Forth time is a charm, right? Sons of Seasons and Helevorn are on the "new artist" agenda, while Suidakra finally gets some respect. Chester has fallen into a folk metal induced coma after being introduced to Eluveitie's stunning album "Everything Remains as It Never Was." Time for a 'hurdy gurdy' education!
Coming from the depths of Sweden, Meshuggah has released their sixth studio album in 2008. This experimental metal band has taken their sound to a whole new level. The album, entitled "obZen," features massive amounts of fast heavy riffs, speedy drumming, and immense breakdowns.
The album starts off with "Combustion" immediately showing off their unique guitar and bass riffs, as they clash together heavily with intense drumming. The song holds a screeching guitar solo towards the final minute. This is followed by "Electric Red" which carries devilish guitar riffs and haunting synthesizer.
"Bleed" is a 7 minute masterpiece that has one of the most insane intro's I have ever heard. It is filled with destructive drum patterns and rapid bass playing throughtout. The vocals are loud and violent as well. The incredible breakdowns will leave your head bobbing from start to finish. Ominous synthesizers enter about 4 minutes into the song, which then lead to a monstrous bridge consisting of rapid double bass pedal action and a melodic synthesizer layered on top.
Track 4 entitled "Lethargica" offers a very different type of sound as violent guitar riffs fill the air. This is then combined with jaw dropping bass lines that create such an amazing godly sound. Meanwhile, there are songs like "This Spiteful Snake" which contains dark metaphorical lyrics, which you will definitely want to look up as you are listening to it. The lyrics are, of course, told through Jens Kidman's demonic and deafening growling. Their is also an eerie solo in the middle of the song which you will find most impressive.
If you are into constant beastly breakdowns then track five, "obZen" is definitely one to check out while searching through the album. It keeps a constant groove throughout the song leaving you once again, headbanging constantly. Bone crushing guitars chug away to reckless snares and cymbals while detailed bass notes knock you out of your seat.
Overall, the album is very intense and interesting. It stands strong and keeps you hooked the entire time, thanks to the phenomenal song structures and the consistent heavy drumming. Kidman's vocals keep the album dark and gloomy while the guitars you destroyed with their violent minor chords. This is definitely one of their greatest albums yet.
Innovation isn't always the key to excellence in the metal world. There is something to be said for simply doing right by your sound. For Helevorn, a six piece from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, it has been beneficial to master their craft, rather than try to reinvent the wheel. On "Forthcoming Displeasures," their third disc of material, the band take the death/doom structure to familiar places.
Delicate strumming and a simple bassline greet you, joined by a spoken passage, introduce "From Our Glorious Days." Booming kick drums and deep screams come from nowhere, tempered with sparse keyboard melodies and off-key, yet powerful clean vocals. The tempo is slow and deliberate, remaining at a constant. A quick bit of prose moves you into "Descent," a track which proves to be a chugging clinic. A single guitar riff cuts through the thunder, creating a path for well placed keys. The vocals are harsh in their delivery, but not overpowering, allowing room for melody and synths to cut the tension.
A beautiful piano piece leads the way in "Two Voices Surrounding," a track that is about as close to a ballad as you will find in this style. The vocals start clean, though touched with effects, before descending into darkness again. Simple guitars and drums keep the song moving forward without imposing. Suddenly, a deep, guttural scream arises, welcoming you to "To Bleed Not Suffer." The pace changes from a slow, somber beat, to a more aggressive one, but always ends up back where it started. Through all the time signature and instrument changes, there is always a pronounced, calculated drum tone, giving you perfect head nodding material.
"Revelations" kicks things into a higher gear, with guitar scales ripping through the bass, drum, vocal wall. Signature growls are revealed, syncing up precisely with kick drums blasts that are sure to rattle your rib cage. But beauty is ever present, with keyboards providing accents along the way. We fall back into the depressed abyss of "Hopeless Truth," using spoken word to dim the lights. A guitar riff that almost seems to be one of light chimes in, before crashing down to earth in a heap of eerie keyboards, devilish screams and drum earthquakes.
Both "Yellow" and "On Shores (Of A Dying Sea)" are masterpieces of doom, creating a perfect ending to the album. They are instruction manuals on how to make music that is both dark and powerful. Guitar melodies, clean vocals, coarse screams, heavy drum fills and the light addition of cymbal all melt together in a profoundly simple way, before fading away to a piano outro.
Not every album needs to be a revelation. Bands try so hard to set themselves apart, but often in ways that detract from the music itself. The key to improving your standing in the music industry isn't always another vocalist, odd instrumentation or a half-baked concept album. Sometimes, the answer is as simple as perfecting what you already know how to do.
Ready for some kick-ass melodic death metal? Coming from the dark shadows of Finland is the incredible Insomnium. Their third official studio album, "Above The Weeping World," is an aggressive, melodic masterpiece. Nine tracks filled with screeching guitar solos and brain splattering drumming and bass picking. Not to mention the consistently brutal growling that will make you shit your pants!
The intro track alone will blow you away with its epic buildup from calm beautiful piano keys to heavy destructive guitar riffs. "The Gale" immediately gets you hooked as its catchy melodies jump out and grab you by the throat. This is just a taste of what this killer album has to offer.
"Mortal Share" is the first full song on the album. It opens with dirty guitar work as you are first introduced to the vocals. A sudden "roar" breaks through the guitars smashing every frequency in sight. The verses are sharp and to the point, which lead to heavy chorus's and ripping guitar solos. And if you're looking for some more great solos, "Drawn To Black" and "The Last Statement" contain melodies that will wrap around your head and drown you as guitar notes fill your ears.
"The Killjoy" has an interesting structure, as it starts with fiery guitar chords and reckless growling through the verses but incorporates soft, angelic acoustic guitars layered with ominous spoken word towards the end. The various changes in tempo will keep you at the edge of your seat. Also enjoy the ripping guitar solo that is thrown in the middle of the track.
Track four entitled "Change Of Heart" offers rapid bass pedal action with epic verses as they consist of aggressive growling vocals accompanied by layers of demonic guitars. They are then followed by a beautiful melody that will stay stuck in your head for days, as I've found myself humming the tune while at work. You will also find catchy guitar notes in the song "At The Gates Of Sleep" as they are combined with amazing double bass pedaling and booming bass lines. These are definitely two tracks you do not want to skip.
Insomium concludes the album with an epic 10 minute song entitled "In The Groves Of Death." It includes gorgeous orchestral instruments in the beginning, followed by amplified guitars and deep growls. It also includes a soothing bass line about 5 minutes in while accompanied by a ravishing guitar solo.
Outstanding song writing by Insomnium, both lyrically and musically. "Above The Weeping World" has memorable riffs and head bobbing drum patterns that deserve much attention. We will hopefully be seeing a lot more of them as they continue putting out more epic albums like this one.
Suidakra, a melodic death metal outfit from Germany, specialize in bringing Celtic folk elements to dark new places. No, that isn't a misprint. For those unfamiliar with the band, it is certainly strange to imagine a group of Germans bringing you to an Irish step dance infused lather. But that is precisely what happens on this, their latest adventure, "Book Of Dowth."
Taken from dark Celtic lore, the album tells the stories of the Fomor, a horde of demonic beings in ancient Ireland. Beginning with "Over Nine Waves," you are treated to the heavy, in time with the sublime. Bagpipes lead the way, over the sound of the sea and wind meeting in a powerful force. Double kicks and thrashing guitars enter, make the transition to "Dowth 2059." Classic headbanging style emerges, with high speed and heavy distortion. Harsh vocals charge into the fray, delivering the dark and dangerous tale of the book, uncovered in the future and bringing on disaster on death. The breakdowns provide reprieve from the slaughter, with somehow lighthearted Celtic guitars playing the lead.
The back and forth, give and take of guitar work continues in "Battle-Cairns," saturated with a huge drum sound, from blast beats to cymbal crashes. You will find the desire to don your armor and charge into battle against the demons, while also feeling the urge to break out in a "Lord Of The Dance" style routine. "Birog's Oath" sees the first appearance of a haunting female vocalist. Toms and acoustic guitars set the pace, before giving way to crunchy guitars at the trademarked "evil march" tempo. A soft piano outro, leading to delicate acoustic intro of "Mag Mell," otherwise known as the "plain of joy". A ballad of youth and beauty to rest your weary head.
"The Dark Mound" and "Balor" continue on the high powered journey, painting a dark portrait of the battles to come. High energy guitar work, completed by thunderous kick snare combos and growling vocals. "Stone Of The Seven Suns" showcases a uptempo chant, highlighted by marching snare drums and acoustic guitars. It is evidence that bands in this often stereotyped genre can, in fact, write a catchy hook. Vocal aggression rules the stage on "Fury Fomoraigh." With the evil book uncovered, the demons seek revenge for the years of imprisonment. The track borders on violent, bludgeoning you repeatedly with the heavy, coarse guitar work, drum rolls, and massive kicks. Endtimes arrive, and the track fades to reveal "Otherworlds Collide," an acoustic, stormy ending.
Suidakra have taken a stirring piece of ancient mythology, and done an admirable job of turning into a metal epic. And while unearthing the "Book Of Dowth" may have brought death and destruction to the world of the future, it is has certainly given the fans of this hard nosed German four piece something to look forward to.
When it comes to Opeth, it is hard to decide which album to listen to. Everything that they have ever recorded is unique, and truly amazing, in every way. One of their most powerful albums to date is, without question, "Deliverance." This is their 6th studio album and was released in November of 2002. The band has really taken Progressive Death metal to a whole different level, combining Mikael Akerfeldt's hell raising growls and subtle clean singing with tremendous changes in song structure, from fast and violent drumming to dark and calm melodic guitars and piano.
"Wreath" sets a fast, groovy melody to the beginning of the album, as distorted guitars and rapid kick-snare action blasts through your speakers. Excellent use of orchestral strings leave a perfect sound ringing in your ears. Giving off a dark and deathly feeling, the lyrics paint a clear picture of a nightmare. Definitely be sure to read them over. Another great feature to this song is that is runs just over 11 minutes. So if you're into those long, epic story tellers, this is definitely the song for you. In fact, as you continue listening through the album, you will see that 5 out of the 6 tracks are over 10 minutes long. Take "Deliverance," for example. It is 13 and half minutes long, and is loaded with creative lyrics and deafening guitar riffs. Even knowing the length of these songs, you will still want to replay them over and over.
The album slows down with "A Fair Judgement." The first minute and a half is a soft and beautiful piano, followed with smooth, clean vocals and light drumming and guitars. The first couple of verses are used as buildups to the catchy melodic guitar notes that follow afterwards. Acoustic guitars enter the song, as more clean vocals are included. It then picks up with heavy, electrifying guitar riffs and loud cymbals and snares. Striking solos fade in and out throughout the middle of the song. The track fades with dark repetitive guitar riffs as it introduces "For Absent Friends." This is a little 2 minute song that contains mellow guitar melodies with no drumming. Almost an intermission to the album.
"Master's Apprentice" is a true masterpiece that contains quick double bass pedaling and outstanding instrumentation. The use of acoustic guitars mixed with electric guitars help create a clear image and a strong sense of emotion to the song. The vocals switch back and forth between clean singing and monstrous growling. This is one of Akerfeldt's most impressive performances ever. So much passion is shown with his deep lyrics and miraculous clean vocals. "By The Pain We See In Others" even consists of different uses of his voice. The beginning has dark, eerie vocals that almost sound like black metal.
The mixing of vocals and amazing song structure throughout "Deliverance" is absolutely extraordinary. Opeth holds so much talent and creativity in their songs. Every album, including this one, will leave you wanting more. It's music like this that has Opeth standing out above the rest.
Kamelot is a very well known symphonic metal band, and I can only imagine how busy they are with writing new songs and touring all of the time. However, their keyboardist, Oliver Palotai, has been making an effort to put together a side project known as Sons Of Seasons. The talented group from Germany has released their second studio album, entitled "Magnisphyricon." The album is packed with fantastic melodies and epic orchestration.
The album opens with a short melodic intro that really sets the image of the album, and prepares the listener for an incredible journey. This leads into the first song on the album entitled "Bubonic Waltz." Now of course this is not your average waltz. This symphonic track is filled with thunderous drumming and magnificent orchestral instruments. The double bass pedaling is sure to have you bobbing your head immediately. Deep strings mixed with incredible synthesizers really catch your ear. The vocals are subtle at first, but become louder as it builds into the refrain. The song even includes an organ during the middle of the breakdown, which is then followed with a beautiful guitar solo. This is an amazing song to start off such an operatic album.
If you are looking for some well balanced tracks that are both heavy and epic, "Soul Symmetry" and "Into The Void" are two songs you will definitely want to check out. They both have unique song structure and go from soft and beautiful to loud, distorted, and heavy as hell. They start out with destructive guitar riffs chugging away from chord to chord. However, as the verses enter, the tempo slows down and light layers of strings and chiming cymbals take over. This, of course, is accompanied by the marvelous vocals of Henning Basse. The chorus's consist of catchy melodies and are layered by multiple instruments, including horns and unique strings. The solos within these two tracks are quite amazing as they go back and forth between the guitar and keyboard. Certain parts being fast and deafening, while other parts are slower with more melody and emotional feeling.
Another unique song that you will want to hear is "Sanctuary." The band features the astonishing Simone Simons, lead singer of Epica, as she adds her gorgeous vocals to the track. She sings the first verse and also joins the chorus, as she and Basse sing together. The mixture of their voices will have you hooked as you'll find yourself playing this song over and over again. As far as the instruments go, violins fill the air during the breakdown as they are layered by lovely piano keys. There is also lots of depth within the bass and drums that adds great texture to the song
As the album comes to an end, it is concluded with a piano ballad entitled "Yesteryears." This is one of the most divine pieces of music, full of feeling and creates breathtaking imagery. Calm, elegant piano keys fade behind Basse's angelic vocals. The ending includes a terrific piano solo that leads to the refrain one last time. This epic masterpiece is the perfect way to complete "Magnisphyricon."
Sons Of Seasons is more than just a side project. This is true symphonic metal at its best. Tons of epic awesomeness surrounded by ripping solos and heavenly vocals. It also includes fantastic use of orchestral instruments to really give it that harmonious sound.
