delain

My Favorite Metal Albums of All Time: Part Two

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As with all my posts, this one is subjective.  This list doesn’t aim to categorize “the best albums of Metal” because such a feat is just not feasible to me.  This is based on just my taste.  They’re not even in order by my favorites because what is considered my favorite is highly based on my mood.  I just made a master list and narrowed it down to the 20 that are important to highlight my taste.  It should give readers a better sense of what I listen to regularly and just personal taste.  Let me know about your favorite Metal albums below in the comments, I would love to see if any of these albums resonated with anyone else the same way they did with me.

In part one of the series, the first six albums were all by Devin Townsend. Part two highlights a favorite album from my favorite Metal bands.  It was incredible to go back and listen to these.  I listen to them often, but not in this context. Active listening has always been my preferred writing method, but I’ve never done it so personally in depth.  Listening to these albums whilst actively picking out why I love them cemented my admiration.  The whole process was very cathartic and interesting.  I don’t think I ever thought about these albums on such an introspective level.  Each album and its songs have distinct meanings to me.  They even have vivid memories attached to them.  Writing this proved to me how integral music is in our lives.  

7. Apex- Unleash the Archers (2017)

I refer to Unleash the Archers as my favorite band of all time.  I’ve been listening to them since about 2015.  Growing up with Iron Maiden, Metallica, Whitesnake, Dokken, and Judas Priest, I look for similar music.  High octane, dueling guitars, speed Metal, and killer power vocals never fail to grab my attention.  No surprise to me that I’ve become such a fan of Unleash the Archers.   They have all the qualities of those Power Metal/Heavy Metal 80s bands and ooze with the magic of Iron Maiden.  The guitarists Andrew Kingsley and Grant Truesdell are masters of dueling guitars, Thrash riffs, and Melodic Power licks.  They are two of the best technical guitarists I have ever seen.  The sheer speed and accuracy with which they play are miraculous to me.  It’s like Adrian Smith and Dave Murray on a massive amount of Monster Energy drinks.  It is insane to watch them play live and in the studio.  The same goes for drummer Scott Buchanan, who I think is the most underrated drummer of all time.  This guy seemingly effortlessly plays at 150 beats per minute and faster for an hour and a half.  Buchanan looks as if he’s barely moving behind what looks to be a basic Rock drum kit.  I do not understand why he is not recognized as a fantastic drummer.  Nick Miller is also a fantastic bassist, showing his strong presence on the last two UTA albums.  He chugs the hell out of the bass.  As a bass player, his tone and speed captivate me.  He is just so good without being too loud, too low, or too flashy. 

And then, there’s Brittney Slayes:  Where do I even start with the incomparable and iconic vocals of UTA?  It’s hard to sum up her contribution to the band and the Power Metal genre in a paragraph.  She is larger than life in vocal presence.  Her range truly defies everything I knew about vocals. She can sing in many styles and voice types, but it fits perfectly with the music.  The brilliance of her note choices, her ability to sing in the pocket, and her storytelling are the strongest aspects I love about Brittney.  In some ways, I feel like she’s the closest vocalist to Ronnie James Dio in spirit, style, and range, but she also stands on her own.  All of these virtuoso musicians make perfect chemistry in UTA, and are what make the band so special.  There’s nothing out there like them that I’ve heard.  They pull from a plethora of genres and influences to create meaningful, energetic, and technical Power Metal.  

Apex is undoubtedly my favorite album from UTA.  Apex is a once-in-a-lifetime concept album.  It is incredibly emotionally compelling in different ways on each track.  The story of Apex is heart-wrenching.  It follows the story of “The Immortal” and his curse to serve whoever wakes him on Earth.  Over 1000 years, The Immortal sleeps and wakes multiple times.  This time, the evil tyrannical witch queen “Matriarch” wakes him for an evil task.  Her evil knows no limit, and she has power over the entire planet.  She orders the Immortal to bring her four sons back to her to sacrifice them for her own immortality.  Through the story, The Immortal shows his immense power to summon an army of ten thousand to subdue and chase out the sons.  He also shows morality and introspection, trying to decide if it’s all for nothing or if the ends justify the means, and he considers what the good in it all is.  This concept is interesting because, to me,  it reflects the acceptance of Good and Evil in the world and the balance it upholds in the right hands.  Everything about Apex astounds me.  The story, the instrumentation, the composition, the structure of each song, and how it flows together seamlessly.  I love everything about this album, especially the guitars and vocals.

I connect so personally with Apex.  The aspect of The Immortal slumbering in a mountain with this curse and his acceptance of his curse struck me.  I was born and raised in Colorado, and the end of Apex with the title track tells my story in a way.  The curse I view as my disability, Cerebral Palsy, and my acceptance of this thing I cannot change. , being born and raised in Colorado, “The mountain, my home” reminds me that the mountains are my haven.  Apex, the song, is truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life.  The whole album echoes this beauty to me.  Apex is a masterpiece in both written and sonic form to me.  It’s music that means something deeper.  You can interpret the story to mean different things and take what you want from it.   This is why I think Brittney is brilliant.  It’s a well-composed story, but its meaning is ambiguous and mysterious in a way.  This allows fans to attach to it personally on a possibly deep level, like so many of the best Fantasy novels.  I don’t think Brittney gets enough credit for creating and crafting the stories and concepts of their three-album run.  Apex deserves much more credit for its concept and musicianship.  It is truly unmatched and will always remain an important album to me.

My favorite songs are Apex, False Walls, Earth, and Ashes

8. Ategnatos- Eluveitie (2019)

I’m going to be honest: I wasn’t entirely sold on this album initially.  The heaviness was a drastic change from “Evocation II”, and I wasn’t ready for how hard this band came with Ategnatos.  I’d been listening to Swiss Folk Death Metal band Eluveitie since 2012, so I knew they were pretty heavy in the past.  Some albums take time to grow on me.  After I sat down and was in the mood for something heavy, I listened to this album three times back to back.  The experience was intense, spiritual, and tear-jerking.  This album is an experience from start to finish and is larger than life.  It combines old-Eluveitie with Death Thrash riffs and their signature blend of Folk Instruments and Celtic/Gaulish sounds.  It’s Melodeath meets Ancient Pagan music, and I love it so very much.   If a Metal album could ever sound Alpine, Ategnatos is the prime example.  It’s like walking among your ancestors in the valleys of the Swiss Alps.  It’s so unique and specific to Eluveitie.  While many Metal bands are incorporating Folk inspiration into their heavy music, Eluveitie stands out from the rest to me.  Maybe it’s because I experienced this in concert when I saw them in March of 2023, but they just feel so different from any other band to me.  The first time I’d ever heard of a hurdy-gurdy was in Eluveitie.  It’s such an unlikely instrument for Metal, and it’s almost a comic and unbelievable mix, but it works so well.  They’ve crafted a truly unique sound that is all their own.  With Chrigel’s signature harsh vocals, the Folk instruments, the speedy fiddle riffs, and epic guitar riffs and breakdowns, it’s undeniable that this band is one of a kind.

Ategnatos is a difficult album to stop listening to once you start.  There’s an addictive “Beauty and the Beast” quality that I’ve been hooked on since 2008.  The riffs are catchy on any instrument. Like on Blackwater Dawn, the pipes intro has been in my head off and on since it came out.  Somehow, they packed in heavy chunky riffs, Speed Metal drums, Folky diddies, and Nightwish-like choruses sung by the incomparable Fabienne Erni.  I will never get over her powerful voice and incredible range.  She is yet another Metal singer who can sing anything.  Her performance on Ategnatos is sensational with every note.  She is one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Ambiramus is the Eluveitie song to date.  It was a last-minute addition to the album, and yet it fits the anthemic nature so well.  This song is unbelievably beautiful.  Experiencing it live was a truly spiritually cleansing moment of my life. How she delivers such notes and Alpine calls with volume and clarity is mystifying.  The whole album is a spiritual trip.  Her voice is a pivotal aspect I love about the album.  The riffs and the chanting on The Raven Hill are so epically catchy, along with the unique groove.  It’s like listening to an ancient Celtic celebration with a death growler.  It scratches my brain and satisfies the Scot-Irish in me like I’ve never expected.  I grew up listening to Celtic music, but Ategnatos raised the bar.  The darkness of The Slumber and Worship imprints on me.  The acceptance of one’s fate comes into play, the Death Metal and depth of these songs are eerie, and it’s an interesting feeling.  Breathe is another track where Fabienne’s range shines on, and it shows why she’s considered the heart of Eluveitie.  She sings her heart out on every song, but especially on ” Breathe.  This song reminds me of long road trips out of Colorado and being severely homesick for the safety of the mountains.

I can’t talk about this album without fanning over Rebirth.  Rebirth rounds out the journey of someone who converts to a tribe, becomes a powerful figure, and ascends.  This is one of the best Metal tracks I have ever heard in my life.  Alainn Ackerman is a favorite drummer of mine, and his speed, use of flam, and interesting fills are the backbone of this album.  But my god, his blast beats on Rebirth paired with the shredding of Jonas Wolf and Rafael Salzmann is a stroke of brutal virtuosity.  The first time I heard this song, I was genuinely blown away.  I restarted the song over before it even ended because the intro is insane.  I thought my YouTube playback speed was up by two clicks, but it wasn’t.  I will never forget the first time I heard this song as long as I live.

This album is also personal to me because it spawned quite the saga of dreams.  I began having these dreams in the Spring of 2020.  They were the most interesting dreams I’d ever had.  One dream in particular remains.  The dream began with walking through a valley of the Alps, lush with green native grasses and herds of sheep below.  It was in Switzerland, and it was, of course, beautiful.   I was walking along with members Fabienne Erni and Jonas Wolf.  Fabienne explained to me in detail about the tribes of people from a millennium ago that walked the same path that we walked.  She told of riches, tragedy, triumph against armies, and how Celts and the Gauls were related.  The two led me to a waterfall with a sizable pond below it.  In the pond, they performed a ceremony of sorts, and I was baptized back into my Celtic roots.  When they had me plunge into the pond that was barely deep enough to stand in, I saw seven “beings”.  These seven beings were grey and green, with cloaks.  They had no face or discerning features.  They repeated the words of Ambiramus to me.  I was then pulled out of the pond and was cleansed of bad energy.  It was a “Rebirth” you could say.  The dream was very cinematic and beautiful.  I am known to have very detailed and epic dreams, but this has to be one of my best.  I will always remember it and think of it when listening to this album.

My favorite songs are Ambiramus, Breathe, Rebirth

9. Delirium- Lacuna Coil (2016)

I have been a fan of Lacuna Coil since I was around thirteen or fourteen years old.  My older brother discovered them on the College radio station after we moved to Colorado.  While I remember seeing the Heaven’s A Lie video on a music channel, it was two or three years after I started listening to them.  “Comalies” lived in our car CD player for a good three years after that.  Experiencing the 20th anniversary of Comalies was the biggest wave of nostalgia.  This album has impacted the Metal market in the US and influenced Metal more than people realize.  Before this album, “Beauty and the Beast” style vocals weren’t exclusively done on an entire album, I don’t think.  This concept was only done in passing on songs.  Now, it’s one of the most interesting music concepts that shaped Symphonic Metal and more bands than I can count.  Comalies is an album that will be immortal, much like the Evanescence album that brought female vocals in heavy music into the mainstream.  I’ve loved everything Lacuna Coil has released since (Yes, even Shallow Life).  The moment I became a mega fan of LC was upon the release of “Delirium”.  This is when LC became one of my favorite Heavy Metal bands of all time and Maki became one of my favorite bassists.  

“Delirium” is a deep delve into the human psyche with all its dark manifestations.  It’s heavy, moody, cinematic, atmospheric, catchy, beautiful, and brutal all at the same time.  It could easily be a soundtrack to a miniseries about a serial killer, and I mean that in a good way.  The thematic elements swallow you up and take you into the eerie depths of catharsis.  Delirium is incredibly deliberate and perfectly constructed.  It flows from each song and doesn’t break the tension and dark elements.  It’s an experience as much as it is an album.  It takes you to the literal edge of sanity where you’re losing control of yourself, your relationships, and the perception of things around you.  This album is brilliant in how spot-on it captures its theme.  Rarely does an album concept hit as hard as Delirium does for me.  It’s so literal, which is refreshing in Metal.  I don’t find a lot of albums that speak about a subject so clearly, and I commend LC’s dive into the dark world of Mental Health issues.  Delirium takes me back to toxic relationships, anxiety, and feeling as if my reality was going dark, but in a good way.  It reminds you of how you can live through all the darkest parts in your life and rise above the darkness in your mind.  I love that message.

The sounds on this album are unlike anything I have ever heard.  I don’t like comparing artists too much, and this album is incomparable.  Despite not having an official guitarist at the time, Maki, the bassist and a founding member of the band, constructed some of the hardest-hitting riffs on both bass and guitar.  It’s a rhythmic onslaught of heaviness, but it also drops out to highlight the insanely beautiful tone of Cristina Scabbia.  Cristina is one of the most unique singers in Metal.  This dark and light balance is evident on “Live To Tell”, a solo track for Scabbia’s unique, soulful soaring vocals.  The riffs offset so perfectly, and yet pummel your senses to a pulp on “Blood, Tears, Dust” and “The House of Shame”.  Maki and guest guitarist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge created Nu-Metal nostalgia with a punchier bass sound, and I love it.  The drums are also technically perfect.   Every hit matches the riffs so exactly, it sounds like a machine.  The musical chemistry on this album is spectacular.  Everything just flows so well together, A sign of a band that’s been together for so long; they work in exquisite harmony.  Andrea’s screams are a highlight of the album.,  To me, his transformation into a death growler is one of the best decisions ever made in music.  He went from an “okay singer” to me to an absolute guttural god on this album.  It’s the extreme of “Beauty and the Beast” vocals, and I love it so much. 

Lacuna Coil keeps defying the constructs of Rock and Metal and extremifying their concept.  They evolve, change, and grow while remaining unique to them, but I don’t think the perfection of Delirium will ever be topped for me.  

Favorite songs: Ultima Ratio, You Love Me Cause I Hate You, and The House of Shame

10. Seventh Son of A Seventh Son- Iron Maiden (1988)

I’ve mentioned this album in previous posts but never delved into it quite like this.  Iron Maiden is undoubtedly one of my favorite bands of all time. They are one of the most influential bands in Metal history.  I have memories as far back as I can remember of this band.  They’re a band my family loves and has loved since long before I was born.  My late uncle was responsible for my love for Iron Maiden.   He was a traditional Metalhead that brought these bands to my Mom and eventually my brother and me.  Bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Rush, Pantera, Van Halen, and more came from my Mom and my Uncle.  That sharing of music was crucial to me.  That’s probably why I have a compulsive need to share music with everyone I know.  Sharing music was the purest form of love I had from my uncle, who was otherwise a problematic person in our family’s lives.  That sentiment is one I wish to pass on to other people.  I’d like to be known by the bands I share and whether that discovery meaningfully impacted someone else’s life the way Iron Maiden impacted mine.  Without my Mom and Uncle exposing me to this music, I probably wouldn’t be a Metalhead and a pretty different person.  There are many weekend memories tied to this album: Packing up the house, going on a road trip, working on a car, or just sitting out on the back patio. I remember listening to this album.  Music is a powerful thing when it is tied to happy memories.  It can remind you of who you are when you’re at your best or happiest.  This album always does that for me.

I haven’t always been a huge Metalhead.  In my childhood, I was exposed to Rock and Metal and generally liked it.  During my childhood, I chose Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, The Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac, and Celine Dion more than anything.  As a teen, I rebelled for a while against what other people were listening to and chose more pop-punk like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Incubus, and more of that mid-2000s style.  It’s normal to go through phases, but I think, deep down, I always truly loved Metal.  Iron Maiden was one of the bands that cemented my dedication to Metal when I was 18.  While I credit Iron Maiden, it was more specifically Sam Dunn’s Metal Evolution that made me realize I had an innate passion for Metal.  Watching this anthology in full on VH1 made me realize how deep and scholarly Metal could be.  The theme of the Metal anthology was The Trooper. I had heard the song many times before, but hearing it on this documentary truly reignited my love for Metal.  All of Iron Maiden’s albums are impactful and nearly masterpieces, but I had to go back in time.  The Trooper may be my favorite song of all time, but my favorite Maiden album is undoubtedly Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

Some consider it a miss or just a mini album of 80s ideas, but it impacted me more than any album.  I will never understand the discontentment for this album.  This album was an experiment, and I love experimental music. While people perceived it as Maiden trying to go Mainstream, I think they were trying to do the opposite and rebel against the Sunset Strip of Hair Metal. Iron Maiden took what Fates Warning was doing and combined NWOBHM with Progressive Metal.  This combo engrained itself into my brain forever.  It is the most influential album to my music taste.  I think many albums on this list have a taste of this record at heart in some way.   Unleash the Archer’s albums remind me so much of this record, and that’s probably why I love them so much.  Seventh Son is a mix of soaring atmospheric synths, melodic dueling guitars, and insanely Proggy drums from the incomparable Nicko Mcbrain.   It sounds like a mix of King Crimson, Deep Purple, Manowar, and Vangelis while still keeping the Iron Maiden grit and epicness.  The technicality of it is staggering.  They keep their anthemic sing-along style but add time changes and syncopated rhythms and flashy ’80s sounds.   In my book, it’s one of their best works and my absolute favorite album from them. Every song is just so memorable without relying on hooks.  It’s creative, emotional, cinematic, and badass in its guitar work and aggressiveness on songs like the title track, Evil That Men Do, and The Clairvoyant.  Oh man, and Steve Harris’s bass playing on this record is just sublime.  The bass could’ve been much louder on this album, but it still impacted my playing, as all Maiden albums have.

Seventh Son of A Seventh Son is one of the most unique Metal records I’ve ever heard.  I will always cherish its technicality and the memories that go along with it.

My favorite songs; Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, and Seventh Son of A Seventh Son

11. Moonbathers- Delain (2016)

While Symphonic Metal is more of a part of my past, Moonbathers is an album that will forever remain special to me.  It’s not the biggest, technically perfect, or cinematic Symphonic album ever made.  It’s not the best mix or engineering on a Symphonic Metal album.  It defies all the things I normally look for in a great album, and yet here it is on my favorite album list of all time..  Moonbathers is an anthemic, moody, dark, masochistic record with more soul than 99% of any Symphonic album ever made.  This album is a whole experience of emotions, thematic sounds, and epic guitar hooks. It’s an eclectic mix of traditional elements of the genre and sounds that are so unique to powerhouse vocalist Charlotte Wessels.  It’s like The Cranberries, Within Temptation, Kate Bush, Nick Cave, and The Birthday Massacre combined into one really neat package.  It’s the rawest Symphonic Metal album I have ever heard.  It’s unapologetically loud, jarring, and campy all at the same time.  Moonbathers is a vocal astonishment and put Charlotte Wessels on the map forever, along with her incomparable performance on Burning Bridges, Masters of Destiny, and her solo work The Obsession.  Moonbathers feels like Charlotte’s Delain, and it is my favorite version of the band that ever was and that ever will be.  

Moonbathers is the moodiest album I’ve ever heard.  It’s an explosion of emotions: anger, pain, love, sadness, and elation to be alive to experience it all.  It’s a concept album in that it holds the same dramatic theme throughout.  It’s more of a vibe than a story for a theme, which is unique in and of itself.  It’s a love letter to those suffering in life in such an epic way.  It’s a little bit Pirate and Hans Zimmer with Hands of Gold, a little bit of 90s Alt-rock, a little bit of soul Vocals, a little bit Queen, and Poppy hooks like on Fire with Fire, Turn the Lights Out, and Suckerpunch.  Pendulum is a Machine Head/Trivium one-two punch with Epica thrown in there.  It’s a crazy record.  The mix of inspirations is unlike anything I have ever heard.  It just hits you right in the chest, like a suckerpunch that stays with you forever.  It’s catchy while remaining musically interesting and progressive.  I’ve never heard anything like it. Despite all the comparisons I’ve made attempting to describe how this sounds to me, it’s a Mason’s Mark all on its own.  Glory and the Scum is one of my favorite tracks of all time.  It’s a “Beauty and the Beast” vibe, with Charlotte and bassist Otto combining for the compelling bone-chilling growls.  Her voice on this song is one of the most mesmerizing sounds to me.  She embodies the idea of a Siren and succeeds in captivating every single time, but especially on this song and power ballad, The Hurricane.  These two songs still astound me today and are some of my favorite performances on any album to date.

Moonbathers is special to me for more reasons than I can even say.  This record inspired me to write books about my two alter egos.  It’s inspired poems, countless riffs, whole songs, short stories, and more dreams than I can even count.  This album spoke to me on a philosophical level in ways words cannot articulate.  It’s a unique nostalgia, a throwback to one of the only bands I have ever loved with my entire being.  It reminds me of all the hard work I put in on myself with meditation, running, soccer practices, and self-actualizing.  This album signifies self-acceptance for me.  It also is the first album I’ve ever bonded with someone outside of my family.  My best friend and I experienced this album for the first time together.  I will never forget writing tens of paragraphs foaming over this album.  It was a very special time in my life, and it cemented our bond forever, I believe.  It’s an album that will always remind me of her and also everything we’ve been through together.  She’s the reason I have continued writing, besides the absolute necessity to express words on paper in which she understands and celebrates more than anyone I’ve ever met.   Moonbathers helped us solidify this connection, and that is irreplaceable. 

Delain with Charlotte will always be one of my favorite eras in music, and Moonbathers is the keystone album for that time to me.

Favorite songs; Glory and the Scum, The Hurricane, Fire With Fire

12. Omega- Epica (2021)

One of the newest albums on this list. I felt odd picking the most recent Epica album.  I have listened to Epica since 2011.  Hearing this band for the first time was a religious experience.  It was as if I was hearing a choir from heaven and an orchestra only fit for cherubs.  As cheesy as that sentiment sounds, it’s the best depiction of my connection with Epica.  There’s a supreme feeling to their music.  It’s all-encompassing and incredibly emotionally moving but also deeply philosophical.  There’s no instrument, topic, theme, or height of technical excellence that this band isn’t afraid to tackle.  This band creates gargantuan albums..  Tackling them in a critical sense is way above any music reviewer’s pay grade.  Talking about the impact this band has had on music and myself is more in the realm of tangible.  Epica is what my brother and I like to say, “a band of all time.”  They just are what they are, and that is massively, unfathomably talented.  People often complain that the days of Classical Composition and the greats such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Handel are dead.  To me, those days of completely perfect and epic music are far from dead.  Classical Music isn’t dead or gone; it just evolved into Symphonic Metal.  And Epica is the pinnacle of that sentiment.  Epica creating an album called “Omega” is possibly the aptest title any band has ever used.

Omega is an expansive record.  The album contains all of Epica’s typical sounds and ideas compressed into a well-produced package.  It is the omega-ist album they could’ve done, whilst still showing mature restraint.  While Quantum Engima was chaotic, unrestrained, and unfiltered, with a wall-of-sound production with a hundred layers of choirs and orchestras, I loved it.  Omega is massive, but it’s carefully constructed with more beauty and dynamics than past albums.  To me, Epica is at its best when you can hear Simone without constant layers of loud choirs.  Simone is too incredible of a singer to overshadow.  I think Epica got this message loud and clear on this record.  The balance of Metal, choirs, orchestras, keyboards, and vocals is sublime on Omega.  It is my absolute favorite album because of this perfect balance.  It’s fresh and new for Epica, but echoes back to the days of “Sahara Dust” with Middle Eastern instrumentation and Thrashy-Speed guitars.  The melodic inclinations remind me of Design Your Universe and the b-sides of The Quantum Enigma.  The drums are straight from the more Fear Factory-influenced The Holographic Principle.  Not only do Simone’s perfect Operatic belts and trills shine on this album, but every member is quintessentially audible.  

I can finally hear everyone and their styles and influences equally.  Each member creates the capacious illusion that Epica has a hundred members, and it’s so great to hear all six of them as individual musicians.  The members on their own are genial musicians, and together, it’s a cataclysm of the best Metal this generation has to offer.  You need not look further to understand the power of this band than Kingdom of Heaven Prt 3.  This song is among the greatest pieces of Music I’ve ever heard.  Out of all the composers over the last eight hundred years, I think Coen Jansen is the most underrated.  This song is angelic and pristine.  You go from crying to feeling as though you’ve faced your judgment.  It’s genial in every movement, all 17 times and key changes, and all the moments it switches between Classical and Melodeath to a 70’s Prog keyboard solo.  “You get a solo, you get a solo, everybody gets a solo!”.

Epica is the sole reason I began this blog nearly twelve years ago, so it’s a given that this band is sentimental to me.  My brother took me to a headlining Epica show in 2012.  This show was a turning point in my life.  The fact that bands like Epica weren’t huge in America was a travesty to me.  I created “Metal Valkyrie” to be a promoter for European bands like Epica.  My goal was to greatly increase their fanbase here, but the journey expanded into a review site.  It has been a grind, but it has improved my writing, created friendships, and maybe exposed some to these amazing bands.  Epica took the minspration that Iron Maiden and Sam Dunn’s Metal Evolution started, and ignited it to the stratosphere for me.  I’ve quit reviewing and switched entirely to promotion.  While it hasn’t been as successful as I’d hoped in viewership and interaction, it’s a pinnacle journey for me and has benefited my life in ways I’ve not delved into yet.  Epica’s music is immensely inspiring.  The epic atmospheres they create can truly get me through anything.  Their music is forever inspiring.

Because of Epica’s everlasting contribution to music, I will continue this journey with Metal Valkyrie and forever share this band’s incredible music.


My Favorite Songs: The Skeleton Key, Kingdom of Heaven Part 3, Code of Life

A Metal Insight to 2015

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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.

 

http://nightwish.com/en/news

 

http://enterthevault.com/

 

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:

 

  1. Lionheart
  2. Unholy Savior
  3. I Want The World….And Everything In It
  4. Madness
  5. Sea Of Dreams
  6. Speed And Danger
  7. Touch In The Night
  8. The Black Swordsman
  9. Hero’s Quest
  10. Far Far Away
  11. Angel Cry

 

http://www.battlebeast.fi/

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.

 

http://sylosis.com/

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

 

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/halestorms-lzzy-hale-on-upcoming-album-its-very-organic-and-unapologetically-us/

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

Top Ten Best Albums of 2014

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2014 has been a prestigious year in metal, with many new albums, new bands, break ups, huge tours, and great losses.  All of these events and highlights attributed to metal being a huge topic this year, very deservedly.  The amount of crossover fans from country, pop, electronica, and indie to hard rock and metal is astounding.  Many bands and artists pushed the limits with music and media this year, gaining metal the popularity it deserves.  As a very passionate metal fan, this year made me proud of this musical genre and lifestyle.  I discovered more incredible bands this year than I have in my entire life, meaning the new releases caught my attention in special ways; Not to mention the several tours I had the lucky pleasure of experiencing in person.

Summing up a year in metal in just one post is difficult, so I decided to list what I think are the best albums of the year.  This list is merely based on quality of music and personal preference, not based on gain in popularity or popular opinion (unlike other review sites).  It took all year long to develop this list, as more and more new releases upped the anty on talent, quality, passion, and true musicianship.  Picking the top ten for the year wasn’t easy, but these choices for me are definitive.  The amount of incredible and intelligent metal musicians prevailed this year, giving hope to metal music afterall.  If it weren’t for true passion in metal, 2014 wouldn’t be a year to remember for me; Passion being the biggest contributor to my decision making and a word you will hear throughout this post.

Top 10 Mainstream Releases

 

1: The Human Contradiction (Deluxe Version) by Delain

 

Upon my first listen on a rainy April Wednesday to this album and my first concentrated listen of this Dutch Symphonic Metal band, I was bombarded with sounds and characteristics that were foreign to me.  Every aspect to what I was hearing was new and very intriguing.  I found myself getting lost in the music and dissecting it as I listened.  The album was loud, layered, textured with beautiful melodies and contrasting heavy riffs.  The keyboards and synth were grand, yet not overpowering.  The writing was complicated and passionate, every track exploding with personality and emotion.  The vocals in the forefront, filled with technical and poppy lines throughout each track, each word well placed in a defined pocket of music.  Every aspect, every measure, every characteristic of “The Human Contradiction” blew me away with the first note to the last note.  From the heavy and dark intro Here Come the Vultures, to the incredible poppy anthem Stardust, to epic and powerful game ender Tragedy of the Commons, this album is a Symphonic Metal Masterpiece.  Upon first listen, this band opened a whole new world of metal to me and instantly became one of my all time favorites.

 

Delain have this way of crafting well thought out, intelligent, mesmerizing music that is just so different than anything being produced today.  You can hear directly how each member contributes to each track individually, giving the music life and its own personality.  Considering Delain started out as a collaboration studio project by Martijn Westerholt, the growth is exponential in the music.  You can hear the growth of the band in “The Human Contradiction” especially.  It is matured and well versed in subjects the band is passionate about, creating this very unique identity for the band.  The vocals are absolutely stunning and room filling from lead vocalist, Charlotte Wessels, and the lyrics are so perfectly delivered.  The instrumentation from Zoer, Martijn, Timo, and Otto is powerful and contrasted with interesting subtleties.  The bass guitar is well heard with heavy and low bass lines, like on Army of Dolls.  The synth and keyboards are epic, mimicking the sound of an entire orchestra.  The guitar is punching, powerful, and screaming with technique.  The drums are simple, balancing out the sound perfectly.   All of these aspects make “The Human Contradiction” and Delain’s music in general catchy and powerful unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.  Each track is interlaced and streams together, almost like a story or a musical.  Regardless of how people characterize this album, I think it’s an incredible and transcendent Symphonic Metal release and I highly suggest it at any age or musical preference.

 

I picked the Deluxe Edition of the album because it is 100% of Delain’s effort.  Two bonus tracks and perfectly performed live tracks adds to the incredibly high quality of the album.  Scarlet is a moving, powerful track that is a gorgeous stripped down version of Delain.  It highlights beautiful vocals of Charlotte and the classical abilities of Martijn on keys.  This song is really a defining track from the band, because it is every characteristic that makes this band great slowed and based on pure emotion.   Don’t Let Go is a fun upbeat heavy and dance style track that is different from Delain’s other material, showing great versatility.  The live tracks are absolutely flawless versions of other songs and are mastered surprisingly well.   Every track on this album sounds incredible and refined perfectly.  This deluxe album is my number one album of the year, because there is no album like this one and it reinvents metal in a passionate, technical, fun, engaging way.  I highly suggest listening to this band’s entire catalog and experiencing their live shows.

 

2: 5. The Gray Chapter by Slipknot

 

After the death of Paul and all the turmoil that the band has experienced for the better part of five years, I didn’t think Slipknot were ever going to tour, let alone release a huge new album.  It surprised me when they announced the new album.   I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially after hearing the first three singles.  I liked the singles, but they led me to believe that Slipknot was becoming too much centered around Corey Taylor’s vocals.  As much as I think Corey Taylor is an amazing vocalist, Slipknot is about what each member has to contribute.  I didn’t want another Stone Sour album in the form of a Slipknot album.  After first full listen of “5. The Gray Chapter”, I was sorely proven wrong.  This album is a spectacularly heavy, dark, and intense release from the legendary American Metal band.  It is every great aspect of Slipknot’s music in one epic album.  I was genuinely surprised by their comeback with this album.  The band took all the pain, turmoil, and emotions from over the years and used it for the fuel of writing this new album.

 

“5. The Gray Chapter” has every Slipknot characteristic a cherished fan might expect.  Tracks like the intro XIX, Skeptic and Custer are reminiscent of “Iowa” in the darkness and heavy guitars and percussion.  Other tracks have undertones from “Subliminal Verses” and the self titled album, creating slow and dark haunting melodies through vocals and guitars.  There is of course that mainstream “All Hope is Gone” sound on tracks like The Negative One and catchy song Killpop that reminds me of Vermillion.  This mixture of classic Slipknot and new evolved Slipknot is brilliant, pulling you in differently with each track.  The darkness they achieved on certain tracks like Goodbye and If Rain Is What You Want is captivating.  Once again Slipknot’s darkside has prevailed and inspired absolutely brilliant tracks.

 

It is no doubt that this album is a tribute to Paul Gray, with songs like Skeptic and Goodbye.  The heaviest part of the album is not the instrumentation, but the sadness and frustration.  The burden of losing Paul hangs over this album and somehow brings it to life in an absolutely incredible way.  Fans can complain about the “change” or “new sound”, overlooking the complexity and beauty of the album, but it will never demean the album’s sentimental value.  This is the first album without Paul, but it keeps him alive somehow.  I think all of the emotion and sentimental thoughts put into it is why it may be Slipknot’s best album ever and why it has the number two spot on this list.

 

3: War Eternal by Arch Enemy

 

I had sadly never heard of Arch Enemy (due to living under an American rock) until the headline that Angela Gossow had stepped down as lead singer of the Melodic Death Metal band.  The band then brought in former singer of The Agonist Alissa White-Gluz and the news scattered about with hateful and disappointed forums.   As a previous fan of The Agonist, I was ecstatic to see Alissa getting an opportunity to use the heavy side of her in such a prestigious band.  I knew she could handle anything Michael and company threw at her, as she was personally mentored by Angela and asked to fill the spot in the band.  When the band announced “War Eternal”, I had no idea what to expect.  Alissa can also do clean vocals, so I wondered if Arch Enemy were going to use this dueling talent.  The fans were worried about a “softer” side of the band.  Upon first listen, I was enraged by any negative reviews or comments I had read prior, because of how absolutely powerful and brilliant this album is.  Being that this is my first Arch Enemy album that I’ve heard, I became a fan and now love their entire discography.

 

“War Eternal” is a brilliantly composed album about the wars we face everyday.  Whether it’s people trying to control you, judge you, hurt you, or inner struggles this album empowers you to rise above.  The theme of this album is very relevant to modern times, seeming like a heavy soundtrack to going through the trials of high school.  The instrumentation is obviously incredible, mixing pummeling riffs with well executed melodic solos.  The drums are spot on and driving along with the bass, truly carrying the rhythm.  The vocals on this album are extremely heavy and true to Arch Enemy’s roots.   The lyrics are still incredibly audible, like Angela had achieved on “Khaos Legion”.  The guitars are layered and constructed with extreme technical ability, adding a vast depth of sound on this album more than previous releases from the band.

 

This album is number three on the 2014 best album list because of the authenticity and pure quality of Melodic Death Metal Arch Enemy has created.  Everything about it is excellent and profound with everything I expect from a Melodeath album.  The transition of Angela’s style to Alissa’s style is a game changer for the band, and keeps them going in modern metal times.  The change is huge, but the change is ultimately good.  As long as Michael is the sole writer for the band, I don’t foresee anything half-effort ever coming from Arch Enemy.

 

4: Massive Addictive by Amaranthe

 

Amaranthe, a Gothenburg Metal band with a brand of their own, has struck big once again after the profound success of “The Nexus” album.  It was uncertain if Amaranthe could put out an album of equal or better quality, after the perfect mix of heaviness and poppy vocals were achieved.  The band mixes power vocals, poppy vocals, and death growls with loud and catchy synths and techno.  The lead guitarist Olof tames the three vocalists with melodic and shredding guitar riffs.  This creates a unique blend of sound that I’ve never experienced before with any metal band.  Having three vocalists and three exceptional instrumentalists creates stadium filling sound, especially with anthemic songs like The Nexus, 1,000,000 Light Years Away, and Invincible.  There’s certainly no lack of explosive sound and energy piercing through every Amaranthe track, and that energy and enthusiasm is what makes their music so great.

 

“Massive Addictive” is everything Amaranthe has ever achieved with any release, ten fold.  The energy, passion, technicality, and effort put into this new album is incomparable to 90% of the albums I’ve ever heard.  This album may take time to grow on you, because it is a very fast paced techno metal album and is hard to grasp.  It takes several listens to comprehend all that’s going on in this album.  The vocals are huge and powerful, providing attitude and identity to the album.  Between Jake E’s powerful vocals, Elize’s innocent poppy lines, and Henrik’s chesty growls the album is not short of dynamic sound.  The perfectly pocketed vocal lines are as catchy as ever on this latest Amaranthe album, clearly justifying the name for the album.  The guitar work from rhythmic riffs in the background and insane shredding melodic solos is absolutely incredible.  If it weren’t for Olof, this album might be overpowered by the vocal section.  His visionary guitar work adds a much needed balance to the album, keeping it to it’s melodic metal roots.  Olof had more free reign to get creative on this album more than past releases, adding a new sound and epic quality to “Massive Addictive”.  Songs like Dynamite, Drop Dead Cynical, and Digital World are blazingly fast and heavy, more than ever before.  Over and
Done, Trinity, and True are softer songs with moving vocals, adding depth and diversity.

 

I think “Massive Addictive” deserves the number four spot on this list because it is the bravest metal release of the year.  Amaranthe dares to defy genre and metal stereotypes and create something one hundred percent authentic to themselves.  The passion and perseverance comes out strongly in every song this band puts out.  Their music is incredibly unique and brings something completely different to the world of metal.  The fact that there’s no album that sounds even close to “Massive Addictive” is a sign that Amaranthe strive to create authentic music, bringing a new string of metal into modern times.

 

5: IV- One With the Storm by Ghost Brigade

 

Ghost Brigade is a Melodic Death Metal band from Finland, mixing Doom Metal lyrics and Death growls with slow building guitars.  Their special blend of music creates ethereal, mood setting music that is truly hard to describe.  Past albums from the band have been incredibly dark and heavy, with Sludge like characteristics.  “Isolation Songs” their second album had a perfect blend of Death Metal tracks like Suffocated and Birth, then Doom Metal tracks like Into The Black Light and My Heart Is a Tomb.  “Guided By Fire” was an all out growl fest with echoey guitar solos and heavy drums.  The band strives to get better with each album and advance their sound, getting darker and deeper with each one.

 

Ghost Brigade’s new album achieves the growth of quality perfectly, getting darker and even more ethereal than ever before.  “IV- One With the Storm” is a complicated and emotional album.  Each song is much different than past releases from the band, but definitely keeps the same characteristics that make their music so captivating.  The guitar work stands out to me the most on this album, holding a consistent building sound with each track.  The guitars create this incredible ominous and absolutely heavy sound that I’ve never heard on any other album before.  Songs like Departures, Electra Complex, and one of my favorite songs of the year, Long Way To the Graves highlight this signature guitar sound.  Aurora is one of the heaviest songs on this album and is the best single from the album so far.  Aurora and every track on the album is well balanced between instrumentation and clean vocals and grunts.  The mix of Death Metal and Doom Metal is perfection on this album, a mix no other band achieved quite as well this year.

 

It differs from any Melodic Death Metal album released this year, surpassing In Flames and At the Gates ten fold in my opinion.  Ghost Brigade created a perfectly balanced and intricately crafted album, which I find rare in the stereotypical genre of Death Metal.  This album made it on the list because of the emotion it successfully captures and delivers in a powerful way.  The way they combine Nihilistic yet hopeful themes into Death Metal is pretty brilliant and can’t be heard anywhere else besides bands like Summoning and Omnium Gatherum.  Ghost Brigade is high on this list because they released one of the most unique albums of the year and the album transcends 95% of the music I’ve heard this year.

 

6: The Quantum Enigma by Epica

 

Epica being one of the best Symphonic Metal bands of all time have released brilliantly composed albums over a decade of existence.  The level of pedigree this band achieves with albums is absolutely legendary.  The combination of Classical Themes with grand orchestrals and well executed operatic vocals with heavy instrumentation and growls from Mark Jansen is Symphonic Metal at its best.  Epica have a huge signature sound that either fills your entire house and stadiums, or is soft enough to sleep to.  With every album this band gets better and creates even bigger sounds that cannot be matched.  “Requiem For the Indifferent” is such an amazing album and conquered so many fans to where they believed it couldn’t be topped.  The same quality was achieved with older records  “Design Your Universe” and “The Divine Conspiracy”, both contenders for best albums of all time.  So how could Epica ever top those albums and advance their sound to a better level?  They topped those albums by going in a brave new direction and smashing any predispositions about the band, creating something completely different and daring.  Epica is a trailblazing band and “The Quantum Enigma” proves it.

 

What Epica did with this new album strives for a new level of masterful Symphonic Metal that is unlike any release in their listed genre.  The orchestra work underneath the pounding instrumentation from the band create a completely full sound.  The songs are as fast and as technical as ever, sounding completely succinct with every note, having the tightest sound I’ve ever heard from the band.  The layers upon layers of Classical influence is what makes this album so great.  The sound is ghastly large and potent on this album because of these layers.  The vocals of Simone are ever interlaced between Classical, Power, and pure Symphonic influences.  She combines pure emotion and power to deliver cleverly written modernized lyrics, much like Epica achieves on every album, but even greater.  With absolutely pounding songs like The Essence of Silence, Victims of Contingency, and Unchain Utopia, the band fills the mind and ears, captivating the listener with every tightened and refined beat.  The Melodic side of each song balances out the heaviness perfectly, making it certainly not your typical Metal album.  This album is different, because it is an album so intelligently layered that it took me at least five full listens to be able to compartmentalize it.  At first it didn’t grab me, but the more I listened to it the more I could appreciate it.

“The Quantum Enigma” deserves to be on this list, because it is one of the best examples of Symphonic Metal I’ve ever heard.  It takes every quality from the genre and reinvents it in a personalized way.  It is so different, yet true to the defined identity of Epica.  Each of their albums is its own project and creates its own world, but this album creates its own universe where traditionality and modernism collide in the heaviest way possible.  Each album has its own great aspects and brilliance.  This album’s sound is so vast, I simply cannot describe it without boring everyone to death.  It is Epica’s best and most textured, layered, and refined album yet, so just give it your best concentrated listen.

 

7: Z10 by Devin Townsend Project

 

The musical mastership and inventiveness of Devin Townsend is unparalleled in our current universe, because of his ability to mix creativity, intelligence, Sci-fi, inner struggles, and Metal all into one progressive monster.  Summing up Devin Townsend project in a two paragraph review is simply not possible.  He has this imaginative way of creating non stereotypical metal, mixing Power Metal and Progressive Metal with his own signature sound.  The edition of his accompanying musicians adds another incredible aspect to this particular project, especially the contrast of female vocals from Anneke van Giersbergen.  Every album is straightforward and true to the styles and creation of Devin Townsend, but this new album is particularly epic and huge with Progressive sound.  This album is nothing short of a Soundtrack to an epic Science Fiction blockbuster and it is a great approachable Prog Metal album

 

The new album from Devin Townsend Project is essentially three albums smashed into a two disc compilation.  Z10 is an album that has two sides to it, a side similar to “Epicloud” and “Ghost” with melodic touches from Anneke and well executed synth throughout disc one.   Songs like Rejoice, Universal Flame, and Forever are similar and in the similar gauge of songs off other albums, while other tracks like A New Reign and Midnight Sun are really different from past work from Devin.  The first disc is astounding with passion and power and would be an amazing album alone, but Devin had to add another spin on this album.  The second disc is a soundtrack to Devin’s Ziltoid character that has been chronicled throughout the past couple albums.  It’s full of chaos and good character, allowing you to use your imagination and put your own vision to the Ziltoid.  The second disc is heavier than the first disc, breaking up one album into two completely different projects.  It is rare that a band can achieve this kind of diversity on just one album, but I am not surprised that Devin achieved this.  While this album is not my favorite release from Devin Townsend Project, it’s still an absolutely amazing release of 2014.

8: Broken Crown Halo by Lacuna Coil

 

Lacuna Coil is one of my favorite metal bands of all time no doubt, but I had a love hate relationship with their last release “Dark Adrenaline”.  I appreciated the change up and modernized concept of the album, but none of the tracks truly captured my attention.  I wanted to like it, as I had been waiting for a new album for awhile, but it just didn’t impress me compared to other releases that year.  I was not confident in Lacuna Coil after that album and did not anticipate the next album being any better.  In true Metal fashion, the band proved me sorely wrong and exceeded all expectations.  “Broken Crown Halo” is everything I expected from such an amazing Gothic Metal band and so much more.  This album is different from anything they’ve put out, but does not lose the band’s original identity, beating the hell out of “Dark Adrenaline”.  Every song on this new album is dynamite and catchy, with brilliantly delivered Melodic vocal lines that soar above past albums where Cristina was more in the background.   Lacuna Coil rises to their full potential on this album.

 

Every song is of great quality from anthemic Nothing Stands in Our Way, to dark and melodic Zombies, to heartfelt and hard hitting track One Cold Day.  Every song is impressive as the next and not one song falls flat, thanks to the brilliant dark composition of this album and the power coming from the vocals and bass.  “Broken Crown Halo” is full of sounds from every spectrum, full with heavy instrumentation and intricate vocal lines fitting atop the distorted riffs.  Songs like I Burn In You and In the End I Feel Alive have a unique off beat that keep the album interesting.  Then slow building track One Cold Day ends the album in an epic way, full of pain and darkness, letting Cristina deliver a hopeful and emotional vocal line.  This is one of my favorite Lacuna Coil songs, because of how dynamic and dark it is.  The album overall is absolutely solid and  “Broken Crown Halo” certainly worth the recognition of the masses.  The album would be higher on this list it weren’t for the domination of Symphonic Metal, because of that the album didn’t stick with me very long.

9:  Home Is Where The Heart Is by Any Given Day

 

A German Melodic Death Metal band released one of the most surprising albums of the year with hardcore and moving album “Home is Where the Heart Is”.  For a debut album and considering the band isn’t very well known, this album is absolutely incredible.  The guitars are incredibly heavy and technical, reminiscent of Adam from Killswitch Engage and his fast melodic style.  The vocals are a mix of chesty growls and high pitched screams and spot on clean vocals from lead vocalist Dennis Diehl.  Dennis has powerful and unique male vocals, unlike anything I’ve ever heard.  The drums are simple but perfectly placed as a structural support for the music.  The bass is dropped extremely low and pounds the rhythm full and audibly.  Already with their first album, the band has put everything they have into it.  It is a brilliant effort from the band and absolutely caught me by surprise upon first listen.

 

The title track is a perfect example of everything that makes this band great.    The rhythmic and technical instrumentation drives hard, while the vocals pound and soar, and the music comes together with a catchy formula.  Every track on the album is a powerful anthem:  From Anthem for the Voiceless, The Beginning of the End, Never Say Die,  and If Tomorrow Never Shows, the album has a pounding and strong song to lift you up at any occasion.  The mix of hardcore and melodic metal is not foreign to me, but this album seems to capture it in a whole new way.  Some of the songs on the album are unlike anything I’ve heard in metal, especially since the uprising of Metalcore in America.  Genre aside, this album is beautiful and heavy at the same time.  It dares to be different than anything out there while being a very approachable Death Metal album.  “Home Is Where the Heart Is” is one of my favorite albums of 2014, because it surprised me almost as much as number one of this list.

 

10:  High Priestess by Kobra and the Lotus

 

Regardless of recent opinions from online blogs saying that this band “should stick to being an Iron Maiden tribute band”, I find the latest release from Kobra and the Lotus beastly and of high quality. This band mixes Traditional Metal with Modern Metal, similar to Halestorm’s approach but with more of a European sound to it.  The band is set apart from other Power Metal bands, because of the female Alto vocals from powerhouse vocalist Kobra Paige.  The band is highly acclaimed by manager and supporter Gene Simmons who originally discovered the band.  Kobra Paige is the main songwriter for the band, inspired by theatrical and wartime themes, making their music an epic experience.  Her vocal range is also a huge highlight of the band, ranging from high pitched screams, to lower aggressive vocals, to ballad soften tones.  The range of the entire band is incredible however, containing influences from Judas Priest, Dio, and even some Anthrax Thrash.  Kobra and the Lotus could be a band for old and new metal fans, if only they could escape from unfair stereotypes of metal elitists.  Nonetheless, the band continues to put out solid albums and blow me away with their style.

“High Priestess” is an excellent Power Metal album from a Canadian band with sounds that are a blast from the past.  The album has awesome tracks that highlight the band’s identity more than other tracks do.    I am, I am is a fast one of the album with impressive power screams and low bending speed metal guitars.  Hold On is my favorite track off “High Priestess”, because of the energy and technicality it shows throughout each instrument.   Heartbeat is a blazingly fast track, one of my favorite tracks on this album. Soldier is a beautiful rhythmic track, telling a tale of a innocent soldier going through battle, painting a very vivid picture from the eyes of a man of war.  Not every track on the album is up to the quality of the ones I listed above and that’s why it is last on the list, but it is by no means a bad album.  I find this to be a very underrated album of 2014 and I think it deserves to be on more top ten lists.


*Notes*

 

*I did not include “Hydra” from Within Temptation because it is a compilation album.

 

*This list is purely based on subjective opinion and if you’re opinion differs than mine, please write your own list and share it with me.

Honorable Mentions

 

Suspended At Aphelion by While Heaven Wept  Review: https://metalvalkyriereviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/while-heaven-wept-suspended-at-aphelion-review/

 

Melana Chasmata by Triptykon

 

Shadows of a Dying Sun by Insomnium

 

Guilty by Dawn of Eternity Review: https://metalvalkyriereviews.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/i-review-independent-symphonic-band-dawn-of-eternity/

 

Back From the Edge by Mindmaze Review: https://wordpress.com/posts/metalvalkyriereviews.wordpress.com

 

A New Dawn Ending by Ancient Bards

 

Origins by Eluveitie

Sonata Arctica, Delain, Xandria Denver October 4th, 2014

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In 2014, I discovered three bands that would forever change my perception of music.  I have been an obsessive fan of Symphonic Metal for about three years now, but discovering Xandria and especially Delain opened my world to new music.  So of course I jumped on the chance to see the two charismatic female fronted bands live, and get a chance to discover Sonata Arctica.  I was extremely excited for this show, because I knew all three bands put on a spectacular show in concert, but they blew my expectations out of the water.  This is now my favorite concert I have ever been to, topping an Epica headliner and many Halestorm shows.  Every band lit The BlueBird up and continually raised the intensity in a way I have never experienced before.  Discovering these three bands prior to the concert, I knew what to expect, but this was a greatness I could have never anticipated.

 

Regardless of my personal preference of Delain and Xandria, these two bands are absolutely flawless in concert.  Xandria came on and played a very short explosive set.  They opened with Nightfall, their heavy operatic single off of their latest album, Sacrificium.  Dianne’s delivery of soprano operatic vocals on this track blew my mind.  Her technique, control, and projection match a perfection few singers achieve today.  “Blood on my Hands” was a heavier jam, keeping up with the intensity Nightfall had started.  Every member had energy and intensity as well as excellent and engaging stage presence.  “Forevermore” was seamless in the set and allowed Dianne and guitarists to show off a little more than earlier songs.  “Stardust” was well played and executed in a live setting and proved Xandria are up to par with the best live Symphonic Metal experience.  Dianne Van Giersbergen was absolutely the right choice for the new era, as she blew away all expectations with their final song, “Valentine”.  This is one of my favorite songs they’ve ever put out and their execution of it live made it even greater of a track.  The only complaint I have about Xandria’s set is that it was entirely too short for their quality of live play.

 

I have the utmost genuine respect for Delain and this concert made that respect turn into love.   Delain is possibly the best band I have ever seen live, because of the fun, tight, interactive set they produced at this concert.  Their set was absolutely spectacular and awing.  The mix and volume of each member, the lights, their overall live sound is absolutely perfect.  Most songs sounded like an album version turned up on high and injected with fierce energy.  The set was diverse as well, playing songs from almost every album except April Rain.  They opened with the heavy track “Mother Machine” off of We Are the Others and instantly stunned the crowd with their tight sound.  They followed the heavy opener with the fun and jamming track, “Get the Devil Out of Me”, giving Charlotte the chance to show off her flawless falsetto.  “Army of Dolls” swoons and ebs with intricate melodies and a unique beat easy to dance to and rock out to.  Next they mesmerized the crowd with their impressive hit, “Stardust”, off of The Human Contradiction.  This song was absolutely flawless live, containing a breakdown that centered around Charlotte’s enchanting vocals.  Delain continued to heat things up with emotive and powerful track, “Electricity”, a song that had the crowd belting lyrics out and head banging all the way through.  They also played the slower more haunting track, “Milk and Honey”, that was smooth and delivered well.

 

Delain continued their dynamic set with an old track off Lucidity “Sleepwalker’s Dream”, a more symphonic track that contains mind blowing vocals.  The delivery of operatic soaring vocals by lead vocalist, Charlotte Wessels, is indescribable.  The pure power of her voice on this song was distorting the sound system of the venue.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  They also played heavy hitting song, Pristine with bassist Otto on grunts, classic symphonic duet The Gathering with Timo on the male vocals, and closed with powerful hit “We Are the Others”.  I cannot say enough good things about this band live.  Delain really set the bar high for Symphonic Metal performances.  I will never forget their set, and can’t wait to see them again with Nightwish in April 2015.  I highly suggest seeing this band live.

 

Sonata Arctica are a legendary Power Metal band hailing from Finland.  They are still one of the most unique and cherished bands from Scandinavia.  They integrate Folk, Theatrical, and Symphonic aspects into their music.  Sadly, I didn’t hear of this band until I discovered this concert date with them as headliner.  The good thing is, this concert developed a love and immensely impressed me.  Lead vocalist, Tony Kakko, is one of the best male vocalists of all time in my opinion.  His performance throughout their nearly two hour set was flawless and eye catching.  The whole band matched Tony’s theatrical enthusiasm and made for a show that pulled you in.

 

The new songs they performed from Pariah’s Child were even better live than on the album.  “The Wolves Die Young” was dynamic and fast, a perfect live jam with an incredibly well executed bass part.  “Love” was a ballady change up in the set, allowing for an easy sing along.  “Cloud Factory” is possibly their catchiest song ever and was really fun and exciting to experience live.  They also performed older tracks without missing a beat.  “Letter to Dana” was a beautiful power ballad.  Tony captivated the audience with softer building vocals on this song.  Sadly, I am not familiar with a lot of the songs they played that night.  Regardless, Sonata’s set was absolutely incredible.  Their sound is infinitely energetic and hooks you right from the beginning.  I was vastly impressed with them and would love to see them again soon.

Metal Valkyrie of 2014 Results

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In early October, the polling for Metal Valkyrie of 2014 began.  The poll got over the required forty votes by fans, making it a fair decision for best front woman of the year.  With great new albums, trailblazing tours, and uprisings it was a big year for female fronted metal.  The year was bombarded with new albums from Lacuna Coil, Delain, Xandria, Ancient Bards, Stream of Passion, Lyriel, and of course Within Temptation and Epica!  Every one of these releases were fantastic and unlike anything I’ve heard before.  The voting was certainly close between Floor Jansen, Marcela Bovio, Charlotte Wessels, and Cristina Scabbia.  The countdown below will list the top three highest scorers and explain why they deserved to be on the podium for the first ever Metal Valkyrie of the year polling.

3.   Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil

Lacuna Coil, the Italian Gothic Metal band, has been popular for 10 whole years now.  They have influenced so many people and have become one of the most popular Goth Metal and Rock bands ever.  From their breakout album, Comalies, to the coveted Karmacode, to the moving and power album Shallow Life, to the controversial change up Dark Adrenaline, Lacuna Coil create absolutely fantastic albums.  One of their greatest elements is one of two vocalists, Cristina Scabbia.  She is a pint sized mixture of attitude, range, dynamics, and well executed skill. Cristina is one of the most influential vocalists in metal, having guested on anything from Ayreon to Apocalyptica, to Alter Bridge.  It is unarguable that she is one of the most gifted vocalists in metal of the 2000s and why her success continues on.

 

In 2014, Lacuna Coil release brilliantly and beautifully constructed beast of an album, Broken Crown Halo.  The album had something huge to prove after the great departure from their sound with Dark Adrenaline.  Broken Crown Halo is everything Lacuna Coil is about summed up into one powerful and moving album.  Scabbia’s emotional performance and artistry on this album is absolutely unparalleled.   Broken Crown Halo is a perfect example of what Cristina brings to music.  Her transition from power vocals, to perfect falsetto, to emotional and moving ballads is executed with a level mind blowing perfection.

 

After her performance on this album, Ayreon’s The Theory of Everything, and the smashing sold out tours she’s lead, she absolutely deserves to be on the podium of this poll in 2014.  Every music project she’s been a part of is pure gold and impossible not to love.  Cristina will continue to rule Metal throughout the years and impress all who witness her spectacular talent.

2.    Charlotte Wessels of Delain

Symphonic and Gothic Metal band, Delain, released a smashing and daring new album in 2014, The Human Contradiction.  Despite lack of hype by critics and limited reviews on the new album, it has become very popular and gained the Dutch band many new fans.  The band has also put out earlier albums of spectacular and tremendous quality.  Lucidity, their very first album released in 2006, was a dark and mysterious pool of heavy tracks featuring special guests like Liv Kristine, Marco Hietala, and Sharon Den Adel.  April Rain was a departure from the first album, exploding with beautiful and intricate melodies, heavy driving drums and guitars, and masterful classical piano lines from founder Martijn Westerholt.  We Are The Others is a jamming, empowering, and enchanting album from start to finish.  Interlude is a brilliant compilation album with a number of gems, including a moving and mesmerizing cover of The Cranberries’ Cordell.  The Human Contradiction however is leaps and bounds above their previous releases, heavy with instrumentation and emotion.  It is a purely beautiful and solid album, and may be my favorite album of 2014.  So, why is Delain’s music so unique, beautiful, and mesmerizing?  The main reason is undoubtedly lead singer and writer, Charlotte Wessels.

 

Charlotte Wessels may not be the most popular or most hyped lead singer in Symphonic Metal, but she is quickly growing to the top five of the world’s most talented vocalists.  In 2014, she’s lead some of the best tours and headlining shows throughout Europe and making huge waves in America with Sonata Arctica and Xandria.  The reviews of Delain’s most recent shows have been bursting with surprise and respect for the band, but also Charlotte’s mesmerizing and breathtaking live performances.  Some say her performances are flawless, containing incredibly moving and emotive performances throughout the set, and absolutely inspiring.  She isn’t compared to any other vocalist, because there is simply no other fitting comparison.

 

Charlotte’s uprising in 2014 has brought a lot of needed attention to Delain.  The band has gained fans from North America as well as all over the world this year, thanks to Charlotte’s constant interactions with fans, brilliant and intelligent interviews, and mesmerizing powerful performances.  She has literally every characteristic you want in an influential front woman.  It’s no surprise to me that she is runner up to Metal Valkyrie of 2014 and was close to being the winner.  I truly believe in the next couple years, she will rise to the top and be an essential vocalist in metal.  I cannot rave about her and Delain enough.  There aren’t enough words to explain Delain’s sound or why they’re fantastic.  You simply just have to listen to them and see them live to experience their incredible sound and presence.

1.   Floor Jansen of Revamp and Nightwish

Floor Jansen has been a huge influence in Symphonic Metal, since her origin in the powerhouse band After Forever.  Floor’s vocals are beastly, haunting, and bursting with power and gorgeous tones.  She began as an Operatic Soprano with an impressive technique, not sacrificing emotion with skill.  With each album and project she’s been involved in, she’s progressed into one of the best vocalists of all time. Floor has since branched her vocals out into more power vocals and picked up grunts on Revamp’s latest album, Wild Card.  From the powerful jamming album After Forever, to her performances on Ayreon and Star One albums, to her recent work with her Power Metal band Revamp, Floor is undoubtedly dynamic and a very desirable voice in metal.  There is no limit to her vocals or skills as a singer.

 

Now Floor is getting the recognition she deserves in the legendary Symphonic Metal band, Nightwish.  She was a shoo in for the lead part, after Nightwish departed with Anette Olzon in 2012.  Floor had to quickly learn the set for the Imaginaerium Tour and fly out to finish the tour in America, whilst Alissa White-Gluz and Elize Ryd filled in.  Floor quickly took the part in a brilliant and unexpected way.  She was a departure from Tarja and Anette, using pure power to her advantage.  Nightwish got new life from Floor, and soon after the tour she was announced as the official singer.  No one knew what to expect, but Floor’s loyal followers expected greatness and a new era for Symphonic Metal.  They were absolutely right, evidence being Nightwish’s 2013 live DVD, Showtime Storytime.  On that DVD, Floor performs classic Nightwish tracks to an unparalleled quality.  Her performance throughout that Wacken show is absolutely legendary.

 

Floor has earned her spot in Nightwish, regardless of what the hardcore Tarja fans think.  Floor will be a huge addition to Nightwish, as they embark on a new era and a new album.  Tuomas Holopainen and crew are still vastly impressed by Floor’s voice and technique and are very happy that she is a new addition to the band.  She may not be the original vocalist and is a huge departure from past Nightwish vocalists, but she is unarguably the greatest vocalist the band could’ve gotten for the lead part.  Her range, power, technique, stage presence, and emotive ability is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.  Her talent is infinite, and that’s why she is the Metal Valkyrie of 2014.  Floor getting to the top of Symphonic Metal as lead singer of the band that started it all, is enough reason to put her to legendary status.  I don’t think there will be another vocalist like Floor, ever.

German Festival Rockharz Open Air Announces More Bands for 2015

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The German Open Air Metal Festival, Rockharz, is currently announcing bands for the 2015 lineup.  So far they’ve announced Hammerfall, WASP, Eluveitie, Behemoth, Kataklysm, Delain, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, The Haunted, Cradle of Filth, and LETZTE INSTANZ.  So far this sounds like an amazing festival, a good one to catch before Wacken!

You can check out more about the festival here http://www.rockharz-festival.com/

Final Voting for Metal Valkyrie of 2014

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metalvalkryrie
Metal Valkyrie of 2014, The Top Six Front Women Move on

The final stage for the polling is up!  Voting closes November 15th!  Don’t forget to vote for your favorite front woman!  Finalists are below!

Vote now: http://goo.gl/Z7uJQ8

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Charlotte Wessels of Delain

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Marcela Bovio of Stream of Passion

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Floor Jansen of Nightwish/Revamp

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Jessica Theirjung of Lyriel

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Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil

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Amy Lee and Her Solo Project

2014 A Year of Symphonic Metal

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Symphonic Metal is a constantly growing genre that mixes classical music and Modern Metal.  Characteristics of Symphonic Metal are typically a mix of classical piano composition, orchestral music, and synthesizers,  mixed with heavy distorted guitars and heavy double bass drums.   The vocals can be Power Metal vocals or more commonly and preferably, female Operatic vocals.  The genre started in Europe in the late 80s when a Swedish Metal band called Therion began incorporating orchestral music into Death Metal, marrying classical music and modern metal.  Although Therion are coined with creating Symphonic Metal, it was a Finnish band in 1997 that began a crusade.  Nightwish took the world by storm with their take on Symphonic Metal and changed music forever.  Tuomas Holopainen is the mastermind  behind Nightwish.  He took the genre and integrated in some of the most talented musicians in metal ever, with spectacular writing and phenomenal female vocalists.  Symphonic Metal has grown exponentially since Nightwish became a big influence in metal, keeping this new genre growing over the years.

 

Symphonic Metal typically includes fantasy based lyrics.  The ideals can include anything awesome to dragons, magical utopias or dark dystopias, Viking folklore, and local folklore.  These characteristics mixed together creates some of the most complex and the most beautiful music written in modern times.  There’s truly a band for every listener’s tastes, for metal fans anyway. Other influential bands of the genre include Epica, Within Temptation, Avantasia, and Kamelot.  Every band under the Symphonic Metal category is incredibly unique and brilliant in their own way.

 

Now that you have a bit of an understanding to what Symphonic Metal is, you can appreciate the genre’s powerful uprising in 2014.  This year has been great for the genre as it has grown exponentially in popularity.  The buzz is certainly unavoidable thanks to Within Temptation’s Hydra and their popular world touring, as well as new releases from Epica, Delain, and Xandria. Obviously this list I have made mostly covers female lead Symphonic Metal, because this is “Metal Valkyrie”, but I added some other bands that aren’t female lead to the list too.

 

Below is a detailed timeline of Symphonic Metal releases and events in 2014 and a quick review of new releases.

 

Within_Temptation-HydraHYDRA

 

January 22- Within Temptation put out highly anticipated collaboration album, creating some of the most world wide radio played tracks ever for Symphonic Metal.  While HYDRA is probably the most popular album of the genre in 2014, it is not the whole of the talent of Within Temptation.  This album is considered a tribute to the fans and is not a formal album for the band, lacking their traditional concept and long composition.  However,  Paradise (What About Us?) is one of the best songs of 2014 and maybe one of the best collaborations ever featuring Tarja and her huge operatic range.   I see Hydra as a mere appetite whetter to bring old fans closer and to pull new fans in, and it has certainly worked this year.  Hydra also contains brilliant covers like Radioactive by Imagine Dragons and Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray.  Once you accept it is merely a collaboration album, it is fantastic and exciting.  The new album also sparked a well respected world tour, featuring other Symphonic Metal bands like Delain, Amaranthe, and Serenity.  Next on the docket for Within Temptation is a live DVD Let Us Burn featuring two shows, one paying tribute to their first release Elements.  Within Temptation is surely exploding worldwide and spreading Symphonic Metal through all ages.

Sonata-arctica-pariahs-childPariah’s Child

 

March 26th- The legendary and cherished Finnish Power/Symphonic Metal band, Sonata Arctica, release a new album in honor of it being 15 years since their first album was released.  The band is notorious for mixing chugging guitars with operatic and theatrical style male vocals, all following a sort of mystical fairytale and lore theme.  The band also touches on the slow and gloomy characteristics on Doom Metal.  Pariah’s Child is the typical beautifully composed and jamming album from Sonata, turned up to epic proportions.  Its hit after hit pace is paralleled by none.  Cloud Factory is the catchiest song on the album, impossible to get out of your head upon five seconds of the first listen.  The Wolves Die Young is a fast theatrical track that hints at the concept of The Emperor’s New Clothes and is a fun jam.  Love is a ballad reminiscent of Letter to Dana with epic building vocals, setting a romantic and everlasting mood. This album is something only a band with 15 years of writing experience could create.  Each song is a perfect mix of Folk Metal and Power Metal, masterfully composed.  This album proves Sonata Arctica is here to stay at the top of Power Metal.

 

The_Human_Contradiction_(2014)_-_DelainTHE HUMAN CONTRADICTION

 

April 4th- Delain, a Symphonic Metal band hailing from The Netherlands, oriented with catchy pop themes, releases The Human Contradiction.  This album is one of the most solid releases of 2014, despite it’s lack of large reception and critical flack.  The album doesn’t illustrate 100% of singer Charlotte Wessels range and lacks anything truly new from the band, but it is however an incredibly influential and powerful album.   I feel like this album was more of a concept album, centered around ideas rather than an all out Symphonic slugger. It contains catchy and headbanging gems like Stardust, Army of Dolls, and Here Come the Vultures, and a heavy well orchestrated anthem Tragedy of the Commons.  The deluxe double CD edition also has some amazing bonus tracks as well as perfectly performed live tracks.  The bonus track, Scarlet, is a powerfully ballad with absolutely stunning vocals and touching piano.  While the reception for the album has been dull, it doesn’t truly reflect the brilliant musicianship and composition quality for the album.  I see Delain as a very underrated and overlooked band in Symphonic Metal, especially considering their powerhouse live performances.  While Charlotte’s range wasn’t fully harnessed, her vocal delivery and control on this album prove to be mesmerising and unlike anything I’ve heard.  I consider the writing duo of Charlotte Wessels and Martijn Westerholt to be incredibly innovative and their own strand of Metal that can’t be heard anywhere else.  The Human Contradiction still stands as my favorite album of 2014.

 

streamofpassionawarA War of Our Own

 

April 18th- Dutch Symphonic Metallers, Stream of Passion, are back in 2014 with a moving and Gothic solid album.  Stream of Passion originally was one of Arjen Lucassen’s projects, but the band became too big for his recluse way of life.  Marcela Bovio carries this band and album to greatness with powerful and moving performances from the dramatic Monster to the epic title track A War of Our Own.  Her range and vocal capabilities really blow me away on this album, more than past Stream of Passion albums.  Her vocal control has really progressed over the years, making her vibrato much easier to listen to.  Gothic Metal is seriously lacking these days in quantity, but this album filled that niche.   Every song is haunting and dark, with this undertone of a hopeful outcome;  The mood is spot on with modern Gothic Music.  The musicianship on this album isn’t foreshadowed either, but perfectly balanced with Marcela’s powerful vocals.  I found the piano arrangements to be my favorite part of A War of Our Own.  I highly suggest this album for Evanescence fans.

Xandria_sacrificium_-_album_coverSacrificium

 

May 2nd- Xandria, an absolutely epic German Symphonic Metal band, comes out raging in 2014 with Sacrificium.  The album is an operatic masterpiece that is unparalleled.  Sacrificium flows and ebbs perfectly with a powerful symphonic sound, pairing orchestral work with soprano vocals and the occasional choir.  Dianne Van Giersbergen (no relation to Anneke) is absolutely spectacular on this album, showing supernatural vocal control.  Nightfall is a raging anthemic track with absolutely captivating vocals.  Little Red Relish is an addictive jamming track, heavier than other tracks off the album.  Sweet Atonement is an epic end gamer, showing the dynamics of the band in full force.  The album reminds me of older Epica like “Design Your Universe”, because of the technical drumming paired with smooth operatic vocals.  The guitar work is also brilliant and mesmerising, adding a complex depth and catchiness to the album.  I find the writing to be solid, very little space between each track making the album like an epic soundtrack.  Xandria has never sounded better.

 

downloadThe Quantum Enigma

 

May 2nd- Epica came back in 2014 after the highly cherished “Requiem for the Indifferent”, with a much different and unique album.  The Quantum Enigma is a slightly controversial album, as it is quite a contrast to the previous release and not quite what Epica fans expected.  Fan mania aside, The Quantum Enigma is a beautiful and dynamic symphonic metal album that may be one of their strongest albums to date lyrically.  The incredibly fascinating theme is laced throughout every track.  The lyrics harness a story about modern government and corporations in such a poetic and classical way, making the album deeper than your typical metal album.  The album flows in and out of old Epica influences and a much more modern version of Epica, making it a more full and interesting sounding album than earlier works from Epica.  Upon each listen of the album, it becomes more enjoyable as you notice more and more complexities.   “The Essence of Silence” and “Unchain Utopia” are two of the best tracks of 2014 and stand out to me as two of the best Epica jams.  I do think Epica’s future endeavors will top The Quantum Enigma vastly, so I can’t wait to follow their progression.

threshold-for-the-journey-320x320For the Journey

 

September 9th- Damian Wilson lead Symphonic Power Metal band, Threshold, blows all expectations away in 2014 with epic For the Journey.  The album is a mix of Space, Power, Symphonic, and Power Metal into one very well driven album.  The album also has Progressive tracks like “I Wish I Could” and “Autumn Red”.  The energy throughout each track on the album is absolutely incredible.  There isn’t one dead song on the album, making for a solid and captivating listening experience.  Some songs hint on Peter Gabriel and Rush influences, while maintaining an intensity of Kamelot’s talents.  This may be one of Damian’s best album performances yet, because of how dynamic his vocals are throughout each track.  The contrast of Theatrical, Power, and Ballad vocals prove Damian is an extraordinarily underrated vocalist in metal.  The quality of each instrument is vast however, laced somewhere at the threshold of Power Metal and something more unique.  “Lost in Your Memory” is an example of mixing Symphonic with many influences, creating a piano driven ballad that Meatloaf himself would appreciate.    I really enjoyed every track on this album.  For the Journey is a truly well done album that should be more in the spotlight.

 

download (1)Skin and Bones

 

September 29th- German Folk Symphonic Metal band, Lyriel, is back with their heaviest and best album yet.  Skin and Bones is an incredible mix of beautiful strings, heavy guitars and drums, and powerful Theatrical vocals.  Lyriel has written some of the most unique and interesting music, ranging from pure Folk to the occasional Metal jam.  Luckily for us Symphonic Metal fans, they’ve gone full Symphonic Metal with Skin and Bones.  Jessica and Linda’s dueling vocals on this album are so catchy and addictive, making Lyriel unique and full of depth upfront.  Linda also plays the Cello beautifully, an instrument rarely used in Symphonic Metal.  I like the subtlety of strings in metal and no one does it better than Lyriel, especially on this album.  Skin and Bones is absolutely Lyriel’s best release yet!  I highly suggest this album for fans of Apocalyptica, Eluveitie, and Delain.


Upcoming

Within Tempation Let Us Burn DVD November 14, 2014 http://www.within-temptation.com/orderletusburn/

Nightwish TBA Spring 2015

Nightwish/Delain North American Tour April 2015 http://enterthevault.com/artist.php?id=43

Kamelot/Dragonforce North American Tour http://enterthevault.com/artist.php?id=47

Nightwish Announce 2015 North American Tour With Delain!

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Exciting news in Symphonic Metal today!  Nightwish announce a huge North America tour in 2015, with special opening guests Delain.  Nightwish are also releasing a new album estimated to be released early next year, probably before the tour begins.  The band are currently working on the album in Finland, whilst Delain are still in North America touring with Sonata Arctica and Xandria.  Marco Hietala, bassist for Nightwish, made an exciting statement about the tour:

“Hi to all!  Our work on the new album has been going with serious productive speed and comfortable ease at the same time.  It´s going to be great to get it out to you and play these pieces live.  And with this announcement it will obviously happen quite soon!  Here are the dates for the North American shows.  Come on over and we´ll raise hell and kick some arses together!”

Confirmed dates for the upcoming NIGHTWISH 2015 tour with Delain are:

04/09/15  Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY

04/10/15  Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA

04/11/15  Palladium – Worcester, MA

04/13/15  Capitole Theatre – Quebec City, QC – CANADA

04/14/15  Phoenix Concert Theater – Toronto, ON – CANADA

04/16/15  Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY

04/17/15  Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH

04/18/15  Concorde Music Hall – Chicago, IL

04/19/15  Val Air Ballroom – Des Moines, IA

04/21/15  Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO

04/22/15  In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT

04/24/15  Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA

04/25/15  Orpheum Theatre – Vancouver, B.C. – CANADA

04/26/15  Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR

04/28/15  Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA

04/30/15  House Of Blues – Las Vegas, NV

05/01/15  Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

05/02/15  Marquee Theatre – Phoenix, AZ

05/03/15  Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX

05/05/15  Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX

05/06/15  Warehouse Live – Houston, TX

05/08/15  House of Blues – Orlando, FL

05/09/15  Revolution – Fort Lauderdale, FL

05/11/15  Marathon Music Work – Nashville, TN

05/12/15  Expo Five – Louisville, KY

05/13/15  Filmore – Charlotte, NC

05/14/15  Filmore – Silver Springs, MD

I am personally estatic about this tour.  Both of these bands are at the top of Symphonic Metal and release some of the best music of all time.  In my opinion, these are two of the best live bands of the 2000s.  They both are flawless live and have two of the most talented female vocalists I’ve ever heard (Floor Jansen from Nightwish/Revamp and Charlotte Wessels of Delain).  I saw Floor with Revamp in April of this year and her performance blew me away, her presence on stage is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.  So, don’t miss out on this tour or you will definitely miss a legendary show.  By your tickets as soon as possible, I expect a sell out tour!