Fates Warning Discography Review

Night on Bröcken (1984) - 7.5
The first studio album from Fates Warning (FW) came out already in 1984 which is surprising to some since FW is often cited together with Dream Theater as precursors of progressive metal. But Dream Theater was not even formed until 1985. The caveat here is that this album is very different from what FW would sound like from the early 90's until today. Heavily influenced by Iron Maiden's The Number of The Beast and NWOBHM in general, Night on Bröcken is essentially a heavy metal album with hints of progressiveness like the track "Damnation". The original  vocalist John Arch has a very high-pitched style which did bring some character and uniqueness to this record. He was also highly involved in the song writing together with the main man Jim Matheos. Overall a very capable album for a debut from a  band that was still looking for its identity.

The Spectre Within (1985) - 8.0
The second album picks up where the debut left off. No material changes in their sound and style, meaning Maiden influenced traditional metal. However, it's one step further into a more progressive sound. Specially considering the two gems "The Apparition" and the 12-min "Epitaph". Overall longer songs, stronger riffs albeit Maiden-like, and different song structures are the positives. But the vocal approach from Mr. Arch can be tedious at times and takes time to get into it. "Epitaph" breaks this pattern with better vocal lines, stronger melody, epicness and Arch takes more advantage of his vocal range. It's a album closer that kept the high hopes for what FW would really deliver in the albums to come.

Awaken the Guardian (1986) - 8.0
The third album brought the first line-up change: the arrival of guitar player Frank Aresti. This was also the last album with Arch on the vocals and the best of this phase. The characteristics from the previous albums are still here: traditional heavy metal flirting with progressiveness. But compared to the first two albums, the song writing is better, the vocal approach more balanced, and also including backing vocals and more vocal tracks. The album also features keyboards (but low in the mix) and several acoustics guitar passages.  All songs were written and composed by Jim Matheos and John Arch, except "Giant's Lore (Heart of Winter)" by Aresti/Arch.The now classics "Sorceress", "Guardian" and "Exodus" are the highlights.

No Exit (1988) - 8.0
The fourth studio album is the first to feature current vocalist Ray Alder. John Arch's departure had a strong impact in FW's sound and style. The first being that the lyrics are less influenced by fantasy themes. Secondly, Alder, while also reaching for high notes with power, doesn't rely on them all the time. He has also great feeling and melody to carry the vocal lines. Another difference from the previous record is that Aresti was highly involved in the writing process. And of course the biggest leap into progressive metal is the 22-min "The Ivory Gate of Dreams" by Matheos. Divided in parts and full of variation, tempo changes and lack of a chorus, this song opened the way forward to FW. In terms of structure, No Exit resembles Rush's 2112, short songs on one side and a 20-plus-minute long song broken down into parts. Among the "short" songs, "Silent Cries" is the highlight.

Perfect Symmetry (1989) - 8.0
With album #5 the band's more modern, progressive direction was established. This was the second effort with vocalist Ray Alder who strengthened his vocal range and dynamic within the band. Mark Zonder took over the drumsticks. A notable credit, Kevin Moore who was with Dream Theater laid down the Keyboards on "At Fates Hands". Actually "At Fates Hands" foreshadows their 1997 masterpiece A Pleasant Shade of Gray. Like in the previous release, besides Matheos, Aresti was a major song writer, with solo credit in 3 songs and participating in other 2. Interestingly, Aresti's songs tended to resemble the earlier albums, meaning more direct and heavy. For example "Static Acts"  and "The Arena"  both with incredible performance from Ray Alder. On the other hand  "At Fates Hands" and "Nothing Left to Say" were much more progressive with acoustic elements, keyboards, and tempo changes. Overall a great album, keeping up at the same level as the last 2, but cementing the transition from traditional metal into progressive metal.

Parallels (1991) - 8.5
Although the 6th album had no line-up changes, all songs were written and composed by Jim Matheos. The albums marks FW as definite progressive metal masters. The music writing is phenomenal and Matheos took down a notch on speed and aggressiveness, adding much more slow tempo session combined with heaviness and great guitar riffs. The melodies and vocal lines on this album are superb and catchy, and Alder limited the high-pitched screams to just a few moments which make them much more special e.g. "Eye to Eye" and "The Eleventh Hour". Many songs feature a goose-bumping build-up e.g. "Life in Still Water" and "The Eleventh Hour". The guitar approach is far from the Maiden-like riffs from the first albums, it's fresh, original and rely much more on arpeggios. On his second album with FW, Mark Zonder is much more loose behind the drums and therefore sounding much better. And finally the bass is very prominent in the mix giving the final touch to this controversial (to the older fans) masterpiece.

Inside Out (1994) - 7.5
3 years after the commercial success of Parallels, FW returned with the same line-up and same sound from the predecessor. Once again Jim Matheos dominated the compositions with  exceptions on which Alder and Aresti are co-credited. As the trend in the mid-90's, the album is longer and has more songs than the predecessors. Probably the only differences from Parallels are that the song writing is slightly inferior leading to a bit more simplistic sound than Parallels. The other difference is that Alder doesn't use the high-pitched screams anymore. With that said, Inside Out features good songs such as "Outside Looking In" and "Monument" but also has some weak points in the middle part. The best thing about this album is the fact that the lack of differentiation from Parallels led Matheos to go completely different in the follow-up album. 

A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997) - 9.5
APSoG is a concept album with one song divided into twelve parts. FW's 8th album is emotional, and dark but also heavy at times. This disc is their ultimate progressive masterpiece but a very challenging listen. The album was written and composed by Jim Matheos. Joey Vera from Armored Saint took over the bass. Aresti left the band and instead of adding a new guitar player, Matheos opted to call back Kevin Moore who had participated in Perfect Symmetry (Kevin left Dream Theater in the meantime) became a band member behind the keyboards. Consequently, this is the first album in which the keyboards are as prominent as the guitar. The stars were aligned for FW, all members were at their best. The drum work from Mark Zonder reached new levels, Vera's bass lines, prominent riffs and position in the mix brought a different sound foundation to the band, the guitars followed similar texture and sound developed in Parallels and Alder was as brilliant as in the previous records. The song writing is outstanding with tempo changes, diverse structures, sound samples, great melodies and powerfull.  But it's a grower and takes time to sink in, I don't remember the initial reaction, but now almost 20 years later and countless listens, it's my favorite FW album.

Disconnected (2000) - 8.5
Repeating the line-up from APSoG FW returned at the beginning of the century with Disconnected.  A theme that 16 years latter is still relevant. Jim Matheos wrote all the music, but Alder wrote two lyrics and co-wrote another one with Matheos. Disconnected builds on the predecessor while being more balanced and bringing some elements from earlier albums. Overall making it a bit easier to digest than APSoG was. For example "One" and "Pieces of Me" are short, heavy and full of guitar riffs. While "So", "Something from Nothing" and the 16-min "Still Remains" are long, progressive and resembling the APSoG sound. The other track is the title track which is dark and slow two-part instrumental that opens and closes the album.

FWX (2004) - 7.5
Reaching a 10th album is an accomplishment. And the band decided to celebrate this event by naming the album simple FWX. The disc is about the same length as the predecessor, but with 10 songs, leading to the longest song being not much longer than 7 minutes. All music and lyrics are by Matheos, with the exception of 3 lyrics that are credited to Alder. With Kevin Moore leaving, the band, FW once again took a different direction. FWX is the most diverse and experimental album to date, it does feature some keyboards by Matheos and a lot of sampling. Every song is "short" but progressive and has a unique feeling. From the moody "River Wide Ocean Deep" with female vocals to the almost punk rock "Stranger (With A Familiar Face)". I appreciate what they did here and it gave the album a unique flavor within FW reach discography. But even with the live favorites "Another Perfect Day" and "Heal Me", overall FWX falls a bit short than any other "Alder era" output.

Darkness In A Different Light (2013) - 8.0
After 9 years without a new record, FW released this great album. It is also their first studio album with Aresti since Inside Out, additionally he co-wrote the opening track. Drummer Bobby Jarzombek also makes his debut with Fates Warning and co-wrote "I Am". Matheos wrote two songs and co-wrote the others with Alder. Kevin Moore is not in this album, but he wrote the lyrics for "O Chloroform". As opposed to the experimental previous album, DIADL has all the elements that a FW fan would expect - progressive melodic metal with catchy songs, big choruses, the well-known guitar style from Jim Matheos and the recognizable vocals from Ray Alder. Most of the songs are on the 5-min mark, so it's a very direct album. Notable exception the 14-min closing track "And Yet It Moves". There are some heavy songs such as "I Am" and "Into The Black" but the album is also marked by emotional songs with slower tempo.

I was really happy to see those guys back in the studio after almost a decade, the new drummer brought so much to the band. I just felt that a couple of songs in the middle and end part loose a bit the power. But overall great comeback album.

Theories of Flight (2016) - 9.0
I was trying to figure out why in just a matter of days this album  became one of my all time FW favorite albums. And then it struck me, Theories of Flight basically combines the best of two worlds. The more progressive side of FW is represented in "From the Rooftops", "The Light and Shade of Things" and "The Ghosts of Home" and the more direct style from the earlier albums is in a modern and fresh way coming alive on "Seven Stars", "SOS", "White Flag" and "Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen". And to conclude the album, a nice Easter egg of the album Disconnected: an instrumental title track full of sampling. Actually the title track and "The Ghosts of Home" are almost one song and both remind me a lot of the duo "Still Remains"/"Disconnected part 2". But let me be clear, Theories of Flight is not at all a recycling of old ideas. Quite the opposite, it's FW at its best and upgraded. The first noticeable difference is that the record features one of the best drumming performances I heard in a long time. In his second album with FW, Bobby Jarzombek is simply relentless. The grooves, constant time changes, odd signatures don't ever stop. It will be interesting to watch him playing those live. Aresti, who was playing guitar int he previous album, is not an official band member in this one anymore. And his contribution was limited to two, but great, guitar solos. Of course he did not participate in the song writing. With that said, Matheos stepped up to deliver one of his best guitar work, it is pure art! Most of the songs have at least 3 guitar tracks each doing some very specific riffs and rhythms that intertwine giving such a beautiful texture. All of this without loosing heaviness. And last but not least, Alder is singing better than never, very confident hitting some high notes without sounding forced or exaggerated, I mean his performance in "The light and..." Is simply amazing. By the way, this is the best song I heard this year and one of my favorites of the last few years. Now, if I'd be picky and split hairs, then I'd say that the bass is a bit too low in mix, specially compared to their previous albums with Vera. In sum, it's been just two weeks and Theories of Flight is my second favorite FW album. With time, it could still become my favorite FW album of all. However, it is already the strongest contender to album of the year.  

Top Albums of Q2/2016

Ihsahn - Arktis
Arktis is Emperor frontman Ihsahn's 6th studio album. A rich and diverse extreme metal journey from one of the most reverenced modern heavy music masterminds. There are no weak points and the 10 songs and its 49 minutes flow wonderfully. But if you are looking for blasting beats with growling vocals throughout the album, this is not for you. Arktis is essentially a progressive metal album with its roots in the black metal. But the drumming is full of groves, many songs contain clean vocals and slow tempo moments. To me this all adds to the experience and variability. The opener "Disassembled" features Einar Solberg (Leprous) singing on the chorus and it's a strong song. "South Winds" on the other hand has a industrial feeling due to the pulsing beat on the background over some fantastic melodies. It's one of my favorites. " Until I Too Dissolve" features the most fantastic riff straight out of the 80's, it could've been written by Van Halen. An evil-ish hard rock song. But that's not all, "Crooked Red Line" features a Sax! "Celestial Violence" closes the album and it features again Solberg. In this one, he handles the versus and  Ihsahn explodes his scream on the amazing chorus. Arktis closes as it opens: Very strong. In sum, a serious candidate for album of the year.

Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

Jumalten aika (Age of Gods) is already the 7th full-length album by Finnish pagan/black metal band Moonsorrow and their first album in 5 years. I really like the fact that it's essentially a black metal album with deep pagan/folk influences. And that those influences are never over the top. Their music is certainly challenging for its listeners. Rather than happy or danceable. Jumalten Aika contains 5 tracks that tend toward the 15-minute mark and are sang in Finnish. But once you get into it, Jumalten Aika is a hypnotic and addictive experience. The songs are incredibly well written, with fantastic riffs, catchy groves, aggressive singing and full of variations and intermezzos. All of it with the exact right touch of folk elements. To top it all, what a great production! With a dynamic range of 9, the highest I've seen this year so far, the album sounds fantastic. This disc displays a set of mesmerizing and epic songs balancing atmospheric and powerful black/folk metal elements. Simply put, a masterpiece.

Long Distance Calling - TRIPS

TRIPS is the 6th album from the five-piece Post-rock band from Münster, Germany. The album is so diverse that there's no way to describe other than going song by song. The album starts with an interesting instrumental song that sounds straight out of an 80's synth/pop album but to my own surprise, it's so well done that I loved it. It's moving , it's upbeat and has an AC/DC-ish riff in slow-motion that breaks the pop vibe fantastically. The second track is an up tempo rock song with vocals and some heavy guitar riffs. And while not eliminating completely the synth/pop 80's vibe, it distances itself from that. By the time we get into "Rewind" we take a big turn into a slow tempo song with beautiful melodic vocals over guitar arpeggios. But then the instrumental "Trauma" throw you off again with a pounding drum and heavy thick guitar riffs. "Lines" is another rock song with great drumming. Speaking of drums, the instrumental "Momentum" features an incredible groove and great guitar solos. Track number 8, "Plans" starts with a guitar arpeggio over a beautiful verse that goes beyond half of the song but then the drums and heavy guitars enter to give the song a powerful groove. It feels like a long build up to a fantastic guitar solo, wonderful. The album closes with the longest song, ticking over 12 minutes, "Flux" is a slow tempo instrumental song that closes with spoken words. It is very well executed and closes this musical journey beautifully. Long Distance Calling has produced a masterpiece of modern progressive rock. TRIPS is an original album and full of curve balls, but make no mistake, it is awesome. 

Vektor - Terminal Redux

Terminal Redux is the third LP and the first concept album by the American progressive thrash metal band Vektor. Even if this is only their 3rd album, Vektor is no stranger to the thrashers. Their second album Outer Isolation is even considered to be one of the top 50 thrash albums of all times (Metal Hammer UK). One thing needs to be clear, even if labeled as a thrash band, Vektor is miles away from the retro thrash wave. In fact, adding "progressive" to their sub genre is essential. I'd describe their sound as Voivod meets Slayer with Chuck Schuldiner on the vocals while adding black metal elements. But Terminal Redux is not an incoherent blend, they pull it off magnificently. I describe the album in 3 parts. The first 3 songs are fast, thrashy and long. The interlude "Mountains Above the Sun" allows us to take a breath before bringing  part 2. Here we have 4 heavier and shorter songs. By then we reached 51 minutes of amazing heavy music. It could end there and become a good album. But Vektor went beyond conventional and pushed their boundaries further. Part 3 is 23 minutes and contains 2 very progressive tracks. While the thrash riffs and speed are still there, those songs take you to slow parts, clean singing, female vocals and ended in an epic strong note, think 2112 closure on steroids. I have no doubts that this thrash/progressive masterpiece will be at the top of many year-end lists.

Death Angel - The Evil Divide
This is the eighth studio album by the American thrash metallers. As the lyrics from the opener "Moth" say: Surprise I'm back again! And indeed those guys are in a hot streak since the fantastic 2008's  Killing Season. The Evil Divide is no exception, from the opening riff to the last, a lesson of bay area thrash metal that goes through 10 relentless thrash anthems in 46 minutes. The guitar work is superb, so many awesome thrash riffs and fine guitar solos ("Father of Lies" has my favorite solo). Front-man Mark Osegueda delivers a stunning vocal performance throughout the album. The song writing is solid, all songs are heavy and yet melodic, mostly fast-paced and straightforward (just a couple of songs go over 5 min). It's too early to tell if The Evil Divide is better than the last 3 albums, but is certainly a strong contender for entering many year-end lists.

Haken - Affinity
Affinity is the fourth studio album by British progressive metal band Haken. Their previous album The Mountain from 2013 brought Haken to the forefront of the prog scene. But instead of repeating themselves Haken pushed it further by incorporating new elements. For one thing the album from cover to the synths sporadically used screams 80's, no surprise that "1985" is the most prominent example. The instrumental "affinity.exe" opens the album with synths and the highlight is the very original song  title. From there we have 60 min of top notch original (but clearly influenced by Yes/Genesis) progressive rock. Fantastic melodies, skilled musicians and slow tempo beautiful passages mixed with surprisingly heavy riffs. "Initiate" is a perfect example of the heavy and pop balance. The longest track "The Architect" even features growling vocals from Einar Solberg! The song in itself is a masterpiece, full of variations and unbelievable riffs. Also, the new bassist Conner Green brought quite some heaviness to the Haken sound, take "1985" and "The Architect" for example, some riffs are even Djent-like. Throughout the album the guitar riffs and melodies are also fantastic, "Lapse" features one of the best guitar solos of this year. The Mountain is a great album but to my taste Affinity is even better.

Amon Amarth - Jomsviking 

Jomsviking is the tenth studio album from Swedish melodic death metal viking masters. And believe it or not, their first concept album. Not that this fact brings any difference in Amon Amarth sound from previous albums. Actually Jomsviking follows the same formula as 2013's Deceiver of the Gods. That's not necessarily a bad thing, specially because Deceiver of the Gods was also a very good album. But while I enjoy Jomsviking catchyness, amazing riffs, good production and drumming, I may be reaching my saturation point. Take the single "Raise Your Horns" for example, it does have a great guitar riff, but it feels too formulated and lacks spontaneity. I really enjoy this band and always look forward to see them live, Jomsviking didn't change that, but it also didn't add much.

Mob Rules - Tales From Beyond

"Tales From Beyond" is German power metallers eighth album and probably their best work to date. Not that it's original or groundbreaking, but it's catchy, well written and executed. The opener "Dykemaster's Tale" sounds like a Maiden song from the 90's but sang by a more suitable singer than Blaze was. The Maiden influence is not as clear in the rest of the album but still there and with touches of A and B. Make no mistake, despite the influences Mob Rules sounds fresh and modern and was able to make their own sound out of those influences. If you are into power/traditional metal, this one is for you. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Hatebreed - The Concrete Confessional

The seventh studio album from Jamey Jasta and gang comes after the very enjoyable 2013's  The Divinity of Purpose. And even if The Concrete Confessional sounds pretty much like a Hatebreed album, there are certain subtle elements that really enrich the experience and make it their best album in years. For starters and my delight, many tracks sound more metal than core, take the opener "AD" or "Looking Down the Barrel of Today" some of those riffs could as well be in a Slayer album. Additionally Jasta is singing better than ever and adding more melody to his style while not loosing the aggressiveness (check "Something's Off" which is almost a tribute to early Machine Head). Slow tempo short passages, bass riffs are some of the other elements. I can see that not everyone will appreciate the album as much as I did, specially old timers that keep waiting for bands to re-do their debut albums. But in a  genre that is very difficult to find bands that stand out, Hatebreed is certainly one of my favorites and The Concrete Confessional only confirms that.

Killswitch Engage - Incarnate

Incarnate is the seventh studio album by American metalcore pioneers. I first say KSE live in 2006 and I was impressed with their sound, particularly Howard Jones vocal style. But then the self titled 2009 album was a big disappointment. And then the very good Disarm the Descent (2013) brought back Jesse Leach on vocals for the first time since 2002's genre-defining masterpiece Alive or Just Breathing. Now Jesse, Adam and company are back with Incarnate. The album sounds pretty much the same as the predecessor: great guitar riffs, awesome hooks and catchy choruses while keeping it heavy and aggressive. Additionally Jesse performance is even better and the song writing is slightly less formulated than what we heard in Disarm the Descent. The first half of the album is very strong, 6 tracks in 24 min including some instant live favorites like "Hate By Design" and "Strength Of The Mind". The second half has some up and downs but it does't comprise the overall impression of the album. For the long time fans this is a great addition to their catalog. I am digging it and singing along but int he future I would like to see KSE experimenting a bit more with the song structures and singing variation.

Top Albums of Q1/2016

Abbath - Abbath
8 songs in 40 minutes of straight up, catchy and "as you would expect" black metal from the former Immortal frontman Abbath. Apperently, he doesn't need Immortal to deliver black metal music at the highest quality. The self-titled debut album is a headbanger ride that it's easy to replay. The single "To War" open the album voraciously and lead the way to one of my favorites "Winter Bane" - what a  groove!  The avalanche takes from there and never stops. There isn't a lot of variability, but what the hell - it's lots of fun!

Redemption - The Art Of Loss
The American progressive metal band featuring guitarist/songwriter Nick Van Dyk and Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder is back with its 6th studio album. Containing over 70 minutes, The Art of Loss follows its predecessor, 2011's This Mortal Coil, and continues to expertly play melody against aggression, without losing sight of what a good song needs: hooks and dynamics. Redemption play a fairly consistent prog metal without becoming self indulgent or pretentious. Ray Alder's performance is memorable and doesn't go over-the-top with high notes or screams. Another highlight is the guitar solos which feature guest appearances from a string of Megadeth alumni: Marty Friedman, Chris Broderick, and Chris Poland. The opener and title track is a enjoyable straightforward rock song but the epic closer 22-minute "At Days' End" shows the range with which the band play. My personal favorite track would be “Damaged” which features Friedman. Very catchy and direct.
The Art of Loss is a great album with catchy and yet technical songs. It's only flaw is being a bit too long, but time flies when listening to it. A must for prog lovers.

Avantasia - Ghostlights

I have enjoyed all previous releases by  Tobias Sammet's rock opera project Avantasia, specially "The Wicked Trilogy". For symphonic power metal fans, Avantasia offers everything you like and Ghostlights, the seventh full-length album, is no different . Overall, as expected, great melodies, catchy vocal lines and big choruses. 
The very good opener and first single sounds like something out of Edguy's Theater of Salvation. No guest singers in this one. Short and straightforward Hard Rock (think of Meat Loaf).

"Let The Storm Descend Upon You" is the longest and best track with 12 min of epicness. A piano intro lead us to verses and bridges and a big chorus all sang by Tobias, Jorn Lande, Ronnie Atkins, and Robert Mason. I wish more songs were like this one, because the album lacks the epicness and progressiveness of previous releases, which by their own standards gives Ghostlights a more simplistic feeling. "The Haunting" was the first track to really impress, the atmosphere depicts the lyrics and Dee Snider contribution is remarkable. The chorus gets immediately stuck in your mind. 

"Seduction Of Decay" is expandable and even here Geoff Tate cannot get it right. But the title track with Michael Kiske showing what his capable of brings the album back on track. However, it is not as powerful as "Reach Out For The Light" or "Shelter From The Rain" for example. "Draconian Love" is different but works well with the low vocals from Herbie Langhans. "Master Of The Pendulum" is heavier which fits well Marco Hietala's voice and has a fast tempo chorus. "Isle Of Evermore" with Sharon Den Adel is the avoidable ballad. "Babylon Vampyres" has some of the best guitar solos I've heard on Avantasia, not surprisingly this is the first song to feature Bruce Kulick on lead guitar. Overall the album has some of the most impressive guitar work that Avantasia has ever produced."Lucifer" is a great song with Jorn, a short power metal song with an interesting build-up and great melody. "Unchain The Light" is a good faster song with Michael Kiske. "A Restless Heart And Obsidian Skies" brings some epic feeling due to Bob Catley's voice and style but it lacks a punch, not the best Avantasia song wrote for Catley. 

Overall, a very good album, I'm sure fans will appreciate it as I also did, but realistically it falls shorter than previous releases.

Obscura - Akroasis
Obscura was founded in 2002 by Steffen Kummerer. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura. And after 3 albums and many line-up changes, the German technical death metalers released their fourth album: Akroasis. Obscura is far from being an easy band to listen to and this album is no different. The 15-min closer "Weltseele" doesn't make it any easier. But given time and attention, this is a great record. Heaviness mixed with new age/jazz/fusion textures is the highlight. The differentiation comes from the fretless bass and fretless guitar that can be heard throughout the record. Check it out if you are a prog-death aficionado.

Megadeth - Dystopia

Dystopia is a straight up thrash album, no doubts there. There are no bad or experimental songs, no ballads or made-for-radio tunes. The new line-up brought a new feel to the music while fusing it with the Rust in Peace era sound. And even if we are just 22 days into 2016, I know one thing: Dystopia is already one of the top guitar albums of the year. Kiko brought a new take to the Megadeth guitar sound, specially when it comes to solos and shredding. But the album misses more thrash riffs, there's a lot of palm muting and it gets a bit repetitive.  Dave's vocals are back to the early 90's sound and as usually the lyrics are political. The first 4 songs are killers, including the title track which is a modern "Hangar 18". The album does loose its punch in the middle section with exception of the fantastic old style instrumental thrash "Conquer Or Die". The last original track "The Emperor" brings the energy back and it's another great song. Although not perfect, the 15th studio album marks the return to shape and a great promise for the near future. 

Magnum - Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies
The rock veterans are back with their 19th!!! studio album. Now their last album was superb so I didn't expect this one to top it, and it doesn't. However, it's still a great record and consistent with previous releases. 

Anthrax - For All Kings

For All Kings is the 11th studio album by the thrash metalers. It starts with a progressive touch, "You Gotta Believe". After a 1.5 min drum/orchestra intro, we dive into a typical thrash riff followed by the great Belladonna vocals. It's a banger. The twist is the middle part of the song that has several variations and some of the best guitar solos I've ever heard in Anthrax. There's even a bass interlude! A promising and perfect opener that is followed by "Monster at the End", another very strong song that could've been in the great previous album, Worship Music. The title track is a good one, fast and catchy. "Breathing Lightning" features a very catchy chorus and good riffs, nice song.

"Suzerain" is a mid-tempo track with good guitar work but overal it didn't do much for me. "Evil Twin" was the first single and it's a good straightforward track. "Blood Eagle Wings" is the longest song with almost 8 min and slow tempo but good chorus and a minute long guitar arpeggio closing. "Defend Avenge" after a build up intro the song picks up speed before the verse. It does make me think of 80's Anthrax, so it's a good one. "All of them Thieves" it's again mid tempo, and a grower. "This Battle Choose Us" has a nice riff and groove. "Zero Tolerance" starts directly into the verse and closes the album with power.

Overall For All Kings features great guitar solos (welcome Mr. Donais), several good riffs, more progressive and modern sounding than previous records. The album starts and closes with great songs but it's the middle part that has some up and downs with less memorable, mid tempo songs that miss some thrash aggressiveness.

Primal Fear - Rulebreaker

I could basically copy and paste the ARP review in here. As with Mr. Pell, if you know Primal Fear, you know what you will get. No curve balls here, they don't change their formula. Traditional Heavy Metal heavily influenced by Judas Priest and now also with some hint of Accept. And if you know their discography, every song albeit different will sound familiar and soon you will be singing along. For the most part the album is again full of good power metal riffs, catchy choruses and fast tempos. All fueled by Ralf's powerful vocals. It does get repetitive and some lyrics are, as expected, cheesy, e.g. "In Metal We Trust". "We Walk Without Fear" brings something different, slower tempo and with almost 11 min explores instrumental transitions and more variability. A good album for long time fans, not the right start for newbies.

Axel Rudi Pell - Game of Sins

If you know this band, you can be sure of what you will get. More of the same, just like AC/DC, they don't change their formula. Hard Rock with outstanding vocals with catchy melodies, cheesy lyrics and big choruses, plus great guitar riffs and solos. But if you know their discography, every song albeit different will sound familiar and soon you will be singing along. The mandatory ballad and cover song are present. Couple of songs are longer and more proggy like the title track and the good till the world. But most of the songs are straightforward 5min  hard rock fast tempo tracks. A good album for long time fans, not the right start for newbies.

Holy Grail - Times of Pride and Peril

A surprise that entered the list later on, Holy Grail appeals to my power/traditional metal roots and makes it a fun ride. The band puts a modern spin into traditional heavy metal. The songs are melodic with a power metal vocal approach while yet powerful with death metal riffs and modern breakdowns. The first 6 songs are certainly the best, highlight to "Crystal King". But the album looses a bit its strength on the last 4 songs. Overall a fun metal experience - raise your horns!

Fabio Top 50 Albums of 2015

Here it is! My list of favorite albums of the year. With so many stellar releases in 2015, trying to narrow down a top 20 proved impossible, so I kept 50 again. Feels like every year more good records are out or it is just that every year I expand my horizon of genres and sub-genres. The fact is that I checked more than 140 releases in 2015 and the fifty albums below are simply those which I personally felt to be the most connected to and listened to it more often. And still there were a few more that I enjoyed but didn't make the 50 cut. 

As always, this is a “metal related” list because it does include some non-metal stuff, but obviously the vast majority is heavy. And note that I did not list any EPs, compilations or live albums.

The order is indicative as one release is not definitively better than another (Metal/Music is not a competition), so chill-out. At the end of the day, it's just opinions from a subjective individual.

I really like making those lists even if nobody reads them – it makes me reflect on the year that went buy and revisit the emotions that each of those records brought up.

So here you go...

50.Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II

49.Sylosis - Dormant Heart
48.Royal Thunder - Crooked Doors
47.Spock's Beard - The Oblivion Particle
46.Swallow the Sun - Songs From The North I, II, III
45.Myrkur - M
44.Gorod - A Maze Of Recycled Creeds
43.Abhorrent Decimation - Miasmic Mutation
42.Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields
41.Gruesome - Savage Land
40.Stryper  - Fallen
39.W.A.S.P. - Golgotha
38.Queenryche - Condition Hüman
37.Serious Black - As Daylight Breaks
36.Lamb Of God - Sturm Und Drang
35.Enforcer - From Beyond
34.Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
33.Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine
32.Kataklysm - Of Ghosts And Gods
31.Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask
30.Byzantine - To Release Is To Resolve
29.Royal Hunt - Devil’s Dozen
28.Armored Saint - Win Hands Down
27.Horrendous - Anareta
26.Blind Guardian - Beyond The Red Mirror

25.Crypt Sermon - Out Of The Garden

I'm not a Doom aficionado but this album is a very high contender for debut of the year. So that tells you how much I dig it. 7 tracks in 43 min of pure Doom overdose - no fillers and not really anything to complain. All songs are great. Full of big riffs and great vocal work, Candlemass style.

24.Tribulation - The Children Of The Night

This is the first time I check this band, yet again from Sweden, and already releasing their third full length studio album. Tribulation has a very distinct sound, I'd call it Black N' Roll. To me it sounds like black metal, but diverse influences like Iron Maiden and The Doors are also present.

23.Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Other than a few songs here and there, I haven't been a big fan of the band. But their live DVD with Floor Jansen was really good, so I approached EFMB with open ears. I'm glad I did because this is a great disc. Tuomas Holopainen is a great song writer and can create catchy, melodic and emotional tracks, no doubts about it. But now you add the powerful and versatile voice of Floor to it and you have a perfect mix. The album is a bit too long, but the closing track is such a special one that we let it slide.

22.Kamelot - Haven

This one has grown on me after listening a few times. At first not as memorable as the predecessor but still very good. The formula is the same from previous albums: big choruses, very melodic and catchy. Tommy Karevik delivers again a very solid performance, but he could by now bring some more diversity to his performance and not feel the need to replica Roy's voice/style. My highlights are Citizen Zero, Veil of Elysium and Under Grey Skies (here we do see something different and it went very well).

21.The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal

2013's Everblack was my introduction to BDM, I really liked that record. The combination of Trevor Strnad vocals and  Death Metal with Malmsteen-like guitar solos is really appealing. Abysmal sounds pretty much like BDM, but it has a very different feel from the previous records. The opening track "Receipt" is perhaps the closest song to the previous album sound. The album is very direct and fast paced. It's only 38 min with 10 songs, so very short songs. No fillers, pure energy, aggressiveness and great musicianship. Maybe not quite the same level as the predecessor, but still an amazing record.

20.Joe Satriani - Shockwave Supernova

I'm a huge fan since I was a teenager and on his 15th studio album, Satriani found a way to catch my attention again. Sort of concept album focusing into Satriani's more aggressive side without losing the traditional melody. Even if not a groundbreaking record or anything, I listened to it so much that it deserved a spot in my top 20.

19.David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

This is a beautiful record, from the artwork to the last song. I got the 180g heavyweight vinyl LP that includes 16-page color lyric/photo booklet - outstanding package. And it also sounds amazing! Well crafted and produced the 10 songs run in just 52 minutes. All in all, Rattle That Lock is very different from last year's The Endless River (the final studio album by Pink Floyd). Gilmour's solo album displays a great variability and each song has its own personality. But overall Rattle That Lock has the same feel as Division Bell with hints of old Pink Floyd. Subtle references from Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here can be spotted. The glue that puts those largely different songs together is Gilmour's voice (displaying great range) and guitar playing. And both sound amazing throughout the record.

18.Ghost - Meliora

Third time's a charm! After being impressed with their debut and disappointed with the sophomore snooze fest, Ghost delivered an album that works for me. But it took a few times of careful listen for it to grow on me. I was initially disappointed because I expected all songs to be as good as the first two I listened: "From The Pinnacle To The Pit" and "Cirice". Those are my absolute favorites, they are catchy, heavy, full of great riffs. The album opens with the good "Spirit" - what a great intro! The choral with bells and then the riff and the pounding drums: let the mess begin! Then my two favorties follow. The other songs are all good with highlight for "Mummy Dust" and "Absolution". With only 42 minutes and 8 songs (plus two short instrumentals), Meliora was conceptualized as a LP and that's great. No fillers and you can listen to it several times in a row. The album doesn't sound as retro as the previous one, it's heavier while keeping the elements of 70's rock. Ghost offers something different than any other band these days while being original and well-written.

17.Soilwork - The Ride Majestic

Getting through their last album The Living Infinite from 2013 was a bit of a challenge. The double album had 20 songs and 84 min. Still, there were some fantastic songs in there. But now The Ride Majestic, the tenth studio album from the Swedish melodic death metalers, fixed this problem. With "only" 50 min and 11 songs, this record has no fillers. The songs are well written and powerful, but the highlight is the singer Strid and his varied vocal style. He's able to quickly alternate between more guttural growls and higher screams and clean, harmonious vocals. Songs like "Alight in the Aftermath" start almost like a metalcore song, early BMTH style, but soon also goes melodic. Mostly The Ride Majestic is pure Swedish Death metal as it should be.

16.Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha/Omega

What happens when you put on a blender Meshuggah, Jazz Guitars, Slipknot and melody? Well, that's Periphery's double and conceptual album Juggernaut. But don't get me wrong, the albums are very concise and one song builds on each other. It's actually one album with two parts (Alpha and Omega). I really like the recurring themes and melodies throughout the album.

As previously, the songs mix extreme aggressiveness with melody and catchy choruses. And a bit more accessible than the previous albums. Spencer vocal range and variation of styles is even more impressive than previously heard. The guitar trio led by Mansoor is not only highly technical but also original. This is where djent meets jazz. Loved the guitar solo on "Rainbow Gravity" for example. For the sake of modern metal, I hope Periphery stays on track and continue to grow!.

15.Faith No More - Sol Invictus

This is an outstanding album, it was worth the wait! The title track and first song is a slow intro that is followed by the single "Superhero". Now, I didn't get this song as a single, but in the context of the full album, it works very well. It gives the explosion with melody needed to get the album going with full energy. It also shows that FNM groundbreaking style from the 90s is kept in the new record. Matador is the longest track with 6-min and arguably the best. From The Dead closes the album with a very silly song that only FNM can pull it off.

All in all what I liked the most in this 40-minute killer comeback is how one song flows into the next. At the same time each of them provides a unique experience and uses different but typical FNM elements. Even if not as good as their classic albums, Sol Invictus is not far behind. The only problem is the super high standards that those guys set for themselves.

14.Deafheaven - New Bermuda

I was blown away by 2013’s Sunbather, Deafheaven 2nd album, beautiful black metal.  Two years later and we are presented with New Bermuda, only 5 tracks in 46 minutes. The sound is pretty much Deafheaven, however I’d argue it’s even better. Firstly, the vocals are a bit more clear on the mix and with different effects while maintaining the power and chaos. Secondly some verses are sang in a more traditional black metal fashion and that creates some variability to some songs like "Baby Blue". Thirdly, the beautiful passages are still very much prominent  with slow riffs and guitar arpeggios but I hear more traditional black/thrash riffs being added and working beautifully. As heard in for example "Brought to the Water" or "Come Back" (Slayer in slow-mo?). All in all the 5 songs are really great and despite being long, time flies and you barely notice that the album is back to song #1.

13.Parkway Drive - Ire

I started digging Parkway Drive based on the last two albums. The fact that they make modern metalcore-ish music combined with more traditional metal elements and great musicianship is what made Parkway Drive stand out. And Ire pushes that direction even further. The new studio album, their 5th , is diverse and “formula-free” and that works very well (at least for open minded people). I love the first half of the album. The two singles are just fantastic:  "Vice Grip" is on the same lines as Atlas, but "Crushed" is a completely different beast. It sounds like Manowar going metalcore, awesome. "Destroyer" , "Dying to Believe", "Fractures" and "Bottom Feeder" are all good and typical Parkway Drive tracks while "Writings on the Wall" (a slow song with piano and whispering voice) and "A Deathless Song" (acoustic guitars and more progressive) show completely different structures and influences. Overall a great album, the guitar work is pretty good and Winston McCall vocals are distinctive and powerful. I really hope Parkway Drive will continue to evolve in this pathway.

12.Enslaved - In Times
Without repeating themselves but keeping their signatures, In Times is another great addition to Enslaved discography. "Only" 6 songs, with the shortest ticking 8:11! Each of those songs is a journey in itself, with ups-and-downs, that makes the album's 54 min fly by. The pathway into progressive metal continues, but with one new element: A subtle and interesting post-metal influence. The clean and growling vocals contrast beautifully over a series of awesome riffs throughout the album. In sum, the Norwegians of Enslaved continue to evolve their magnificent and already proven sound with another masterpiece.

11.Intronaut - The Direction of Last Things

A late entrant on the list and a new band to me. Not surprisingly since it seems that tDoLT is their best album to date. I can see why, the music is genuine and pleasingly unconventional. I was sold with the first and best track, full of riffs, hooks and aggressiveness and most interestingly transitioning into a jazz intermezzo including a fret-less bass solo. Modern progressive beauty with a touch of aggressiveness.

10.Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards
For historical reasons, Power Metal has always been one of my favorite genres. So it's difficult to find a band or even a new album that stands out. Luckily for me, there are exceptions. Gloryhammer's sophomore album is certainly one of the best power metal albums of 2015. The band formed by Alestorm singer and keyboarder Christopher Bowes features a strong vocal performance by the Swiss Thomas Winkler. Lyrically those Scotchs don't take themselves too seriously, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it a parody band. Make no mistake, musically, Gloryhammer is very serious about their sound and song writing. Their strongest influence is by far Rhapsody (of Fire). The songs are catchy, epic, with big choruses and great musicianship. If you are a power metal fan, don't let the silliness prevent you from listening to great music.

9.Baroness - Purple

The last major release of 2015 made straight to the top 10. But not immediately, Purple grows in stature with every listen.  Baroness has never completely appealed to me. That is, until I heard Purple in its entirety for a few times. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. No low points, very catchy, good vocal performance, great riffs and drumming. The Purple journey goes from hard rockers like "Try To Disappear" and "The Iron Bell" to more epic and emotional tunes like "Chlorine & Wine" and "If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain?)". Maybe it's time to revisit their first two albums, and hope for their future, Orange (?) album.

8.Paradise Lost - The Plague Within
In a list unusually represented by doom bands, how could the genre godfathers be missing? There's something about this record that makes you come back to it constantly and with each time it grows on you. This is a very diverse disc combining different styles that the band has touched over the years. But the common theme is that it's heavy and dark. From the catchy opening riff followed by Nick Holmes throat singing you know you are up for an experience.

7.Slayer - Repentless

A lot has been said about the new Slayer album. It's kind of miracle that the band is still holding it together. The album went straight to top 4 in the US and very high chart positions across Europe. As far as reviews goes, it looks like it's kind of love or hate it. I put it all aside, I bought my vinyl put it on and just enjoyed it. It's pure Slayer. It's fast and fierceless. It features great solos, riffs and awesome performance from both Tom and Paul. It's no Reign in Blood but nothing is. We certainly miss Jeff but it's not like the last two albums were masterpieces. I applaud those guys, specially Kerry King for working so hard to deliver a solid record. I hope they are in the right path and next can be even better, specially if Gary participates fully. In the end despite all this Mexican novel what matters is that I keep coming back to it and enjoying ever spin.

6.Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Full disclosure: I've seen Amorphis live and listened to some old stuff, but I had never been into them. While reading reviews of Under the Red Cloud, I got very curious. It's indeed a very unique band with a distinguished sound. I didn't get it at first but something kept me going back to it, possibly songs like "Bad Blood". But before I knew it, I was in love with the whole album! Tomi Joutsen voice makes the difference. While he's clean vocal is beautiful, his harsh screams are very deep, similar to Amon Amarth's  Johan Hegg. It's an outstanding contrast. Musically, Under the Red Cloud displays several facets of the band: Death, Gothic and Folk Metal all mixed and intertwined in an elegant and convincing way while maintaining a consistent feel. The guitar work is also fantastic with some great and unique riffs that work in perfect harmony with the keyboards. A fantastic record!

5.Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction
Many extreme metal albums albeit good can suffer from lack of variation. The Anthropocene Extinction doesn't have this problem and hence the key reason why is so damn good. This album is an epic take of Death Metal/Grindcore full of brutality while also melodic at times. Musically, it ticks like a clock with great musicianship. The vocals are fantastic: Going from very low and slow death growls to high pitch black metal screens with everything in between. It's hard to believe that this is the work of just one singer, Travis Ryan. My favorite song is the opener and single "Manufactured Extinct", a show opener, that contains all the elements that will surface the rest of the record. But don't get me wrong, all the other songs are also great and in no moment Cattle drops the ball. 

4.Symphony X - Underworld

I followed those guys since the early days. If you don't know them yet, first where have you been? So think of mixing Rush, Metallica and Malmsteen and you have an idea.

Overall the musicianship of all members is suburb. The guitar riffs and solos from Michael Romeo are just mesmerizing, And Russel Allen's vocal is as powerful as always but even more versatile, reaching high and low notes as I have never heard. With just above 1hr of music, this masterpiece flows very nicely and the time flies by. The first album since 2011's Iconoclast, Underworld is a fantastic journey through Symphony X's sound over the years (I'd have suggested a self-titled album). Each song has its own character but one flows into the other perfectly therefore creating a magical experience.

3.Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic

I became a fan of BTBAM in 2012 while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I was sold when I listened to "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors album from 2007 and started to dig their whole discography. Now after 3 years they are back with the concept album Coma Ecliptic. While the elements from previous records are the same, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But that it's not to say that heaviness isn't there, it's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, a masterpiece of progressive metal.

2.Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls

The long wait since 2010's The Final Frontier is finally over and the world's biggest metal band is back in triumphant form. Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album is an audacious project. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines. For a minimal difference, this was not number 1, and during most of the year it was. 

1.Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase.

SW delivers an album that is emotional, dark and musically brilliant with highlight to the fantastic guitars and keyboard. HCE is an absolute masterpiece of modern progressive music.

Highly original and building on SW's style, but with "in your face" influences from  Simon & Garfunkel and late Beatles to Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steve Morse and Led Zeppelin. This musical journey is addictive! Once you start playing the album you want to enjoy the experience from start to finish while entering a sea of emotions with up-and-downs. It's not only album of the year but certainly will be one of the top of the decade. Kudos!

Honorable  Mentions:

Ensiferum - One Man Army
Danko Jones - Fire Music
Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers
Stratovarius - Eternal
Thy Art is Murder - Holy War
Neal Morse - The Grand Experiment
Angra - Secret Garden
The Agonist - Eye of Providence

Biggest Disappointments:
Circle II Circle
Def Leppard
Devil You Know
Helloween
Trivium

Best Shows:
Parkway Drive - GMM 2015
Kamelot - 013, Tilburg
Steven Wilson - Trix, Antwerp

Worst Show:
Sonata Arctica - GMM 2015

Top Albums of Q4/2015

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

This is a beautiful record, from the artwork to the last song. Rattle That Lock is the fourth solo album by David Gilmour. The artwork was created by Dave Stansbie under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with Pink Floyd before. I got the 180g heavyweight vinyl LP that includes 16-page color lyric/photo booklet - outstanding package. And it also sounds amazing! Well crafted and produced the 10 songs run in just 52 minutes. Only 3 short instrumental songs and 5 of the 7 lyrics were written by his wife. All in all, Rattle That Lock is very different from last year's The Endless River (the final studio album by Pink Floyd). Gilmour's solo album displays a great variability and each song has its own personality. But overall Rattle That Lock has the same feel as Division Bell with hints of old Pink Floyd. Subtle references from Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here can be spotted. The glue that puts those largely different songs together is Gilmour's voice (displaying great range) and guitar playing. And both sound amazing throughout the record.

The instrumental "5 A.M." opens the album beautifully with a melodic guitar solo over keyboards - think "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". The single and title track follows and I was intrigued about where have I heard this opening riff...then I realized it is from the French railway announcements.  Well guess what? that's not a coincidence! It was Gilmour's intention to actually use this jingle. It's the fastest song in the album and very pop/rock - great single. "Faces of Stone" is a slower song with an acoustic rhythm guitar, it reminds me of "Lost for Words". "A Boat Lies Waiting" is a tribute to Richard Wright, a melodic slow piano track which is beautiful and full of emotions. "Dancing Right in Front of Me" is a mid-tempo song that could be featured in Division Bell and features an unexpected jazzy piano solo - awesome. "In Any Tongue" is the longest track with almost 7 min and features 18-year-old Gilmour's son, Gabriel, on the piano. "Beauty" is the second instrumental song with slide guitar and build-up tempo -  great reference to "One of These Days". And then suddenly we face a jazz track! "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" could be in a Woody Allen movie, it's really cool. "Today" starts with a choral but soon picks up and it's the only other song with a up bit pop/rock tempo. The album closes with the third instrumental and beautiful "And Then...". 

This great album finishes as it started, with he guitar master soloing away. Hopefully it won't take another 9 years for the next one because I can't stop listing to Rattle That Lock.

Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards

For historical reasons, Power Metal has always been one of my favorite genres. But when you know a genre so well, it's difficult to find a band or even a new album that stands out. Luckily for me, there are exceptions. Gloryhammer's sophomore album is certainly one of the best power metal albums of 2015. The band formed by Alestorm singer and keyboarder Christopher Bowes features a strong vocal performance by the Swiss Thomas Winkler. Lyrically those Scotchs don't take themselves too seriously, I wouldn't go as far as calling it a parody band. But I guess they could't seriously try to sing about unicorns and dwarves with a straight face so they decided to have some fun with it. And I can see how that can put some people off. But make no mistake, musically, Gloryhammer is very serious about their sound and song writing. Their strongest influence is by far Rhapsody (of Fire). The songs are catchy, epic, with big choruses and great musicianship. And by the way, loved the artwork. If you are a power metal fan, don't let the silliness prevent you from listening to great music.

Deafheaven - New Bermuda

I was blown away by 2013’s Sunbather, Deafheaven 2nd album, beautiful black metal.  Two years later and we are presented with New Bermuda, only 5 tracks in 46 minutes. As opposed to the distinctive pink cover from the previous album, the cover art of the 3rd album features an oil painting by Allison Schulnik, mainly black. But apart from that, the sound is pretty much Deafheaven, however I’d argue it’s even better. First I think that the vocals are a bit more clear on the mix and with different effects while maintaining the power and chaos. Second some verses are sang in a more traditional black metal fashion and that creates some variability to some songs like "Baby Blue". Thirdly, the beautiful passages are still very much prominent  with slow riffs and guitar arpeggios but I hear more traditional black/thrash riffs being added and working beautifully. As heard in for example "Brought to the Water" or "Come Back" (Slayer in slow-mo?). All in all the 5 songs are really great and despite being long, time flies and you barely notice that the album is back to song #1.

Parkway Drive - Ire
I started digging Parkway Drive based on the last two albums, Atlas and Deep Blue. But I also like some songs from their first 2 records. The fact that they make modern metalcore-ish music combined with more traditional metal elements and great musicianship is what made Parkway Drive stand out. And Ire pushes that direction even further. The new studio album, their 5th , is diverse and “formula-free” and that works very well (at least for open minded people). I love the first half of the album. The two singles are just fantastic:  "Vice Grip" is on the same lines as Atlas, but "Crushed" is a completely different beast. It sounds like Manowar going metalcore, awesome. "Destroyer" , "Dying to Believe", "Fractures" and "Bottom Feeder" are all good and typical Parkway Drive tracks while "Writings on the Wall" (a slow song with piano and whispering voice) and "A Deathless Song" (acoustic guitars and more progressive) show completely different structures and influences. Overall a great album, the guitar work is pretty good and Winston McCall distinctive and powerful. I really hope Parkway Drive will continue to evolve in this pathway.

Stryper  - Fallen

Fallen is their 11th album and continues to feature the band's signature sounds and style. However, the sound is heavier, specially when it comes to the guitar riffs. Actually the guitar work throughout the record is fantastic. Michael Sweet's recognizable voice is another highlight, great power and range. Of course Stryper didn't loose its melodic pattern with huge hooks. All in all, a surprisingly great album, Fallen is also the band’s heaviest album to date. Highly recommended.

Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask

Avatarium was Founded in 2012 by bassist Leif Edling (ex-Candlemass) and Marcus Jidell (Evergrey). The self-titled debut was highly acclaimed  and I love it. Two years later we are blessed with the follow on LP tGwtRM. While maintaining a signature sound, Avatarium created something different from the first album. It's still doom and the magnificent vocals from Jennie-Ann Smith shine even brighter. But it has more of a bluesy feeling to it and more prominent 70s style keyboards. This melting pot culminates into track #3 "Pearls and Coffins", simply magnificent. Maybe not as good as the first one, but very close to it.

Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine
This is the sixth album by the Polish progressive rockers. It follows 2013's masterpiece SONGS. Unfortunately it is not as good as the predecessor, but still it's really great. LFatTM is mid-tempo and rock, there's nothing metal about it. The electric guitar is not so prominent, and gives more room for the keyboards and acoustic guitar. Also the bass is one of the starts, very prominent and displaying beautiful bass lines. In sum it's a beautiful record, well-written, and a great but melancholic listen.

W.A.S.P. - Golgotha

Golgotha is the fifteenth studio album by W.A.S.P. and it's their first since Babylon (2009). I had no expectations of this album but I gave it a try. After a couple of listens, I was positively surprised and got hooked on it. My first observation is that despite approaching 60, Blackie Lawless still got a distinctive and powerful voice and it sounds as good as it ever has. Second, the guitar work is magnificent, maybe not technically but it's well-payed, beautiful and all over the place. I do miss great guitar albums with long melodic solos, powerful riffs without trying to fit a thousand notes per second. Doug Blair delivers exactly that. "Miss You" solo is one of the best of the year. And finally the traditional W.A.S.P. elements are all there, honestly it's nothing new and tracks like “Scream” and “Last Runaway” clearly demonstrate that. In addition to loosing points for lack of originality, Golgotha also has some lyrics that are too corny, almost christian rock. For W.A.S.P. fans this is a slam dunk. If you are not into it, probably not the way to start.  

Top Albums of Q3/2015

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
The long wait since 2010's The Final Frontier is finally over and the world's biggest metal band is back in triumphant form. Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album is an audacious project. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines.

Bruce's "If Eternity Should Fail" opens the double disc with keyboards and vocals a la Rainbow with a similar flavor we saw in Final Frontier. Overall a great mid-tempo track that reminds me of a Dio song. It features a memorable chorus and fantastic solos. Then the single "Speed of Light"  from the duo Smith/Dickinson follows and it's a very direct song with great guitar riffs. It has a live feel to it and reminds me of the Fear/No Prayer era. Sightly compromised by over repetition of the chorus at the end. First Steve's credit, in cooperation with Adrian, comes with "The Great Unknown". A fantastic song that builds up slowly to a powerful melody and a classic Maiden bridge and chorus follow. Next is "The Red and the Black", the only track solely credited to Harris. An instant classic, it opens with a bass solo ("Blood on the World's Hands" style) and then a galloping bass a la "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" sets the tone for this 13 min track. The verses are great, always over cool guitar riffs. And the guitar solos are looong but so awesome, think of "Phantom of the Opera". It will be a live favorite! "When the River Runs Deep" is cool up tempo direct song Piece of Mind style. Then the title track closes CD1 and it is a magnificent classic Maiden long track. An acoustic intro similar to "The Talisman" gives way to an "ancient" riff sort of Rainbow's "Gates of Babylon". The song structure is classic Maiden: Full of powerful melodies and a galloping bass. Despite being a Gers/Harris song, it does sound a lot like something out of The Chemical Wedding. 

The most likely hit single "Death or Glory" is another Smith/Dickinson track that opens CD2. It's also a classic Maiden short song with memorable chorus, melodic verses, bridges and great riffs. "Shadows of the Valley" is another Gers/Harris song, but interestingly the intro riff is just like Smith's "Wasted Years". But the similarities stop there and the track develops beautifully into a typical Maiden modern song. Smith/Harris's "Tears of a Clown" is based on comedian Robin Williams' depression and suicide in 2014. It sounds fresh and different. "The Man of Sorrows" drops the ball and doesn't add much to the album, the only filler. The release's final song, "Empire of the Clouds" is now the band's longest song at 18 minutes in duration. The track written by Dickinson features himself on piano for the first time and is based on the 1930 R101 airship crash. This is really a Bruce song and could be on his latest solo album. But it still is a great way to close an album and do something different. A masterpiece in itself, but that could certainly a bit shorter.

Now "low expectations is the key to happiness" some would say. But when it comes to Maiden that is very difficult, we always expect something. It took about ten full listens through to get rid of my own expectations and appreciate The Book of Souls for what it is: A 2015 Maiden masterpiece, album of the year. But, I do not think it's better than the 80's albums with Bruce (as some are saying) and that's because in relation to their own discography, I have 3 remarks: 1. Many songs could be shorter and feel overextended (double album syndrome?) 2. Repetition: a lot of ideas seem to be recycled from previous albums. 3. A few songs sound more like Bruce's solo album than Maiden's (not exactly an issue since his albums are amazing too). With this caveat out of the way, the album is still fantastic, it's Maiden.

Symphony X - Underworld
I followed those guys since the early days. If you don't know them yet, first where have you been? So think of mixing Rush, Metallica and Malmsteen and you have an idea.
Overall the musicianship of all members is suburb. The guitar riffs and solos from Michael Romeo are just mesmerizing, And Russel Allen's vocal is as powerful as always but even more versatile, reaching high and low notes as I have never heard. With just above 1hr of music, this masterpiece flows very nicely and the time flies by.
The first album since 2011's Iconoclast, Underworld is a fantastic journey through Symphony X's sound over the years (I'd have suggested a self-titled album). The opener Overture is the only moment in which the early symphonic element is present and it does a great job opening the record. Tracks like Nevermore, Underworld and Kiss of Fire (their heaviest track yet) are based on very heavy riffs and limited keyboards - very much like the last two albums. Without You and Swan Song are the usual mid-tempo songs, but still very good, specially the former. Legend and Charon could've been in V or Twilight in Olympus albums. The longest track To Hell and Back is a reference to the The Divine Wings of Tragedy years. Each song has its own character but one flows into the other perfectly therefore creating a magical experience.

Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic
I became a fan of BTBAM in 2012 while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I was sold when I listen "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors album from 2007 and started to dig their whole discography. Now after 3 years they are back with the concept album Coma Ecliptic. While the elements from previous records are the same, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But that it's not to say that heaviness isn't there, but it's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, a masterpiece of progressive metal.


Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Full disclosure: I've seen Amorphis live and listened to some old stuff, but I had never been into them. While reading reviews of Under the Red Cloud, I got very curious. It's indeed a very unique band with a distinguished sound. I didn't get it at first but something kept me going back to it, possibly songs like "Bad Blood". But before I knew it, I was in love with the whole album! Tomi Joutsen voice makes the difference. While he's clean vocal is beautiful, his harsh screams are very deep, similar to a Amon Amarth's  Johan Hegg. It's an outstanding contrast. Musically, Under the Red Cloud displays several facets of the band: Death, Gothic and Folk Metal all mix and intertwine in an elegant and convincing way while maintaining a consistent feel. The guitar work is also fantastic with some great and unique riffs, and even better it works in perfect harmony with the keyboards. In sum, this is a fantastic record and I expect to see it topping many year-end lists.

Slayer - Repentless

A lot has been said about the new Slayer album. The eleventh studio album was released on September 11 by Nuclear Blast and is the first Slayer album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph since 2001's God Hates Us All. Repentless is also Slayer's first album following the death of Jeff Hanneman in 2013, and the band's first new release since World Painted Blood (2009). If that wasn't enough, it was also talked about the change from Rick Rubin to Terry Date as producer.
That's a lot to take in! It's kind of miracle that the band is still holding it together. The album went straight to top 4 in the US and very high chart positions across Europe. As far as reviews goes, it looks like it's kind of love or hate it. I put it all aside, I bought my vinyl put it on and just enjoyed it. It's pure Slayer. It's fast and fierceless. It features great solos, riffs and awesome performance from both Tom and Paul. It's no Reign in Blood but nothing is, that's one of the most perfect records ever made. We certainly miss Jeff but it's not like the last two albums were masterpieces either. I applaud those guys, specially Kerry King for working so hard to deliver a solid record. I hope they are in the right path and next can be even better, specially if Gary participates fully. In the end despite all this Mexican novel what matters is that I keep coming back to it and enjoying ever spin of it.

Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction
Many extreme metal albums albeit good can suffer from lack of variation. The Anthropocene Extinction doesn't have this problem and hence the key reason why is so damn good. This album is an epic take of Death Metal/Grindcore full of brutality while also melodic at times. Musically, it ticks like a clock with great musicianship. The vocals are fantastic: Going from very low and slow death growls to high pitch black metal screens with everything in between. It's hard to believe that this is the work of just one singer, Travis Ryan. My favorite song is the opener and single "Manufactured Extinct", a show opener, that contains all the elements that will surface the rest of the record. But don't get me wrong, all the other songs are also great and in no moment Cattle drops the ball. There are two moments to catch your breath, the instrumental and the slow transitional "Ave Exitium". A serious candidate for album of the year, if not overall, certainly in extreme music.

Kataklysm - Of Ghosts And Gods
Starting an album with a classic movie quote is controversial, even more from a last year's movie! But when you listen to it followed by the crushing riff, it does work well - I mean it's Batman's voice.
Joke aside, the opening track "Breaching The Asylum" sets the tone for the first 4 tracks which are all great. Pure traditional melodic death metal, if you wouldn't know those guys come from Canada, you would think they are Swedish. The middle part lost a little its power and it can get repetitive, but then "Hate Spirit" come sin and brings an element of Black Metal that break the pattern. The album closes with "The World Is A Dying Insect", a more progressive attempt that works well as a closer. Overall nothing new here, but the songs are very well written and the riffs heavy and catchy. For fans of melodic death metal, Swedish style, like myself, this album will go very well.

Ghost - Meliora

Third time's a charm! After being impressed with their debut and disappointed with the sophomore snooze fest, Ghost delivered an album that works for me. But it took a few times of careful listen for it to grow on me. I was initially disappointed because I expected all songs to be as good as the first two I listened: "From The Pinnacle To The Pit" and "Cirice". Those are my absolute favorites, they are catchy, heavy, full of great riffs. The album opens with the good "Spirit" - what a great intro! The choral with bells and then the riff and the pounding drums: let the mess begin! Then my two favorties follow. The other songs are all good with another highlight for "Mummy Dust" and "Absolution". With only 42 minutes and 8 songs (plus two short instrumentals), Meliora was conceptualized as a LP and that's great. No fillers and you can listen to it several times in a row. The album doesn't sound as retro as the previous one, it's heavier while keeping the elements of 70's rock. Ghost offers something different than any other band these days while being original and well-written.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal
2013's Everblack was my introduction to BDM, I really liked that record. The combination of Trevor Strnad vocals and  Death Metal with Malmsteen-like guitar solos is really appealing. Abysmal sounds pretty much like BDM, but it has a very different feel from the previous records. The opening track "Receipt" is perhaps the closest song to the previous album sound. The album is very direct and fast paced. It's only 38 min with 10 songs, so very short songs. No fillers, pure energy, aggressiveness and great musicianship. Maybe not quite the same level as the predecessor, but still an amazing record.

Soilwork - The Ride Majestic
Getting through their last album The Living Infinite from 2013 was a bit of a challenge. The double album had 20 songs and 84 min. Still, there were some fantastic songs in there. But now The Ride Majestic, the tenth studio album from the Swedish melodic death metalers, fixed this problem. With "only" 50 min and 11 songs, this record has no fillers. The songs are well written and powerful, but the highlight is the singer Strid and his varied vocal style. He's able to quickly alternate between more guttural growls and higher screams and clean, harmonious vocals. Songs like "Alight in the Aftermath" start almost like a metalcore song, early BMTH style, but soon also goes melodic. But mostly The Ride Majestic is pure Swedish Death metal as it should be.

Myrkur - M

I do like several Black Metal albums, but the truth is that it's very difficult for me to find the ones I like. So I was not hoping to get much out of this debut album from Myrkur, a one-woman black metal musical project of Danish musician Amalie Bruun. Apparently she's originally a pop artist, but I had never heard of her and I don;t really care. What matter is the music. Most of the songs are more on the ambient style with beautiful female vocals and chorals, but awesomely every now and then a heavy guitar riff comes into play or a harsh vocal and pounding drums, Defheaven style. This contrast is magical and I was sold into it after just a couple of spins. Labels and styles apart, this is great music and a great album. Let's hope for more! 

If I were interviewed...

What if I were to answer the questions that Metal Hammer UK and That Metal Show ask their guests?

The Album I First Bought Was... Powerslave. 

And I bought it because of the cover. I was only 8 and liked to draw. But soon I started enjoying the music as well..Flash of the Blade being the first song.

The Best Album Artwork Is... Somewhere in Time. 

I don't know how many hours I spent looking for Easter eggs and details on this cover. So many ideas and details and one of the coolest Eddies ever.

The Album I Wish I'd Made Is... Dark Side of the Moon. 

A magnificent and original piece of art from the cover and first note to the last.

No One Will Believe I Own A Copy Of... Barao Vermelho Live. 

Well, sometimes it helps when I'm home sick

The Album I Break The Speed Limit To Is... Painkiller. 

Come on! when those drums start and then the guitar riff kicks in...and then Halford...and it goes from there since every track is a punch in the face.

The Album That Should Not Be Is... Metallica – Load. 

Even the back album was not really my thing, but then I quit Metallica all together when this came out.

The Album I Want Played At My Funeral Is... Maiden United

A Kid Asks Me What Metal Is, I Hand Them A Copy Of... Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance. Sabbath "created" metal but it was still very bluesy. But Priest took it to the next level and the rest is history...every band has a bit of Priest in it.

If you could be in any band, what band would it be, and what would you play? 

That's easy Iron Maiden and vocals!

What is the one song that you wish you wrote? 

As a 12-year-old guitar player "Crushing Day" by Satriani was an amazing challenge. So many tricks and techniques in just one song. Besides the groove and melody are fantastic.

Vice: diet coke

What is the first rock or metal song that you ever learned how to play? 

The guitar of Aces High

Best concert: Iron Maiden in the year 2000 when I was living in Montreal. It was my second Maiden show with Bruce, the first in 8 years. To this date it was the only Maiden concert in a closed arena. No joke, tears rolled down my face during Blood Brothers.