound of Communic. It's like taking Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian and dial up the progressiveness then adding a strong melancholic feel to it. Their 2017's album Where Echoes Gather made a good impression on me. Unfortunately the follow-up Hiding from the World came too late in December 2020 which jeopardized my time with it. However, I can already say it's a good album as well, with 7 epic long prog songs. heavy guitars and very sad lyrics. It's almost like Paradise Lost went prog power metal. I dug it and I hope to spend more time with it in 2021.   

DARK TRANQUILLITY Moment (11/20)

I like this band a lot and I think their guitar sound and performance have reached a new level with  Christopher Amott joining the band. With that said, I felt the music writing in this album a bit boring and not that different from the previous two albums that I liked a lot, but less inspired. Yes, there are some good tunes here that will work well live, but as a full album, it's repetitive and long. 

SODOM Genesis XIX  (11/27)

12 songs and 55 minutes is bit too long for a pure thrash metal album. I had the impression that now with a second guitar player, Sodom sounds more like Slayer than ever before. I mean that's not a bad thing, but a bit weird for such an experienced band. Other than that, if you want a pure ferocious thrash metal album from veterans who know how to do it, then you wont be disappointed. 

Last but not least, this one was a special request. And therefore an exception as I usually don't review albums retroactively. 

RIGOR SAMSA Cataract (03/26)

Cataract is the debut album from the Polish Progressive metal band Rigor Samsa. This is a release from March 2020. The album features 12 songs and runs for 60 minutes. With that said, 3 tracks are short transitional ones. From the get go with the album opener "Anode" we clearly hear a strong influence from Tool. The song writing, the guitar and the voice are all very similar to the iconic American band. But it's not all about Tool. For example, the last minute of the song gets quite heavy. With the double bass drumming and the vocals going harsher, the song takes a more metal flavor than you would find with Tool. There are other moments that Rigor Samsa bring other influences, "Mirage" for example while still on the same lines as the opener shows a different flavor almost like later In Flames. But most of the rest of the album stays close to the Tool sound and more alt prog rock than prog metal. Overall, I think those guys sound great and can write some very cool songs. The album is very well produced and all their musicianship skills can be clearly heard throughout the record. On the other hand, I also have some constructive feedback. I personally prefer shorter albums and also not a huge fan of short instrumental tracks in between songs, specially not as track number two. The other thing is that of course the band should build upon this release to go beyond mirroring Tool. Perhaps incorporate other influences in their sound to become even more unique. Maybe more metallic since the singer and drummer have clearly showed some sparks of it in songs like "Mirage". all in all a good effort and a very nice debut album, I am looking forward to the next album and hopefully seeing Rigor Samsa live in the near future. 

That concludes the 2020 albums - happy 2021!