Album Review BLOODBOUND Rise Of The Dragon Empire (03/22)

Bloodbound was founded in summer 2004 by Tomas Olsson and Fredrik Bergh. Soon they recorded a demo and the debut Nosferatu was released in 2006. In 2010 the band parted ways with Urban Breed and Patrik Johansson took over the vocal duties. With Patrik, four studio albums were released. The latest being the good 2017's War of Dragons. Nothing hides the fact that with Bloodbound we are into "no-remorse" Swedish power metal. There will be dragons (lots of them), swords, kings and epic battles all over the place. Bloodbound's music is somewhere between Hammerfall and Rhapsody. The songs are rather simplistic in structure and technically. Mr Johansson vocal approach is similar to his country mate from Hammerfall. It's clean, melodic with occasional high pitched screams but never over-the-top.

Musically, Rise Of The Dragon Empire features mid-tempo, melodic songs with hymnic character and it's not a departure from the previous records. But it does shows more medieval folk influences. It's a straightforward power metal album with 11 tracks, no intros, interludes or ballads. That makes it very easy to go through its consistently good 46 minutes. While Bloodbound uses keyboards played by Fredrik Bergh, it is mostly to support the melodies and just sometimes in the foreground to give Rhapsody-like symphonic flavor. With that said, Rise Of The Dragon Empire is much more influenced by the Italians and early Edguy than previous records. That's not to say that  Bloodbound is not original, quite the opposite, Rise Of The Dragon Empire shows a band finding their own sound and identity. The album cover solidifies their transition from a demon based imagery to dragons which makes sense given their music. 

The album starts well with the good title track which was released as a video single. No surprises here, usual song structure, melodic verses and big catchy chorus. It has the epic medieval vibe which is expected given the lyrics e.g. "Kings and queens to be so magical to me". Track two and the first single "Slayer Of Kings" is a high tempo song with also medieval folk inspired riffs. It inserts a high energy into the album flow. "Skyriders And Stormbringers" displays a very moving and epic melody. "Magical Eye" follows and concludes the strong start. There are other highlights for example the Sabaton influenced "A Blessing In Sorcery" which is one of the most energetic and catchy songs int eh album. The third single "The Warlock's Trail" brings that Hammerfall influence from the early days and sounds great. "Reign Of Fire" closes the album with a different note, a sing along slow tempo anthem. The other few songs while OK don't really impress and fall flat without asking to be played again. It hurts to say but the Game of Thrones inspired lyrics also bother me. The show, while one of my favorites, is too mainstream and cliche to sound cool in metal. But I'm being picky here, I know.

Rise Of The Dragon Empire is mostly more of the same which makes a few songs ineffective to call my attention. On the bright side Rise Of The Dragon Empire solidifies Bloodbound sound and image, it's a competent album and adds some very good tracks to their live setlist. I enjoy this band and their work and I hope they continue to grow and hopefully take a bit more risks next time. For fans of the band and power metal in general, Rise Of The Dragon Empire is a good investment. And if you can't wait for the new Game of Thrones season, get your dragon dose fixed with Bloodbound.

SCORE: 77/100
DR: 6
Genre: Power Metal
Released by AFM Records on March 22nd, 2019

Album Review TWISTED TOWER DIRE Wars in the Unknown (03/15)

Twisted Tower Dire was formed in the Washington D.C. suburbs in the early 90’s, the band makes epic traditional hooky heavy metal. In 1999 the debut album The Curse of Twisted Tower was released and five albums followed since then. Since the change of singer in 2007, the line-up has been stable. I must confess I am late to the TTD party. Wars in the Unknown is the first time I check this guys out. They are coming from a seven year gap and riding the new wave of traditional heavy metal bands in the US (Visigoth, Night Demon, etc). That's what we are going for here, Iron Maiden meets Manowar direction.

The first impression was very good. It's a direct album, no frills (lucky no ballads either) and straight to business from track one of ten, running a total of digestible 42 minutes. A cool album cover, no surprisingly, that brings us the 80's style that is also present in the music. Also the lyric video for "True North" worked well as it's one of the best songs of the album. A galloping rhythm, an engaging verse, good chorus and strong bridge displaying a good vocal performance. The other single "Light The Swords On Fire" displays nice speed and some aggressiveness int he vocals supported by nice riffs. The tracks around it are also very good, the strong opener "The Thundering" and the fast paced "Tear You Apart" featuring a strong Kill em All era influenced riff. Another highlight for me is "And The Sharks Came Then" with a mid-tempo progression and one of the best guitar work on the album.

Unfortunately the first good impressions did not hold for the second half of album. The mid-section is disappointing. I have two major problems with Wars in the Unknown. First it lacks that memorable, fist pumping hooks that I expect from a power metal related albums. Second, the vocal approach seems very "contained" as if Twisted Tower Dire were afraid of going full blown and consequently put off some of the north american audience. There are exceptions and hence why I think they could have gone that way.  A good example is the final track "These Ghosts Can Never Leave" where they take some risks and as a result is one of my favorites. On the other hand a song like "A Howl In The Wind" has so much potential but the vocal lines fall very flat and boring. At moments it gets to the point that irritates me like the last notes of the verses on "Riding The Fortress".

Despite my criticisms in those areas, it is a good album and shows that Twisted Tower Dire has potential to keep going forward and hopefully leap forward in the next release. It's fun to listen to and easy to digest. I'm sure fans and overall people who appreciate traditional/power metal will dig this. I don't see myself going back to it very often. But since it was a positive experience, next I'll be checking "Crest Of The Martyrs" and "The Isle Of Hydra" which seem to be the highlights in their discography.

Rating: 78/100
DR: 6
Genre: Traditional / Power Metal
Released by No Remorse on March 15th, 2019

Album Review FALLUJAH Undying Light (03/15)

Fallujah is an extreme progressive metal band from San Francisco founded in 2007 by guitarist and primary songwriter Scott Carstairs. Today, the band is mostly associated with the tech death metal scene even thought early on they had a deathcore sound. After the successful 2016 album Dreamless, singer Alex Hofmann announced his departure and on January, 2019 the band revealed longtime friend Anthony Palermo as their new frontman and unveiled their forth studio album Undying Light.

Undying Light is a raw, direct, no-filler and emotional album. Ten songs in 45 minutes, no intros or instrumental/transition tracks. Opener "Glass House" kicks things off with a mid-tempo fade-in riff, but soon turns into an aggressive song. The new singer Palermo screams his lungs out. The vocal approach works for me better than previously. It is more high pitched hardcore than deep death metal growls. Like in the opening track, Andrew Baird relentless drumming throughout the record is impressive. Sometimes a whole song sounds like a drum fill e.g. "Ultraviolet". At moments, there's a certain Post-Metal vibe in this record, specially in tracks like "Dopamine" or "Distant and Cold". "The Ocean Above" jazzy interlude is placed perfectly at the middle of the record and gives some breathing room to an otherwise avalanche of raw energy.

Fallujah 2019 sounds raw, emotionally aggressive and direct. The vocals are a change from the previous records and that can alienate some older fans. The atmospheric moments or clean vocals are kept to a minimum. For some, like me, those changes are a receipt for success, but I can see how it won't be for all (and it never is really). It's always difficult to follow a album like Dreamless whihc pleased so many fans. But I agree with the evolution that Carstairs and band are going for. There are only two points that bothered me. First, the song writing could be more impactful and some songs more memorable (that could improve with repeated spins). Secondly, the lack of guitar riffs is troublesome and sometimes they sound alike, for example it's difficult to distinguish the intro of  "The Ocean Above" and "Departure". At the end of the day, Undying Light is a good progressive album that won me over after I failed to get into their music previously.

Rating: 80/100
DR: 5
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Released by Nuclear Blast on March 15th, 2019

Throwback Metal Moment: VIPER Theatre of Fate (1989)

Viper is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Sao Paulo formed in 1985. It was Andre Matos first band before joining Angra in 1991. Viper released their second album Theatre of Fate in 1989. I remember buying this vinyl when it was released and quickly became a favorite in my turntable. Their album before it was promising but the band was not mature enough. And the albums after  Theatre of Fate and without Matos have some good moments but their sound changed. In that sense, this disc is a unique jewel that should never be forgotten. In its 30th anniversary, I decided to go back to it.

The album clocks just under 35 minutes and features 8 songs. Those were the good times when bands would really craft their best songs and make concise albums. The interesting thing is that while the songs are relatively short, it's still a progressive album. Each song is unique and displays character. Viper didn't follow a formula or fixed structure. Instrumental interludes, classical music mix, solos, bridges and verses are all used differently and at the right time. There's no overuse of choruses or repetition. But still songs are very melodic, catchy, thrashy at times and memorable. "A Cry from the Edge" for example goes from a guitar solo over an acoustic rhythm guitar and classical arrangements, to an almost a punk rock verse (a la D.R.I.) to a power metal chorus. Andre Matos vocal performance in this album is my favorite of his career. While he reaches for some very high notes, it doesn't sound forced and features a raw emotion. Take the title track for example last notes of the chorus. Fantastic singing up to F5 and with one short G5 right at the end of the song. Or the incredible sustained E5 from the end of "A Cry From The Edge". And also a slide up to a powerful F5 from "At Least A Chance". The inevitable Helloween influences are also clear specially when it comes to the singing and twin guitars riffs (typically higher tempo then the Maiden ones). "Prelude to Oblivion" is when this is most notable. Another masterpiece is "Living for the Night" possibly the favorite one of most Viper fans, including myself. Beautiful, progressive and a powerful build up, this song has it all. It includes not only great guitar solos but also a bass solo. A song based on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata closes the album on yet a different note. Given that this is a sophomore album from some Brazilian youngsters, the production is not perfect but quite decent. It's dynamic (DR 8) and well mixed.

Music is not only a technical construct of notes and harmonies, it's also about emotions and memories that we associate with it. Theatre of Fate is one of my favorite power progressive metal album of
all times. It's about how important this album was to me as a teenager. And having a fresh look at it 30 years later only confirms that technically and objectively, it is also a superb piece of work. It's a shame that it's only 35 minutes of an almost lost jewel of musical brilliance.

SCORE: 96/100

Album Review CHILDREN OF BODOM Hexed (03/08)

After the foundation of Children Of Bodom back in 1993 in Finland (referring to the Lake Bodom murders), the band built a solid reputation as one of the best melodeath metal acts worldwide. They are recognize not only for catchy death metal but also for being technically proficient musicians. Alexi Laiho is the band lead, song writer, lead vocals and lead guitar. Other 3 members,  , Janne Wirman (keyboards), Henkka T. Blacksmith (bass), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), have been with Laiho since the 1997 debut album. The second guitarist, Daniel Freyberg is the only new comer. I must admit after the first four albums I lost track of Children Of Bodom. But there are definitely some very good songs among their discography that keep coming back to my playlists (e.g. "Sixpounder").

Following 2015's  Worship Chaos, which received mixed reviews, Children Of Bodom brings us their tenth studio album: Hexed. My first impression was very positive, it's a fun album to listen to. Most songs are good, there are just a couple of let downs, but overall it flows quite well. It's very dynamic covering different styles of their sound. All of it done in a concise and direct way, the record consists of 11 tracks in 45 minutes without any intros or transitions. The single "This Road" opens up at full blast and demonstrates what we will hear in the whole album: the guitars shine. We know that Children Of Bodom can have very prominent keyboards on the foreground, but Hexed is a guitar album. The guitar work is really well done in all fronts: the riffs, duos and solos. The use of power chords and fast picking is not overused, instead we have several melodies going all over the fretboard. Get your good headphones on for a full experience. At moments the band display some subtle but quite interesting classical/jazzy influences as in guitar and keys duo during the title track. There are also keyboard highlights, for example the solos in "Kick in a Spleen" and "Platitudes and Barren Words". There are other special moments like "Hecate's Nightmare" which has this King Diamond vibe and very nice grove with a catchy chorus.  "Under Grass and Clover" with its power metal almost pop vibe can be a problem for some, but I actually enjoy it. For the most part, the drums throughout the album are quite straightforward. But the drumming and specially the drum solo in "Say Never Look Back" are a highlight (think  Helloween's "Sole Survivor" intro). I wish we had more of it. "Knuckleduster" is an older song included as track 11 and last, but I'd have left it as a bonus track, specially because the original version is still better. Production wise, Hexed is dynamic and the mix is clear with good choices using the right and left speakers. But one can argue that it's too polished, I personally think of Children Of Bodom's music as a more raw and rough sound.

Overall Hexed is a good modern metal album that tries to bring back the aggressiveness and raw energy from the early work. While it doesn't accomplishes it in all moments, when it does, it works very well. If you are a long term fan of the band, this will work wonders for you as it's better than the last record or so. But for newcomers, I'd check the first 4 albums and then come back to Hexed. With that said, I enjoyed listening to this album and I'm looking forward to hear some of those songs live.

SCORE: 82/100

Album Review MISERY INDEX Rituals of Power (03/08)

In 2003, Misery Index unleashed their first LP Retaliate, to exceptional reviews and followed by several line-up changes and four other albums. A string of shows and festivals around the globe followed each album. Jason Netherton (vocals, bass) is the only founding member left, but Adam Jarvis (drums) and Mark Kloeppel (guitar) have been on the band since the second album. And finally Darrin Morris has been playing the guitars since 2010. Misery Index makes death metal with strong hardcore punk and grindcore influences. 

Five years after The Killing Gods, with Rituals of Power, Misery Index are back.  This is my first time listening to them, so I have no expectations or pre-concepts of what they should sound like. By chance, the previous reviews this year were not from extreme genres of metal. So I must say it feels good and refreshing to listen to these nine crushing tracks. It's hard hitting brutality non-stop for 36 minutes. The short "Universal Untruths" opens the album but it doesn't represent the whole album, it serves as a full song at slow tempo intro. It works well and better than a choice for a generic instrumental track. The vocals here remind me of At The Gates which is always a good thing. It all changes with "Decline And Fall" drum fill followed by the guitar riff which showcases the speed and aggressiveness that is coming our way for the rest of the record. Fortunately, it's not a dull one-speed, same thing for 30 minutes.  Jason and co. added elements of different branches of death metal and tempo changes that make Rituals of Power a diverse and dynamic death metal record. The third track is a great example, "The Choir Invisible" kicks off with an amazing instrumental intro, the drums working wonders here. I like how the verse and chorus are melodic slower tempo but the bridge is pure aggressiveness. Not to mention the The Black Dahlia Murder-ish guitar solo (it's so good that it could be longer). The single "New Salem" monstrous up tempo riffs and angry raw energy displays the best side of Misery Index. "Hammering The Nails" is pure headbanging groovy extravaganza, my personal favorite. The title track and longest song showcases variability and some progressiveness in their sound. "They Always Come Back" is a bit too long and not my favorite. "I Disavow" speed is a mosh pit soundtrack that turns into a groovy fist pumping end. Interestingly it has a surprising Maiden-like twin guitar at the mid instrumental section, very subtle but cool. The shortest song "Naysayer" closes the album with the best display of grindcore influences in this album. 

Rituals of Power is not a game changer but it's a very effective and dynamic death metal record. Overall it brings less core elements and more classic death metal with lots of grooves and killer riffs. The guitar work and drumming shine. The mid frequency and aggressive vocals are effective while allowing us to follow the lyrics. The combination of grooves and aggressiveness makes it a perfect record to be performed live this summer. It's pure headbanging. The record length is another advantage, it grabs your attention from beginning to end and it does not waste time with fillers. The only minor complain is that the album is a bit front loaded, the last three tracks while good are not as good as the earlier ones. It's certainly one of the best extreme metal records of the year so far. 

SCORE: 81/100

Album Review IN FLAMES I, The Mask (03/01)

In Flames is a very important band for me and many people. Formed in 1990 in Gothenburg, they are responsible for developing the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. The first five albums are considered essential records within the genre, albeit ordering them by preference can become an endless argument. When Colony was released in 1999, it served as gateway album for me to enter the Death Metal genre. I saw them live for the first time in a little club in Montreal in the summer of 2000. I lost track of them until I reconnected when Sounds of a Playground Fading was released in 2011. So yes, I really like this album, I have an emotional connection to it and it keeps coming back to my playlists. While I don't love the 2000's albums after Clayman, I do like many songs from these period. It's a different story with the last two records Siren Charms (2014) and Battles (2016), I think there are no more than a handful of songs that I enjoy from both together. It's not because they don't sound like Colony, it's just that I really don't like them overall.

Now in 2019 after years of disappointments, I approached I, The Mask with no expectations and an open mind. As the say goes “The secret to happiness is low expectations” and that's how I feel about this album. It's the best thing I've heard from In Flames in a long time. Is it perfect? As good as the old stuff? No, it's far from that, but if you accept their sound direction (which by now has lasted longer than the original sound), it's not a bad album. Now, if you are still waiting for Whoracle Part 2, you will be disappointed and you will die waiting for it. It's no secret that they will never go back to that melodic death metal sound. If that's the only thing you are interested, then you have two options, to actually listen to Whoracle  or to another of the thousands of bands doing great melodeath music.

With all of that out of the way, let me get to it. The album opens very strongly with "Voices" and the following 3 tracks. This is the closest we get to death metal. The tempo is high, the verses are voracious and the riffs are mean. Yes, the choruses are not as powerful, but it doesn't compromise those songs. There is a hint of metalcore in those tracks. For example, "I Am Above" reminds me of Bullet for My Valentine, but at least their good phase. Track five "Follow Me" is not a bad track but not as powerful, but the usage of acoustic is very well done. And while it may seem we are going into a ballad, the song picks up speed and becomes a good mid tempo and very melodic track. "(This Is Our) House" could've been a good song, but that gang vocals is a big let down. It baffles me that they are playing this song live instead of the title track. Another issue in the middle section is "In This Life". The chorus is absolutely irritating, I can't listen to this song. But not all is lost, the groovy "We Will Remember" and the heavier "Deep Inside" are also enjoyable rides. "All The Pain" is the mandatory ballad and while not terrible it doesn't work for me. It would've worked better as the closing track, because "Stay With Me" and "Not Alone"  don't add much.

Look, when rated by itself, this is a good disc. There are songs here that I really enjoyed and I’ll keep listening to them as I do with a couple tracks from Siren Charms.  But I judge an album from beginning to end as the artist has crafted it. Therefore I cannot give I, The Mask a very high score. There are flaws in the middle section of the album and specially at the end of it that compromises my overall experience. It is still a better album than the previous two and it shows that In Flames is finding a way to combine their more commercial approach to some heaviness from the early days. Also Anders is singing at his best, showcasing a improved dynamic range. Now if In Flames would have trimmed down and polished I, The Mask a bit more and not try too hard to make super radio friendly choruses, then we would be in a much better place. At least for my taste. I suspect this album will do well commercially, but if critics and some fans keep judging it in comparison to the old albums, then we will see very negative reviews. For me, it's an album with good songs but also problems and at the end of the day a decent addition to the post 2000 discography.

SCORE: 78/100