BLOODBOUND Creatures of the Dark Realm | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

 

Released by AFM Records on May 28th, 2021

Quick Background

Bloodbound is a Swedish melodic power metal force slaying dragons since the band surfaced in 2005 with their debut album, Nosferatu. At the beginning Bloodbound celebrated their admiration for metal icons like Iron Maiden, Helloween and Judas Priest. But they have since crafted their own sound and audience. The brainchild of Fredrik Bergh (Keys) and Tomas Olsson (Lead Guitar). Their debut album Nosferatu featured former Tad Morose singer Urban Breed. But after some turbulence with Breed, Patrik Selleby has established himself as the lead vocalist and a new major force on the band since his debut with their fourth album Unholy Cross (2011). I personally think their best album with Patrik is 2017's War of Dragons, so let's see if Bloodbound capture that magic again with the new album, Creatures Of The Dark Realm. 

Creatures Of The Dark Realm

This is their ninth studio album following Rise Of The Dragon Empire from 2019. The three-headed songwriting team of keyboardist Fredrik Bergh, guitarist Tomas Olsson and vocalist Patrik Selleby put together a collection of 11 songs and an intro track totaling 46 minutes of epic power metal. The new album is an-up-tempo assault, with 4-min-ish direct songs from start to finish. There's not a single ballad in sight. All of the songs are a close variations of the traditional power metal song form with intro/verse/bridge/chorus/solo/chorus. But that's not a problem as those guys are not a prog metal band. Their focus is really on the big choruses almost always with huge vocal harmonization, creating an album full with bombastic anthemic metal hymns. I don't even have to point examples as the whole album is full of those. With that said "Gathering of Souls" stands out to me with one of the coolest choruses of the album. But there are many others, for example the  single "March Into War" and track 3 "When Fate Is Calling" are certainly future live favorites. Both very groovy with sing along hooks. 

And it's not only about the choruses, verses and bridges are also well written to support the epic feel of the album and to create big hooks and catchy melodies all over it. A highlight in this area is "Eyes Come Alive", here the band dialed up aggressiveness during the verses. I even wish Patrik would explore this side of his vocal range a little bit more throughout the album. 

The execution of their ideas is standard quality power metal. Clean and modern production and good musicianship. There are some tasteful guitar solos here and there, but never overdone or too long. I also  really enjoy Patrik's vocals. He is a well balanced singer being able to hit the high notes, add some aggression but never overdone.

The Picky Guy

If you are not into straightforward 90's European Power Metal, this is not for you. But if you're not lactose intolerant, you will enjoy yourself with all the cheese available to you here. With that said, there are a couple of moments that even for me it got a bit too much. Most notably the songs "Ever Burning Flame" are "Kill Or Be Killed" go too much into happy metal territory. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Bloodbound is back into form with a non apologetic blistering power metal album as it should be. Despite a couple of fillers and the lack of originality, the album delivers what we expect from a sing-along power metal. That means: bombastic choruses, enough aggression and a huge amount of melody and hooks. That can only be successful due to the good song writing and execution of almost all songs on Creatures of the Dark Realm. To me this all makes Creatures of the Dark Realm just into the halls of a very good album, scoring 82/100. Power Metal fans can go for it with no doubts.

SCORE: 82/100

Genre: Power Metal

Released by AFM Records on May 28th, 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

wordcount = 638

IMPURE WILHELMINA Antidote | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Season Of Mist on May 21st, 2021

Quick Background

Founded in 1996, the Geneva quartet has experienced many line-up changes over the years around Michael Schindl, singer-guitarist, main composer and lyricist. With Antidote Impure Wilhelmina have released seven full-length albums displaying a blend of metal, post-hardcore, new wave and indie rock sounds.

Antidote

Antidote features ten tracks and clocks in at 53 minutes. The album is a melting pot of intensity, melody, power and melancholy. But I must warn the metal fans that it leans more on the indie rock and post-hardcore side of thing than on heavy metal. 

When we get to track 4, "Dismantling",  for example, we can appreciate the melting pot. It starts as a very indie rock almost 80's Goth rock catchy song. Then to my pleasant surprise we get the first guttural vocals on this album which brings a very special flavor to Antidote. "Unpredicted Sky" is one of the best songs on the album with long instrumental passages the longest song on the album also explore more their heavy metal side with aggressiveness and guttural vocals. That's a good sample to me where the album shines. That's when Impure Wilhelmina fully explore instrumental passages, and while melancholic, it also uses aggression. 

The other facet that also works for me is Impure Wilhelmina's sludgy side. The album opener for example, "Solitude" features some heavy guitar tones, and overall a thick and sludge orientation.  

It is also an example of the nice bass sound we get in this album, very low end and just audible enough on the mix. "Gravel" is another sludgy moment of the album and it works well. Pay attention to those bass lines, very cool and thick  But back to the opening track, the vocals don't come in till half way through the song, when they do, they bring on a Mastodon vibe. Those long instrumental passages is where the album shines and my favorite moments. "Midlife Hollow" is another song with those and also of a good sounding guitar and riffs. Another moment where we hear a balanced mix of metal and indie rock. 

After the short instrumental title track, another  longer song "Everything is Vain" closes the album in a very melancholic tone. The songs in this territory of melancholy and indie rock are my least favorites. "Jasmines" reminds me of Pink Floyd's Final Cut and that's not a good association and "Vicious" sounds like 70's Punk and it's not my thing either, despite being upbeat and catchy.

The Picky Guy

I personally can't avoid the fact that I can't be too excited by the vocals. A few songs and other moments of rather ok songs, fall flat for me despite being well written tunes. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Is Antidote a bad album? Not at all, is it for everyone? Also no. While I personally have some difficulties with Impure Wilhelmina style and choices, I can appreciate the  quality of the music writing and musicianship on this album. For those looking for aggressiveness, this will disappoint you. But if you are open to some new experiences and a more indie rock and post-hardcore sound, then Antidote delivers. With all things consider, I still think it is a good album with a score of 79/100. I cautiously recommend it. 

SCORE: 79/100

Genre: Sludge / Post-Metal

Released by Season Of Mist on May 21st, 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

wordcount = 541

TERAMAZE Sorella Minore | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Wells Music on May 11th, 2021

Quick Background

Teramaze are Australia’s premier Progressive Rock band, fronted by guitarist/vocalist and band founder Dean Wells, along side Chris Zoupa (guitars), Andrew Cameron (bass) and Nick Ross (Drums).

The debut Doxology was released back in 1995. The band saw great success and recognition after the release of critically acclaimed 2015 album Her Halo, their fifth LP. I am not familiar with the band, even if I did listen to one or two of their albums in the past. So this was a good time as any to give it a try.

Sorella Minore 

Sorella Minore is now their eighth full-length studio album and the 2nd instalment of the Her Halo saga continuing the tumultuous story of the 2 sisters. 

The album is centered the epic almost 26 minute long title track. "Sorella Minore" features 4 main vocalists, all hailing from Australia – in addition to Dean Wells,  Nathan Peachey (who apparently left the band to join Trigger), Silvio Massaro (Vanishing Point) & Jennifer Borg (Divine Ascension). The song is comprised of nine parts, but they seamlessly flow as just one gigantic piece of music. The vocals center stage is taken by Peachey who sounds like Tommy Karevik from Kamelot.

Part I  "Deception" lasts 6min and sets the tone of the full song. I really love the catchy melody that is the base of the first six min and part one of the song, but I must say it is repeated quite a lot. It is still very beautiful, catchy and sang with power and melody. In this part Nathan Peachey is the main singer and he is supported by Wells and Borg. But Wells takes the center stage on part II "Vision" not only as a singer but also with a moving guitar solo that reminded me of Savatage. Massaro joins in during part III "Possession" and as always delivers a very good contribution. This is the heaviest part of the song and album with even some guttural vocals albeit just for a few seconds. Parts IV anticipates the song melancholic passages, but part V is very upbeat borderline pop featuring the powerful contribution from Borg's vocals. The anticipated melancholy is then fully explored in parts VI and VII before we reach the the "Confession" or part VIII in which we circle back to part I melody and lyrics. The song picks up energy and speed and builds to a grand finale with all guest singers Borg, Massaro and Peachey delivering strong performances. Finally part IX concludes the piece by calming things down with Peachey singing a last verse leading to some samples and an old piano sound to let the song fade out slowly. 

After this epic journey the album features 3 5-min songs. "Stone" the pre album release single is an emotional piece of music with fantastic catchy melody. It reminds me of Soen and consequently a hint of Tool. "Take Your Shot" is a fun, up tempo rocker and no surprisingly also with catchy melodies.

The Picky Guy

An album with four songs having one that doesn't work for me has an impact on the final scoring. And that is "Between These Shadows", a ballad dealing with separation, oppression and finding a light at the end of the tunnel. I personally don't like it, it's just too mellow and pop-ish for my taste.

While I admire and praise Wells for building this epic title track, at times it feels like forced to become a long song. There's quite a lot of repetition. But I can overlook that in favor of the great melodies and vocal performances on it. It is an engaging piece of art after all.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Sorella Minore is certainly an interesting and ambitious album. Wells ability to write catchy melodies is quite impressive and his decision to bring back Peachey for the title track enriched the album considerably. Side B doesn't work as well for me but it's enough to sustain Sorella Minore as a good album rating 81/100. It is highly recommended for fans of melodic power progressive metal in the veins of Kamelot. Moreover I feel very compelled to now check some of their back catalog.  

Sorella Minore (25:46)

I Deception 0:00

II Vision 6:05

III Possession 8:56

IV Bargain 12:50

V Desperation 14:05 

VI Reflection 16:10

VII Decision 17:00

VIII Confession 19:35

IX Conclusion 23:45

SCORE: 81/100

Genre: Progressive Metal

Released by Wells Music on May 11th, 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

wordcount = 692

ARTILLERY X | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Metal Blade Records on May 7th, 2021

Quick Background

Artillery are a Danish thrash metal band. They participated in the early development of the genre. After releasing three full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Artillery disbanded in 1991, but reunited seven years later releasing B.A.C.K. (1999), only to disband once again in 2000. However, they reformed again in 2007 putting out When Death Comes (2009).  Artillery combine melodic thrash metal with 80s heavy metal, giving it a power metal edge. Those first three albums are very well regarded as important thrash album and highly recommended if you like thrash but missed those jewels. 

X

Returning with their tenth full length - and appropriately titled - album X, Artillery are not showing signs of slowing down. The 11 tracks in 46 minutes album are full of riffs and hook lines combined with aggression and melody. Straightforward, with a couple of exceptions, all songs are between 4 and 5 minutes, so short, direct and all of them to the point 

The opening of the album with a Slayer-ish meets Metallica's "Fight Fire with Fire" sets the scene for the good opening track "The Devil's Symphony".  But then the vocals from Michael Dahl enter the song and we get a vibe similar to Anthrax or Annihilator due to the clean vocals (thrash metal bands with an A?). The other similarity with Annihilator are the very technical guitar work and riffs by Michael Stützer and the new member Kræn Meier who replaced original member Morten Stützer, guitarist - and Stützer's brother, who sadly passed in 2019. The combination of aggression and melody while being highly technical reminds me of the heaviest songs from Symphony X.

How not to love  thrash 220 BPM song about thrash? "In Thrash We Trust" with lyrics like 'In thrash we trust - you can, you will, you must' the fun is guaranteed. The thrash riffs in this song are just great. It is one of the best examples of the proficient and interesting guitarwork on this album. On the other hand, songs like "Turn Up the Rage" and "Silver Cross" while still heavy, dial up the melodic influences and are borderline power metal hymns. "The Ghost of Me" goes even further into the melodic path. It is sort of a power ballad that works, and I very rarely say those words together.  

The musicianship on the album is pretty good and forms a solid foundation for the band to deliver on their ideas. Singer Michael Dahl  does an excellent job singing melodically and clean but also powerful and never over the top. Regarding the rhythmic section, it's not so easy to hear but the bass is working very well with the drums, rarely taking the spotlight ("The Force of Indifference" and "Eternal Nights" as good exceptions) but very solid basis to support the melody while giving the songs a heavy punch. 

The Picky Guy

The only overall remark that I would make is that it is not a very original record. It actually sounds a lot like songs we've heard before, but hey, it works for me. On the bright side it does sound fresh and modern. I also find the album flow quite good and all but one song are at the right place. "The Force of Indifference" despite also having cool riffs and a very decent verse, does not flow well for me and I don't like the chorus.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Artillery delivered their tenth record as if it was a debut: Ruthlessly heavy, catchy and pure metal. The fusion of 80's thrash with traditional heavy metal is perfectly executed creating some headbanger tunes to sing along with our fists in the air. I must give it a 84/100 a very good thrash metal album that will please new and old fans looking for that perfect mix of melody and aggression. 

SCORE: 84/100

Genre: Thrash Metal

Released by Metal Blade Records on May 7th, 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

wordcount = 645

GOJIRA Fortitude | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by  Roadrunner Records on April 30th, 2021

Quick Background

Gojira are a French progressive (death) metal band, the band's lineup—consisting of brothers Joe (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (lead guitar), and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass)—has been the same since the band's debut Terra Incognita in 2001. Gojira released the third album and critically acclaimed From Mars to Sirius in 2005. Since then they have been growing in popularity and putting out good albums one after the other. I personally came in contact with the band during a summer festival and after listening to "Vacuity" live I was sold.

Fortitude

Fortitude is now their seventh studio album coming out almost five years after Magma, a very good album which found the band breaking through commercially, introducing their music to a broader audience. It is a more accessible album than any of the ones before and also one where the band experimented much more and took some risks. In general terms Fortitude is natural progression from Magma and not a return to the earlier album. From the artwork which was created by Joe Duplantier, we can see that experimentations and risk taking will be part of the album. 

Out of the 11 tracks, 5 were released as singles before the album. The first one "Another World" goes back to August 2020. This is a trademark catchy Gojira track, perfect song to get the early and new fans hooked. The first three singles which are also the first tracks on the record, are some of the heaviest and coolest songs on the album. Particularly "Born For One Thing" the album opener is my favorite on the album. I love the groovy drumming intro and the drums throughout the track are just insane. The basslines underneath are also punchy. The guitarists bring some amazing guitar work. The song structure is complex and unconventional. It's a heavy and energetic "old school" Gojira song through modern lens. It's just all around one of the best songs of the year so far. "Amazonia" musically is a good balance between a pure Gojira sound and experimenting with what I think it's a Berimbau and some woodwind instruments. Now interestingly  Berimbau is not an original Amazon instrument, but brought to Brazil from Africa. In any case, it sounds really great. Those unconventional sounds are there but subtle and the drumming that goes with it is just fantastic. Another single is track nine "Into The Storm". A heavy but also catchy tune with an epic feel to it. Great song. I find it "New Found" on the same veins, the difference here being the extended song outro which makes it the longest song on the album with close to 7 minutes. 

The title track is a two minute instrumental that transitions into the fifth single "The Chant". Both share the same melody and can even be seen as one song. Here we see some risk taking and experimentation again. The intro is based on acoustic instruments and a "oh oh..." melody that is very unconventional for heavy metal. Surprisingly they take that same  melody to the "The Chant" and while at first it didn't appeal to me, I learned how to appreciate it. "Hold On" is also difficult to get into, again an example of experimenting and taking risks. The choral-like intro lasts one minute and a half, so it's long, but then the guitar riff enters and it sounds good. It is still a big sounding song with an atmospheric feel and I like the diversity that it brings. And then the song "The Trails" takes the atmospheric sound to another level, a very different song, it sounds like The Ocean, so it's pretty much a post-metal song. 

Fortitude was recorded and produced by Joe Duplantier and it sounds really good. The bass is not always easy to hear, but when it is, it makes a mark. On the other hand Mario Duplantier drumming throughout this record is great, relentless, diverse and well blended with the samples and eventual percussions. 

The Picky Guy

Musically there's not really something to complain. I must say that it's just a matter of having open mind and give it some time to get into the more innovative songs. Some of those are more accessible and slower than in the earlier records, but to me that's not a problem. Those records are great and one can always go back to them. Being already their 7th album, with their experience, creativity and curiosity, we can't expect Gojira to re-do From Mars to Sirius every 2 years. And despite all of the changes and experiments, it still sounds pretty much like Gojira. The only one other thing I can say is that I don't like to get into the politics or activism side of their music. I mean it doesn't put me off but also it doesn't interest me either.

Wrap Up Opinion 

Gojira knocked this one out of the park. A great album which will certainly head many year-end lists in 2021. They were able to masterfully combine old style Gojira with experimentation and ambience. As a result the album is diverse and super interesting. On top of it, it all comes down to great song writing. There are no bad songs and, even better, a handful of great ones. Yes, some of them are different and not as heavy, but it works. A 21st century masterpiece. I don't use this word often, but with a score of 87/100 Fortitude is already top of the decade contender for me.

SCORE: 87/100

Genre: Progressive Death Metal

Released by  Roadrunner Records on April 30th, 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

wordcount = 923