It has been quite a long time since this blog has been updated! It is coming back in full force this week with new reviews and music articles. Until there is more to read, here is my Youtube Compilation channel showcasing the ever growing talent in Metal!
Triosphere, a band that has toured with some of the best Metal bands around, has released a brand new album in 2015. Triosphere is a Norwegian Melodic Heavy Metal band with killer power vocals and excellent low bass lines from Ida Haukland and speedy melodic guitar riffs and solos from Marius “Silver” Bergesen and Tor Ole Byberg. They also enlisted new drummer Kenneth Tarneby from Course of Fate. The band began in 2004 as a trio of musicians, but toured with another guitarist for awhile until making him an official member. All music and lyrics are written by Ida, who has a very unique sound to her voice and bass playing. All these members combined with sublime writing is surprisingly grabbing and catching, pulling you in from the intro immediately. One of the most unique aspects of this band is the guitar work and the gritty but epicly powerful vocals. These aspects sound drastically refined and matured, making their new album “The Heart of the Matter” pretty excellent.
I hadn’t heard this band before their new release and went into the album blindly, not sure what to expect from their listed styles. I didn’t expect a band this amazing or such an addictive mix of sounds that are familiar to Power Metal, but so different from the music I’m used to coming from Norway. The Melodic nuances in Triosphere’s brand of Heavy Metal is unlike anything I’ve heard. The vocals are all over the place with power, technique, and style on “The Heart of the Matter”. There’s so many different vocal styles used from Ida, it is almost like having two different lead singers on nearly every song. The guitars are very mixed bag as well, ranging from speedy technical tapping solos, to shredding, to slow and droning melodic solos. The bass is pretty audible throughout every track and is definitely one of the best aspects to the range of music. I also like how loud the drums are on this album. Normally, loud drums become cheesy and overused, but Triosphere really balances it well. These high quality and remarkable aspects are constant throughout the album and make it very noteworthy in 2015.
Tracks like Steal Away the Light, The Sphere, and The Heart’s Dominion off of the album really stand out because there’s really nothing out there quite like them. Remedy is also a killer melodic track, showing some different styles and breaks in Ida’s voice as well as a different take on guitars. Overall, “The Heart of the Matter” is incredibly solid and really catchy all the way through. There is nothing overused or redundant about the album, which is becoming a limited trait in Heavy Metal these days. As for the power vocals, it is a matter of taste on whether or not you think their cheesy or over dramatic, and I definitely do not have this opinion. The vocals on this album blew me away and I found them spectacular. Triosphere absolutely captivated with this new album and captured everything you could ever want in the melodic side of Metal and Rock.
Overall Album Rating 9/10
Also Check out: Serenity, Nemesea, Kobra and the Lotus, Crucified Barbara, Unleash the Archers
http://shop.afm-records.de/en/triosphere-the-heart-of-the-matter-digipak-en.html
What to expect from this album and why buy it:
Wolfheart is a project by Tuomas Saukkonen, the mastermind behind Melodic Death Metal bands Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon. This insanely talented musician from Finland has a reputation for creating the darkest, heaviest, and blackest of Metal bands. Many fans were saddened when he disbanded all other projects, but it wasn’t all in vain. Tuomas is back with Black Metal band Wolfheart and has released a bone chilling new album “Winterborn”. As far as Melodic Death Metal goes, Tuomas is one of the best at what he does, because of his innovative creativity with such a heavy genre. The album was previously released in 2013, but was recently reissued by Spinefarm Records. I am lucky enough to be able to review this album in its entirety.
“Winterborn” is exactly what you would expect from Tuomas; Dark, Melodic, chest pounding, and atmospheric in a greatly depressing way. The guitars are shredding and technical with ease. The vocals are full and grinding and loud, full of emotion and outright power. The bass is dropped super low and drones through each song, adding depth as the instrument was intended for. The drums are technical and dynamic, varying from a slow 90 bpm to 130 bpm. The use of other instruments from acoustic guitars to strings, piano, and synths is also very well executed. Isolation is a brilliant example of the diversity and vision of Tuomas. It is uncommon to hear slower and more soft instrumentation in Death Metal, obviously. But that being said, the album is not lacking in pounding and guttural tracks like The Hunt, Strength and Valour, and Gale of Winter. The Viking feel to this album is also quite present, meaning this would be one of the many great fitting soundtracks to History Channels Vikings and even Game Of Thrones.
Death Metal is a huge genre, every band seems to have their own style and equation to creating heavy music. Don’t let genre labels fool you however, most Metal is so deep with different influences and styles. “Winterborn” is definitely an album that defies labels and expectations in a fantastic way. I enjoyed the drastically different feel and way of going about writing Metal that Tuomas definitely took with this album. It’s unique and new, yet familiar and very commendable. Overall, I think the reissue of “Winterborn” is a good way for fans to get interested in a pretty mysteriously released album. It’s worth enough for a reissue and a larger audience, because of its immense quality and idiosyncratic sound.
Overall Album Rating 9/10
Similar Artists: Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, Dark Tranquility, Wintersun, Amon Amarth, Ghost Brigade
https://www.facebook.com/WolfheartRealm
http://www.madsupply.com/en/shop/band+merchandise/wolfheart
Finnish Power Metal band, Battle Beast, is back in 2015 with the most epic album of the year so far, “Unholy Savior”. The incredibly energetic and anthemic band has a reputation for creating fantastic Traditional Metal sounds. Their previous self titled album was a hit, containing several gems like Out of Control and Black Ninja. That album set high expectations, because of the start to finish quality and excellent Power Metal tracks back to back. It wasn’t the best album of 2013, but more of an unsung hero. After that album, you expected something of similar caliber, but “Unholy Savior” is a step above. If you like dragon slaying, battle, and epic soundtracking music, this album is definitely to your liking. The first time I heard Battle Beast, I was instantly blown away by the immense power from every area of the band. The vocals are insanely powerful and diverse along with melodic and speedy guitars and perfectly executed speed drumming. The new album is all of that and more.
“Unholy Savior” is an all out epic Power Metal album with everything a fan could want. The guitars are all over the place, technical, fast, and squealing, adding so much dynamic to the music. The vocals are powerful and very well executed, each word is easily heard and sang with a true passion. The drums are a good base and add a controlled chaos sound to the music, making it very dynamic. I have trouble hearing the bass in the faster parts however, meaning the music lacks that nice bottom end. And with most Power Metal albums in the 2010s and even 2000s, a lot of the tracks sound very similar and you tend to mistake one for another.
Lionheart, Unholy Savior, Sea of Dreams, and Angel Cry are my main highlights of the album. Lion Heart opens the album fast and furious, with an incredibly catchy vocal line and awesome guitar work. Unholy Savior fits the whole theme of the album perfectly with mind blowing instrumentation and a great anthemic theme. Sea of Dreams is more melodic and more ballad-like than other tracks, containing other instruments like a flute and acoustic guitar. Angel Cry is a moving epic end gamer to the album, summing up the power of the album perfectly. Speed and Danger is also a fantastic track and one of the fastest tracks Battle Beast has put out for awhile. These are just some of the great tracks on the album to give you an insight of what to expect.
“Unholy Savior” is a spectacular Power Metal album all the way through. I really enjoyed the subtle 80’s vibe throughout the album as well. The evocative 80’s sound reminded me of Journey’s use of synths and lead guitar in a good way. Battle Beast know how to take sounds from an older generation of Metal and Rock and transplant it into modern times, so that these talents can be accessed by a newer generation. I dare to say that “Unholy Savior” impressed me more than the previous two Hammerfall albums, even though that is blasphemy to my own ears. Battle Beast is newer and has a whole new sound, not yet stale and watered down yet. I expect this album and Battle Beast as a whole to be revered and respected across the seas and genres. Battle Beast could be around for quite awhile.
Overall Album Rating 8/10
January 19th, 2015
UK Progressive Death Metal Band, Sylosis, have risen to great success in recent years with their unique and dark vibes in blisteringly heavy music. Since 2007 the band has pounded out interesting and intense albums like Conclusion of an Age, Edge of the Earth, and the popular Monolith. They have also released two EPs and an independently released seven track live album. The band has a certain artistry and ever changing sound that appeals to the complicated Metal listeners. They combine Prog and Death Metal with grinding Thrash riffs and vocals, creating a much heavier and layered version of Trivium. It is an acquired taste, but well deserving of special recognition. I hadn’t heard Sylosis until the brand new album “Dormant Heart” dropped this year. Immediately upon listening to Mercy, I decided this album deserved a review.
“Dormant Heart” is a mix of hardcore, Progressive, and Industrial sound, making for an unpatterned listing experience with many layers. Upon listening, you can hear the mastery and work that was put into the composition of this album. The layers of guitars and the pounding of the drums is much less drowning and repetitive than I expected. It is a lot more refined, making it interesting and great music to listen to during road trips. The vocals range from deep grunting to powerful mid ranged screams, adding a much needed diversity to separate this from typical “Thrash Metal”. Don’t be fooled, you can still hear those influences in tracks like To Build a Bomb, Overthrown, and Victims and Pawns. The interesting Progressive sounds come from the guitars and occasional ambient fills, creating a whole new vibe with each track. Mercy and the title track really stand out on “Dormant Heart”, because they’re really different from what the other bands in Sylosis’ wheelhouse put out. The best track of the album however is the last. Quiescent is such a dark and proggy song, it made me wonder why the album didn’t contain more brilliance like it. If the whole album illustrated this much emotion and passion, it’d get much higher ratings. The creativity is well represented and much appreciated in Death Metal.
As a fan of Death Metal, I strive to hear an album that is unique and something completely different from the other recent albums in the genre. Death Metal can be convoluted and you’re typical band is a dime a dozen, but Sylosis strive to be a different band with different sound. Yes the vocals are your typical growls and screams, in and out of proper annunciation, but it is broken up by dynamic riffs and interesting time signatures. I notice these attributes the most on “Dormant Heart” than other Sylosis albums. The growth in this album is quite large, but I am left with desiring more after such a prominent track, which could be done on purpose to pull the listener in. Whatever the target was for “Dormant Heart” Sylosis did a commendable job at succeeded.
Album rating 6/10
As a fan of female vocals, I am always interested in learning more about how women contribute to Metal. Not Just Tits In a Corset should be revered as a “game changing” book, as so many front women in the book strive to utterly destroy stereotypes about women in metal. Doro Pesch and author Jillian Hughes Kirtland went to great lengths to create this book, that’s obvious from the great quality. The book is truly a celebration of how far Metal as come with gender equality, but also how much it still needs to be progressed. The book features the best vocalists and instrumentalists from all over the world, candidly discussing their personal accounts and stories about being in Metal as a woman. It features vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Scabbia, Charlotte Wessels, Morgan Lander, Alissa White Gluz, Angela Gossow, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Maria Brink, Lzzy Hale, Elize Ryd, Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Simone Simons, Lita Ford, and so many more incredible talents. Each account in the book from the contributing musicians is inspiring, intelligent, and honest. The words written in this book are incredibly powerful and reflect the power these incredible artists have on and off the stage.
Not Just Tits In a Corset deserves to be globally revered and a multi targeted book, as a guide and as a testament to how society is still not handling gender equality correctly. This book’s message is so perfectly clear and accessible to anyone, not just Metal fans or aspiring young women. This book has changed the way I will go about reviews on this website. “Female Metal” is not a genre and I honestly feel mislead by other review sites and record companies. Women in Metal are still a minority, but the amount is rapidly growing as the trailblazers in this book have inspired so many. One day, I hope the message of this book is spread throughout all areas of society and not just music. If you want this change or even don’t want this change, read Not Just Tits In a Corset. It will inspire you, no matter who you are.
Here’s a list of bands I’ve recently come acrossed in my research of metal around the world. Not all of these bands are new, but maybe you haven’t heard of them yet. If you’re looking for new metal to listen to, this list is for you. If you’re absolutely fed up with generic rock and the older bands constantly resurfacing, this is a more diverse group of really great bands to listen to. Finding the perfect band for an individual is nearly impossible, but the search through the epicly diverse genre of Metal can be an eye opener. This list could help you find your next perfect band.
While She Sleeps
England has been breeding quality metal for almost a decade now. Bands like Sylosis and Tesseract are great examples of what British Metal has to offer. While She Sleeps is another prime example of British Metal’s diversity and unique sound. The band is a Melodic Hardcore Metal band famous for chanting vocals and melodic guitar riffs. I haven’t heard anything quite like them yet and enjoyed their latest track New World Torture. Check them out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPS91tc4AZY
Mad Architect
Swedish band Mad Architect is surprisingly unique and brilliant, featuring Magnus Daun, Sven Lindsten, and Snowy Shaw (Sabaton, Dimmu Borgir, Therion), and Jorgen Oscarsson. Their music is a mix between Power Metal and Black Metal, with dark and Gothic influences. It’s very interesting Metal and will appeal to someone with a diverse set of tastes. The vocals range from growls reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir and clean power vocals similar to Russell Allen’s style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1UyVCNGafk
http://www.madarchitectofficial.com/biography.html
Barren Earth
If you just can’t get enough of Melodic Death Metal and are looking for a new band of great quality, Barren Earth could be a great addition to your list. The band specializes in their own take on a classic genre, adding a Progressive vibe to the music much like Mastodon and Opeth have achieved. The music is technical, fast, dark, and enchanting with many layers. This band makes good use of clean vocals as a contract to the guttural growls. This band is not for the average Metal fan, because of the intensity of the growls, but they are absolutely amazing at what they do. I expect nothing less than powerful Death Metal from Finland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcFpXSTbHrI
A Breach of Silence
A new wave of metal bands from Australia has recently submerged, introducing a new style of metal. A Breach of Silence is one of the best Metal bands I’ve recently discovered. They have this blend of typical screaming with powerful vocals. I was honestly expecting your typical Metalcore band, but instead heard something much more unique. The vocal range of the bassist is borderlining on the range of Miljenko from Steelheart. I am vastly impressed by A Breach of Silence and their single There Will Be Blood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WnCmiYzkBU
https://www.facebook.com/abreachofsilenceband
Wolverine
Swedish metal is just spectacular, but Wolverine has to be one of my favorite bands from the region. The band is a wonderful Progressive Metal band, with sounds like Sonata Arctica and Ayreon. This band utilizes two different vocalists very well, mixing clean vocals and growls with a Doom Metal feel to the instruments. It’s just a really interesting and well executed unique style. They put out solid and diverse albums. I highly suggest them if you’re into Prog Metal.
http://www.wolverine-overdose.com/
More Bands To Look Into
Krokodil
Morbus Chron
Voyager
Amorphis
Flowing Tears
While Heaven Wept
Exmortus
Lyriel
Serenity
Amoral
Ancient Bards
Angra
Myrath
Anthriel
Arkona
Keldian
Mindmaze
Pain
Persefone
Sybreed
Prototype
Summoning
Swallow the Sun
White Skull
Words of Farewell
2015 brings in a whole new year of Metal to look forward to as many bands have already announced new releases as well as amazing tours. After an exploding year of Metal in 2014, I’m guessing this ever diverse musical genre can only get better. Whether you like Death, Thrash, Symphonic, or Black there’s probably going to be a release for you in the next coming year. I say this because the genre has recently grown exponentially, adding thousands of all new bands and a resurgence of Metal popularity. Also, old classics are coming back strong this year, which means a ton of new music for everyone in the new year. There are negative sides to it growing and getting more recognition however, as Black Veil Brides is still alive and decently thriving. Below I will list and expand on some releases and tours that you can look forward to that don’t involve your typical Emo-Rock boy bands.
Dark Tranquility With Insomnium North American Tour
In late December, Dark Tranquility announced a North American tour with Finnish Melodic Death Metal band, Insomnium. The tour has already embarked but you can check out the remaining dates below. I have seen both bands live before and highly suggest them one hundred percent.
Kamelot with Dragonforce North American tour
A night of Power Metal at its best, what more do you want in 2015? Kamelot are also currently in production of a new album, sadly without much detail yet. Check out tour dates below.
http://enterthevault.com/artist.php?id=47
Nightwish Endless Forms Most Beautiful, NA Tour With Sabaton/Delain
2015 is set to be the biggest year for Nightwish since the release of Imaginaerum in 2011, with a brand new album with a new vocalist and a new drummer, but also a massive North American tour. Nightwish is easily the most revered Symphonic Metal band of all time, so the wait for a new album has been seemingly long. “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” is said to utilize the softer and beautiful intricacies of Floor Jansen’s vocals. The title is inspired by a quote from Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species. The album is also said to have a whole new sound that we’ve never heard from the band. From the “Making Of” videos for the new album, you can see how hard Tuomas worked to make the new album and truly put everything he had into it. The entire band has a level of musicianship that is unmatched, so I honestly expect nothing less than a total masterpiece from this album.
Nightwish are also embarking on a month long North American tour upon the release of their new album. This tour is all over the country and features two of the best metal bands right now, Power Metal band Sabaton and Gothic Symphonic Metal band Delain. There is not going to be a better European tour in the US this year, so I highly recommend buying your tickets as soon as possible. Do not miss this tour.
Battle Beast Unholy Savior
Finnish Female Fronted Power Metal band, Battle Beast, is back in 2015 with new traditional influenced album. “Unholy Savior” comes out early, January 13th to be exact. The album features a broader range of styles and different emotional influences than previous albums. Guitarist and writer Anton wanted to go farther on his “spiritual journey” of music and expand the horizons of Battle Beast’s sound.
The Track listing for UNHOLY SAVIOR will be as follows:
Sylosis Dormant Heart
Progressive Death Metal band Sylosis are back in 2015 with a crazy technical and shredding album “Dormant Heart”. With a new drummer, Ali Richardson from DevilDriver, the band aims to come back heavier and darker than ever. The album drops January 17th via Nuclear Blast Records, but you can preorder it still on their site.
Blind Guardian Beyond the Red Mirror
German Power Metal band are releasing their 10th studio album January 30th, 2015. “A story between science fiction and fantasy,” explains Blind Guardian vocalist and lyricist Hansi Kürsch. “The story begins with our 1995 album, Imaginations from the Other Side. The two worlds described therein have changed dramatically for the worse since then. While there used to be several passages between the worlds, there is only one gate left now: The Red Mirror. It has to be found at any cost.” It is their first release in five years and is highly anticipated, because of its recent high mark reviews from Blabbermouth and other popular sites. For the hardcore fans of Power Metal I can say that this album will be everything you expect from Blind Guardian, no tricks or frills here.
Halestorm
If you caught any of Halestorm’s studio diary videos or their recent live shows, you know they’ve got a screamer of an album coming very soon this year. You also know the band is teasing the new album picture by picture, purposely torturing the fans. The reveal however is set for January 13th. There are no more details beyond the date and song titles. Check out more below.
http://www.halestormrocks.com/11315
Bands in Production
Kamelot
Deftones
Soilwork
Fear Factory
Decide
Five Finger Death Punch
Stone Sour
Symphony X
Dimmu Borgir
Soulfly
Paradise Lost
For a full comprehensive list of heavy metal releases go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_in_heavy_metal_music
Nightwish are coming back in a big way in 2015, with new single Elan on February 13th, 2015. Tuomas wrote a summary for the track,
“Oh, while I live to be the ruler of life, Not a slave
To meet life as a powerful conqueror, and nothing exterior to me will ever take command of me.”
– Walt Whitman
Commented NIGHTWISH keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen: “This beautiful quote from my hero Uncle Walt was the starting point for writing ‘Élan’. The underlying theme of the song is nothing less than the meaning of life, which can be something different for all of us. It´s important to surrender yourself to the occasional ‘free fall’ and not to fear the path less travelled by. ‘Élan’ is a wonderful teaser for the full-length album, giving out a little taste, but revealing very little of the actual Journey of Grandeur to come…”
There are no real clues to how the single might sound yet, but it can be nothing short of amazing considering the musicians involved. Floor Jansen brings in a new era for Nightwish, and whether you like it or not she’s the perfect vocalist for the band.
The Power of Love, a song for a good cause featuring many Dutch metal musicians is out today. Watch, donate, download at the Youtube link above. Please share and show your support for victims of Sexual violence and abuse in conflict areas. It’s an absolutely incredible track for a loving cause. It features the voices of Simone Simons, Charlotte Wessels, Dianne van Giersbergen, Marcela Bovio, Arjen Lucassen, and Floor Jansen and many more. The track is produced by legendary Dutch producer and writer, Joost van de Broek. It also features Ruud Jolie of Within Temptation on guitars.
What a brilliant collaboration for a genuine cause.
Watch, donate, download, and share at the youtube link below.
Metal Valkyrie 