female fronted

20 Great Singers That Aren’t Floor Jansen

/ metalvalkyrie2014 / 2 Comments

    Being on Youtube and social media, I feel like I am constantly overloaded with one singer and one singer only.  I am continually seeing people say “G.O.A.T.” “She’s better than every singer” and “Nobody can touch her”.  Her band graces every headline of nearly every European Metal festival and every Metal coverage site in the world.  She’s invading all my feeds, my mind, and even my dreams. Floor Jansen has gone viral, crossing over into multiple genres and going worldwide with “Ghost Love Score”, her performances on Dutch Television, and her operatic covers with Henk Poort.  She has been a gateway into the world of Symphonic Metal for thousands of people, myself included.  I love Floor Jansen, but the elitism people have created discounts the hundreds of other great vocalists.  She may be one of the most technical and dynamic vocalists of all time, but that doesn’t mean there are not others doing new and exciting things in the Metal industry.  While music may be subjective, I find the elitism and self-righteousness in a cult following to be tiresome.  Metal is an umbrella term for a wide range of music, leaving room for so much individuality.

    This is a list of singers that I believe can stand up to Floor Jansen or Tarja.  Because, ultimately music is subjective, and the technical ability of one doesn’t discount the talent of others.  These singers are all amazing and unique in their own right, including Floor.  Keep an open mind and check out this massive range of shockingly good vocalists.  Most of them are in the realm of Metal, but a couple might surprise you in versatility.  I didn’t include singers like Courtney LaPlante and Tatiana Shymaluk, because they’re enormously popular right now and would be obvious choices for any list.  And don’t worry, I’ll be doing a Male vocal version of this list soon!  The reason that I separate Male and Female is that they sing in completely different ranges and scales of music.  Neither is better than the other, just utterly incomparable in a musical sense.

This article intends to honor female vocalists of this new excellent generation.

  1. Brittney Slayes- Unleash the Archers

I’ve mentioned Brittney on this page before (probably obsessively), so it’s no surprise that I would include her.  Her vocal range is a three-octave Mezzo Soprano, occasionally dipping into smooth alto drones, a powerhouse of insane high notes delivered expertly.  Some of the notes I’ve heard her hit live are so far into the stratosphere, I don’t think I’ve heard anything higher but it would take measuring to find out.  It’s not just her range, but her vocal stamina to do an hour and a half long sets of seemingly impossible high notes and long controlled notes.  She effortlessly controls her notes, keeping perfect pitch over six second long sustains. It’s shockingly good. She also has an addictive quality to her voice that immerses you into the concept albums.  Once you’re hooked, you can’t stop listening to the emotive yet so effortless technicality of Brittney and the whole band.

For me, “Legacy” is a song that her voice captivates on.  Her harmonies, range, and smooth delivery hit hard.  But, there are many mind-blowing songs of UTA and her feature on Arjen Lucassen’s Star One “Fate of Man” that will surprise new listeners and even drop some jaws.  “Frozen Steel” has one of the highest notes I’ve ever heard.  No matter where you start in Brittney’s catalog, she is a must-hear singer for all music fans.

  1. Sabrina Valentine Cruz- Seven Kingdoms

Sabrina is one of the most surprising vocalists I’ve ever seen live.  I had heard a couple of Seven Kingdoms’ songs before seeing them open for Unleash the Archers. But, I had no idea what I was in for in the live setting.  Sabrina’s voice is unbelievably strong live.  There’s no thinning, no drop-offs, very few effects, and no backing tracks.  She is smooth and gargantuan in the delivery of soaring Power Metal notes.  I think I was in honest disbelief for their entire set because I had no idea what to expect.  She covers so many styles and techniques in one set; Switching from operatic open notes to soaring high Power Metal wails to Twang to extremely long-held notes, it’s a whirlwind.    It’s surprising because she’s this 4”9 or so burger slipper-wearing badass that just blows the roof off any venue.  She’s now one of my favorite vocalists because of her emotive and unpretentious approach to vocals.  She’s incredibly easy to connect with on and off the stage.   Every song of theirs is amazing, but the one that grabbed me the most vocally is “Valonqar”.  I truly believe this song is a masterpiece and a thematic track you’d never expect from a Power Metal band.  SK is not huge yet by any means, but I foresee many others connecting with this incredible band very soon.

  1. Noa Gruman- Scardust

Scardust is a band that came out of nowhere for me.  I try to keep up with everything happening with women in Metal, but I somehow slept on this absolute dynamo of a vocalist.  Noa Gruman is a Classically trained Soprano from the beautiful and unassuming Metal land of Israel.  I’ve been following Patty Gurdy for a while, so when the video for “Concrete Cages” came out it popped up on my Youtube feed.  I had never heard Noa sing, so this song was an overwhelming blast of new sounds and uniqueness.  It took four whole watches of this video for the immensity to settle in, and when it did, it hit me like a revelation.  Noa Gruman is, in my opinion, one of the greatest vocalists of all time.  She shows such versatility, switching from operatic to absolutely insane gutturals in a millisecond, and then scatting a vocal solo, to monophonic style indigenous to the Middle East.  All that can happen in one track, even just a verse.  I have never heard anything like her vocal style(s).  It’s refreshing and a completely new take on Metal vocals.  Scardust’s tribute to Nightwish live videos is also something magnificent to behold.

  1. Cammie Gilbert-  Oceans of Slumber

    I may be extremely biased in writing a piece about Cammie Gilbert, but I’m going to anyway because I find her underrated and not talked about enough.  Cammie Gilbert is the biggest influence on me in female vocals of all time.  Her emotive and tonal quality is simply divine in every way.  She has a voice that transcends Metal, dipping into classic Doom Metal, Operatic, Blues, and Jazz.  It’s an effortless powerful croon that moves the soul, whether it’s into the darkness or the light.  Her voice dances upon the melody and is smooth yet unpredictable.  You never know what direction it’s going to go in.   I strongly dislike comparing vocalists, and Cammie Gilbert is incomparable.  My first introduction to Oceans of Slumber was “Winter” and it was unlike anything I’ve ever heard in Metal.  It’s a Melodic moving song where Cammiei uses rhythmic singing to dance on top of the melody in almost a spoken word or Rapping sense.  It’s just a beautiful heart-wrenching track with her vocals as the centerpiece.  The cover of “House of the Rising Sun” is also a sensational track that showcases the undeniable talent of Cammie as a cornerstone vocalist.

  1. Chibi- The Birthday Massacre

    The Birthday Massacre isn’t Metal, but the band has some hefty tracks that will surprise you.  TBM is an eclectic mix of Gothic Rock, Darkwave, Synth Wave, and Atmospheric themes and they are brilliant.  There’s nothing out there quite like them right now   They’ve created their own genre of music.  A big attributing factor is Chib’s approach to vocals.  Her pitch control, melodic intelligence, and easy delivery of crystal clear vocals are the cornerstone of the band.  She’s a deceptively incredible vocalist; The melodies sound so simple and easy, but their phrasing is so long and varied, that it takes immense breath and pitch control to deliver.  Her dynamics range from soft whispers, belting, sweet vocals, and insane demon-like growls.  Yes, Chibi growls on many tracks like Destroyer, No Tomorrow, and one of their classic Blue.  seeing her perform all three in person this spring was an otherworldly experience.  You won’t believe the power of her voice live.  I was jaw-droppingly floored by her live vocals, but also the sound this band creates.  I’m a sucker for the “Wall of Sound” style production, and this band delivers it perfectly live.

  1. Charlotte Wessels

    Being a long-time fan of Delain, I had to include this unique and powerhouse of an ArtPop Gothic vocalist.  Charlotte Wessels received some ClassIc and Pop traIning during her early schooling, but ultimately took her love of Kate Bush, Thom Yorke, and Nick Cave into her vocal style.  All of these amazing influences combined and taken into a Metal theme were transformative in Symphonic Metal and in her new solo ventures.  She’s a singer you can pick out of any crowd.  She has this sweet and softness switching from head voice to a slightly nasal twang indicative of Alternative Music, powerful belting, beautiful effortless falsetto, and Soprano Operatic, and then surprisingly deep clear growls.  I have never heard anything quite like Charlotte’s voice and I don’t think we ever will.  Her leaving Delain was heartbreaking, but her solo music is a whole new world of Art and expression with all aspects of her amazing voice.  I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do with her range of exquisiteness, and I can’t wait to hear what she does next.

  1. Heidi Parviainen- Dark Sarah

Heidi is a hidden gem among this newfound wave of female vocalists in Metal, but she’s been singing for two decades with great bands like Amberian Dawn.  Heidi has truly come into her own as a distinctive Operatic Soprano and thematic singer with Finnish Dark Sarah.  One of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard is undoubtedly “Melancholy”.  Heidi’s vocals are all-enveloping, sucking you into whatever theme or emotion there is to convey and Melancholia is indicative of everything she has to offer.  She is so clear and has perfect diction no matter how high she sings.  She has some of the smoothest and cleanest vibratos in the world of Metal and even Opera.  Dark Sarah is a whole audible world you can get lost in, and Heidi is the rabbit you follow into the hole.

  1. Fabienne Erni- Eluveitie

One of my top vocalists on this list is Eluveitie’s newest addition and founder of Illumashade.  Fabienne is originally a Folk Singer and Celtic Harpist, but her introduction into Metal has been the catalyst for her speedy growth.  She is unafraid of trying a wide range of styles and vocal tones, making her an ultimate experimentalist.  Her Soprano range blasts into Harmonics and Whistle Tones, making Mariah Carey sound quite amateur.  Fabienne’s range and pitch are truly unbelievable, even rising to Alpina Yodels at stratosphere notes.  She never fails to surprise, take your breath away,  inspire in Battle, and emote into tears.  Her vocal mastery of the classic seemingly impossible Eluveitie track “A Rose For Epona” is what sold me into fandom.  But, as far as Metal vocals go, the new song “Aidus” is one of her most impressive feats. She is yet another singer on this list with no limits to her voice.  I am always impressed by anything she does, even Disney covers that easily top the originals.

  1. Lena Scissorhands- Infected Rain

If you’re looking for a band throwing back to the Nu-Metal Industrial era with a female lead singer, there is simply no better band than Infected Rain.  This band is an absolutely brutal mix of Melodeth and industrial music, not unlike Fear Factory, Korn, Slipknot, and Static X.  Lena Scissorhands is a relentless guttural growler and harmonic screamer is a complete assault of sound and emotion.  As far as growlers go, she’s easily one of the best I have heard, reminding me so much of the growling rap-like lines of Corey Taylor.  I have always preferred her gutturals to that of Tatiana and Diva Satanica, but it’s just a personal preference of tone and delivery.  She brings something different to cleans as well.  It’s the switch between complete all-out gutturals and screams to insanely smooth melodic vocals that shocks me.  Not a lot of singers can do this, and Lena does it so well and expertly.  She’s one of the most unique vocalists on this list, I think.

  1. Alessia Scoletti of Temperance

    Despite having three incredible vocalists, I don’t see Temperance listed or talked about much.  It’s a shame because Temperance is an incredible band of immense talent.  Maybe they came about at the same time as Amaranthe are were unfortunately overlooked.  Sometimes when you have multiple bands come out with a similar sound or shtick, like three vocalists, one of them suffers.  People get turned off by market saturation, but comparing bands is a ridiculous part of music culture, especially in Metal.  Alessia has an insanely good Soprano range and power behind very fast sung notes, ranging from Symphonic Metal and Power Metal and also Folk.  Alessia blew me away the first time I heard her sing.  It was not what I expected.  I was expecting more of a Pop vocal with a lot of Electronic rendering, but her vocals are clean and clear as can be.  “Gaia” is one of my favorite songs of all time and features Alessia’s wonderful voice in its purest form.  If you like a lot of different influences and catchy Modern Metal with insane vocals, Temperance is perfect for you.

  1. Clémentine Delauney- Visions of Atlantis

I have listened to VoA for a long time through many band changes, which is oddly common in Symphonic Metal, and I’ve dug the progression of this band.  I was also a huge fan of Serenity when they hit the scene and opened for Delain.  So, I’m not sure why it took me so long to get into VoA of Clementine as I loved her with Serenity, but I made up for it.  “Pirates” the latest offering has been one of my most played albums of the year.  I reviewed this album a couple of months back and truly fell in love with it.  Clementine’s performance on this record and everything she’s sung on is brilliant but so smooth and understated.  She has a powerful voice, but shows amazing restraint and floats upon the melody.  When it calls for it she belts with accurate Soprano vibrato.  She sounds like an Elf, whether she’s lullabying or battle crying, it sounds otherwordly.  She is truly an amazing vocalist with an immense range.  Every project she’s on is so different, too.  Exit Eden is a quadruple threat of Symphonic singers covering Pop songs in Metal formats.  Serenity is a Symphonic Gothic Theatrical band.  Whyzdom was a French philharmonic Heavy Metal band.  Now, VoA is a powerhouse of Symphonic Metal and keeping this classic genre alive.  She can truly sing in just about any format.  So, It’s difficult to just pick one song to showcase her vocals, but I have to go with my favorite off of “Pirates”

  1. Alissa White-Gluz- Arch Enemy

This list is mostly a showcase of Clean Vocals and switching between growling and cleans, so maybe it’s odd to include Alissa.   But if you’ve heard any of the new Arch Enemy tracks you’d understand.  Alissa is arguably one of the greatest growlers of all time, but she has evolved her vocal range as AE progresses into an amazing new era.  I have always loved both her cleans and gutturals from the days of The Agonist.  I feel like AE has only raised her to become the frontwoman she always had in her, though.  Her breath control and range in her screams are unprecedented.  She can switch from low chest rattling gutturals to harmonic-held screams without losing clarity, diction, or breath control.  I dare say her vocal cords are a modern marvel.  Her voice seems to get better and better which age, only growing more powerful with each year.  

     Alissa’s cleans are no exception to the new progression.  They are exponentially powerful on the new AE singles.  It took me by surprise when she started belting.  AE rarely includes a lot of cleans.  But, when you have a singer that can do a wide range of techniques clinically, it’s hard not to showcase how talented your bandmembers are.  Her powerful belting is unlike anything I’ve ever heard.  It’s a power belt from the chest but sounds raspy with a hint of fast vibrato.  It’s almost dual vocal harmonic and it’s mindblowing how much sound she can produce.  Many fans think this addition puts AE in danger of becoming like any other band with female vocals, but that’s the misogynistic mind talking and assuming all bands with a girl at the mic sound the same.  Allissa’s vocals, clean or heavy stand out in any format.  I think this is the strongest era of AE yet and can’t wait to hear what they do next.

  1. Cristina Scabbia- Lacuna Coil

    No great frontwoman list is complete without the Italian legend Soprano.  Cristina Scabbia has one of the most remarkable voices of the century.  You know instantly who it is upon the first note she sings.  She has built a unique vocal experience that diversifies with the emotion of each song.  She tells a story with every piece and captivates the listener.  She has one of the clearest dictions I have ever heard, causing you to hang on to every word she says.  Her voice has become an iconic mainstay in Metal with hits like Heaven’s a Lie. Our Truth, Within Me, Reckless, Swamped, and Layers of Time her impact on the genre is undeniable.  She’s the first female singer in Metal I ever heard.  I’ve been hooked ever since.  She never fails to amaze me on records or perfect live recordings.

  1. Sharon Den Adel- Within Temptation

    Being the first Symphonic Metal singer I’d ever heard, Sharon exceeded all expectations.  I didn’t even know the genre existed at the time.  She opened a new world for me, and it turned out to be a Narnia-scale experience.  Even after fifteen years, this band is still unmatched for me.  Sharon is an untrained Operatic Soprano that has no high range limits.  She sings up into the stratosphere with perfect pitch and clarity, all while retaining incredible emotion beyond most other bands in the genre.  Sharon’s style is so unique and fluid between tracks, but always recognizable.  You always know it is her by the depth of tone and ease of her singing, but it can be poppy, heavy, sweet,  or soaringly operatic depending on the theme.  When I say heavy I don’t mean growling of course, but short and stabby notes full of anger or pain.  She is one of the consistently high singers I’ve ever heard and it’s truly astounding.  After twenty years, she still sounds the same as well during classics like Jillian.  It’s difficult to describe the captivating qualities of her voice, but upon your first listen, you’ll know what I mean right away.

  1. Simone Simons- Epica

    Simone Simons is a Classically trained and Pop trained vocalist from the Symphonic Metal headquarters of the Netherlands.  As you may or may not know, I am a diehard Epica fan.  Epica is the first Metal headlining band I saw.  I had been to Paramore concerts, but never a Metal show, and this show is still one of my favorites after ten years.  Epica is one of those bands that converts many to Symphonic Metal because of their unique blend of Death Metal, Speed Metal, Neoclassical, and Opera.  I truly believe they are one of the greatest bands of all time because every member is a virtuoso in some way.  A huge reason for the perfectionist quality, especially in a live setting, is lead vocalist Simone Simons.  She is the most flawless live vocalist in Metal today.  She is pitch-perfect, always has clear diction, is always rhythmically perfect, and truly defies the normal box of a Metal vocalist.  I think Simone is unique because she combines different styles showing technical perfection but also keeps the storytelling of Epica as well as her own emotions in the music.  It’s a truly astoundingly beautiful combination that is common in the Symphonic Metal genre, but Simone has perfected it.  She has taken the idea of Operatic vocals In Metal and taken it to the absolute pinnacle. She typically sings in a range that is the most difficult of all the ranges in female voice.  I will include a technical reaction explaining her prowess below as well.  I am always blown away by her vocals no matter what technique or how much vibrato she applies.  She is one of my favorites undoubtedly, so I am very biased, but my opinion is seated on her sheer technical ability.  Not to compare singers, because that’s ridiculous.  I could truly write about this singer and many great vocal moments in Epica, but I will save it for another article.  I will let the video below speak for me.

  1. Erica Ohlson- Melalite

One of the biggest surprises of the year for me was stumbling upon Metalite’s cover of Full Moon by the great Sonata Arctica.  I often frequent Metal covers to see how bad startup bands butcher songs, and this was a cover I expected to laugh at.  To my surprise, this cover is absolute perfection in every way, but Erica blew me away vocally.  This is an extremely difficult song as are all Sonata Arctica tracks.  Erica brought her own Pop/Power vocal style to the track and it’s an intriguing rendition.  I don’t know much about this band or Metalite yet, but from listening to their latest album, A Virtual World (2021), there’s a lot to take in besides this amazing cover.  Erica has a unique voice, a lower range than a lot of others on this list, and can yet belt into a higher range as well.  I am so far very impressed by her voice.

  1. Noora Louhimo- Battle Beast

Yet another amazing singer in Power Metal, Noora from the heavy Power Metal band has her very own style that defies the female voice box.  I have never heard a female vocalist dip in and out of a distorted vocal quite like Noora.  It’s intense on tracks like “Black Ninja” and “Out of Control”.  The newer albums of Battle Beast have less of this fast vibrato almost vocal fry from Noora and more of a Power belt which is equally surprising.  She has so many different vocal approaches, especially when you factor in softer ballad-esque singing like “Angle Cry” and “Endless Summer”.  I think Noora is one of the best vocalists I have ever seen.  She is always flawless live no matter the vocal technique.  She uses so much rasp, some twang, alto belting, and high screams all in one song.  It’s almost overwhelming in a good way.  I love a wall of sound, and Noora’s voice is a huge punch of sound.

  1. Melissa Bonny- Ad Infinitum 

    One of the newest debut singers on this list, Melissa Bonny of Swiss origins is a diverse warm vocalist.  Her vocals are a perfect example of “beauty and the beast” style but in one human being.  This style became very sought after when Lacuna Coil hit the scene, and many bands after have leaned into that (Within Temptation, Epica, Amaranthe).  She has a warmer tone that most singers on this list, often a softer approach.  It’s not a typical Metal approach to cleans.  Often I associate Metal vocals as short, stabby, distorted, loud, and aggressive.  The umbrella of Metal vocals has grown drastically from the days of Black Sabbath and Metallica.  It’s inviting in some incredible new vocalists like Melissa, whilst exposing the elitist fans that have an outdated idea of genre parameters.  A genre that doesn’t grow or change will die, and we need singers like Floor and Melissas and the rest of this list to keep Metal alive.

I went on a tangent there, sorry.  But, Melissa’s vocals are just that surprising and epic to inspire such a passionate response.  The first time I heard her with Rage of Light, I honestly couldn’t believe the dynamics in her vocals.  Ad Infinitum and Feuerschwanz also highlight her incredible range of vocals.  Anything this singer does seems to turn to gold.  So I included a track from the supergroup she leads with a feature from the wonderful Charlotte Wessels.  There is truly brilliant harmony in this song and just stunning vocals from both vocalists.  Obviously, Ad Infinitum features more of Melissa’s dynamics, but anyone who can nail an Enya cover is vastly impressive to me.

  1. Elize Ryd- Amaranthe

    Elize Ryd is kind of a dark horse on the list.  She is not typically included in these lists, because Amaranthe is a trio and sadly it seems like sometimes her vocals are more of a feature than a key role.  I find this to be a mistake in the writing, but glad to see the latest albums to have her soloing on songs.  Because I truly believe Elize is one of the best vocalists, her voice could stand alone in a band.  But Amaranthe has a shtick with having a trio of vocalists, a growler, a Pop style vocalist, and a Power Metal male vocalist.  This has drastically worked in their favor and made them highly successful.  Elize Ryd is a key ingredient to that success.   She is a singer deeply rooted in Pop and Theatrical style vocals and inserts effortlessly into the Power Metal, Electronic, and Hard Rock style of Amaranthe.  Her upper range is absolutely spectacular.  This is a vocalist that can do incredible scales that would put Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey to shame, fill in for Nightwish expertly on two hours’ notice, and belt some of the highest notes I have ever heard live without working up to them.  The highest I’ve heard her go is on the live versions of “Dynamite” in the intro and the bridge of “Dream” live, which I have featured on my compilation videos.  

My first encounter with Elize’s incredibly powerful vocals was on Sacrimony by Kamelot, however.  I was absolutely addicted to this song, very much because of her prowess and ability to harmonize with the great Tommy Karevik.  She surprised me because I had no idea what to expect.  Kamelot always features great singers, but this song is my favorite with a featured vocalist.

  1. Jennifer Haben- Beyond the Black

    One of my favorite vocalists on this list, Jennifer Haben has been delivering Power Metal Theatrical vocals for ten years now, and yet I rarely meet anyone else that has heard of her.  I think this is a crime.  With amazing vocals on tracks like “Horizons”, “Through the Mirror”, “Hallelujah”, and “Shine and Shade” she is vastly underrated.  She has one of the best falsetto vocals I’ve ever heard without dipping into an Operatic head voice.  She’s a singer that belts from the chest while adding a very American twang.  Her tonal quality is so rich and heavy with emotion, that it becomes addictive very quickly.  She is so unique because she pulls from so many different influences. She has so far mentioned Miley Cyrus, Corey Taylor, Amy Lee, and Within Temptation as musical and vocal influences.  This is an eclectic mix to me but works so well in this Power Symphonic-infused Metal and Hard Rock band.  It’s hard to describe all the ways Jennifer is great as a vocalist because there’s so much emotion behind this feature.  Beyond the Black and her voice are what got me through Covid and a mystery illness that left me bedridden for three months.  This band means a lot to me, but it doesn’t even cover how truly amazing this band is and the quality of every single track.  I think the song below is a perfect way to close out this article.  

Honorable Mentions:  These singers below are also incredible beyond belief and so unique, but didn’t fit my prompt for the article.  They may not be Metal singers, ranging more into the Hard Rock category or maybe not one of my favorites, but still amazing.  I won’t go into full depth on each singer as this article is probably already longer than it needs to be.

Laura Guldemond of Burning Witches

Moriah Formica of Plush

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Angel Wolf Black

Adrienne Cowan

Thank you so much for reading!  Who did I miss?  Who are your favorites?  Let me know below!

Zenith by Seven Kingdoms Review 2022

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Seven Kingdoms is an independently funded and run Metal band from Deland, Florida that has virtually come out of nowhere.  Being a band for fifteen years, this band has fought and conquered its way through some hard times, working day jobs and trying to navigate record deals that seemed to be unfavorable.  Napalm Records, a record company I often despise, dropped this brilliant fresh Power Metal band.  Only just having been signed to small Distortion Music Group, this band has gained its success through an avid fan group, funding any releases by fan-backed Kickstarters.  This has allowed the band to explore and shine through their immense creativity and stunning American Power Metal.  Seven Kingdoms is not just a band or a business venture, it’s really a community supporting four great musicians and even better people.  This band has worked their fingers and nerves to the very edge through blood, sweat, and tears to put out music that people need to hear; And “Zenith” is the pinnacle of that hard work.

    The evolution of Seven Kingdoms, from changing singers and being a Fantasy-based band, to “Zenith” is a staggering advancement.  Zenith is a Heavy Metal 80’s fusion record with modern Power Metal synths and dirty riffs and vocals so expertly and powerfully delivered by Sabrina Valentine Cruz.  The riffs from Kevin and Camden echo those of Iron Maiden, Dokken, and Unleash The Archers with immense speed.  I consider SK to be the more heartfelt and accessible sister of Unleash The Archers.  Zenith is an emotional roller coaster, full of emotion and gratitude.  They took their hardships and compressed them all into a diamond of a record.  “Diamond Handed” is a soaring battle anthem with dreamy synths and vocals, mixed with unbelievable speed.  When starting this track, my whole family thought they had Youtube on 2x speed.  It’s a perfect jaw-dropping start to this record and is maybe one of my favorite songs of all time.  And, it only gets better from there.

    “A Silent Remedy” is a perfect mix of old SK sound and the refinement they’ve achieved.  The sheer melodic sense of this track is impressive; layers upon layers of technically perfect vocal lines contrast the heaviness.   This song has some insanely high notes that you’ve just got to hear to believe. This song has a darker feel to it, and it’s a welcome contrast.  It’s interesting and takes time to indulge upon.  Oh man, but “Love Dagger” is a highlight of epic throwback 70s/80s sound that I can’t get enough of.  This song’s quality, rhythmic sense, vocals, and tone just screams 38 Special to me, which is one of my favorite bands of all time.  I love every aspect of this song and could see it hitting the radio.  It sounds old, but there’s nothing like Sabrina’s voice in any decade.  This song is so accessible and relatable, but so high quality and not derivative radio-friendly trash.  “Chasing the Mirage” turns up the speed again with a more Thrash riff and dueling stereo guitar melodies.   The range Sabrina shows on this record is a span I rarely hear in modern music.  Her lower range ins strength and tonal quality remind me of Noa Gruman from Scardust, who is arguably one of the greatest singers of all time.  This track is guitar-heavy compared to the others, letting the two guitarists, Byrd and Cruz, do their thing by killing it.  The chugging riff is grabbing and crunchy, gets your attention, and then the song just goes off.  It’s so progressive and all over the place.  It’s such a different track for them, and I love this new sound.

    The band pays homage to their infinitely dedicated fan base by including newly mastered favorites.  “Valonqar” is an epic Game of Thrones ballad that has impressively long notes and epic thematics.  The melodic dueling guitars pull you in, on top of booming bass, and stunning vocals that float over this melancholy feel.  The long notes held by Mrs. Valentine Cruz are seemingly endless and pitch-perfect on record and also live.  The power of this vocalist is awe-inspiring.   “Empty Eyes” is yet another radio-friendly bombastic riff-heavy track that I admittedly have listened to on repeat for hours.  The lead riff is a perfect hook into this Heavy Metal throwback.  I cannot get enough of this band’s riff sense.  These guitarists are some of the best I’ve heard in a long time, without committing musical masturbation.  The drums on this track feel so forward and heavy, like a march into battle or just down the street to kick someone’s ass.

    “Magic in the Mist” is a cool melodic power track that throwbacks to SK’s fantasy-based days.  It’s dreamy, thematic, complex, and strong.  Zenith doesn’t seem to quit with the epic soaring solos and perfectly executed rhythmic drums.  It bangs right into the Progressive Metal track “Universal Terrestrial” which defines the spacy theme of the album.  This song is staggeringly fast and epic, introducing choirs and a melodic.  This is not my favorite SK song but has a lot of good things going for it.  The backing vocals and vocal runs on some of the outros feel unrefined, almost like an afterthought, which is not up to par with the quality of the song.  I feel like a remaster on the vocals would do wonders for this track.  The Water Dance is a throwback track and another fan favorite.  This is a very strong track with a great groove to it and more juicy Game of Thrones lore.  This song is more Thrash based, reminding me of old Blind Guardian or Man O War in the best of ways.  The breakdown is cool on this song with some delicious solo work.  Life Signs is another brand new track that is full-on Power Metal.  It’s a surprising new sound, building on the evolution of Universal Terrestrial.  I enjoy Sabrina’s lower range on the verses.  This song is well written and epic, the choirs hint at some Devin Townsend influence as well as the guitar work.  It’s one of the more musically diverse songs on the record with a fast chord progression.  I feel like they pulled out all the stops on this record with progression and using their diverse range of influences and writing techniques.

    “I Hate Myself For Loving You” is a song with a long history.  Originally written by Desmond Child and Runaways guitarist Joan Jett, it was released in 1988 and became the biggest anti-love song of all time.  It was also rewritten for NFL’s Sunday Night Football anthem and covered by Carrie Underwood.  Regardless of this song’s history and prowess, I have always had a strong dislike for this song.  The key it’s in plus the original vocals make me want to drill any part of my auditory senses right out of my head.  When Seven Kingdoms announced they were covering this song, I cringed.  However, upon listening to it the first time, I was hooked.  The band refreshed this dirty old track and turned it into a complete jam.  I love the cover and find it to be the biggest improvement of a song I’ve ever heard.

    The only two issues I have with this album are mix and length.  I would’ve liked a double album: The first disc should have all-new tracks focusing on the Zenith extraterrestrial theme and the new SK sound.  The second disc could be remasters of old SK fan-favorite songs and maybe a couple live versions.  I understand budgeting would limit this greatly and probably why it’s reduced to a single album.  I just find it jarring and disjointed, because I expected an overall alien theme, and it was GoT references thrown in with older songs.  I understand the purpose of the album is to sate fans’ appetites and put out new music to put themselves on the map in US-born Power Metal, but I find it confusing for the direction it’s supposed to go in.  Maybe I’m missing information in promotion packets or missed something in the Kickstarter information, but it’s just a strange album to me as far as wondering what it’s supposed to be.  Maybe I misunderstood the purpose of the record because I thought it was some kind of concept album, but I would’ve liked a more succinct record.   Each individual track is good on its own, but none of them go together perse.

    The other problem I have with the record is in the mix.  On streaming and Disc format through studio speakers and headphones, I find the mix to be boomingly bass-heavy.  Normally, I love a lot of bass in the mix, but there are some parts in the record where the bass is overpowering.  It’s as if someone’s using a super low-frequency bass drop sample and randomly placing them in songs like Diamond Handed and Chasing the Mirage.  It’s an odd phenomenon, but not uncommon in modern mixes with compression where inconsistencies like this happen when a 5.1 mix is transferred to CD MP3s.  I like dynamics, but I don’t think the weird low bass drops are purposeful.  The mix on Universal Terrestrial is not my favorite; It sounds rushed and there are some really high frequencies that I would’ve leveled out, but maybe this only appears on certain formats.  These issues are easily looked over, however and I am able to enjoy the record regardless.

    Zenith is a hell of a unique record, and I hope it skyrockets Seven Kingdoms in popularity.  There’s nothing quite like them in America right now, and I feel lucky to have them in my home country.

Highlights: A Silent Remedy, Love Dagger, Diamond Handed

Quality Rating: 8/10

https://www.instagram.com/sevenkingdomsofficial/

https://www.distortionmusicgroup.com/store

New Metal To Be Excited About 2022

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June 2022

Fabienne Erni of Eluveitie in Aidus

So, 2022 is looking like a feast of tasty Metal fit for the Vikings of Iceland. 2020 was immense with some of the best Metal releases of all time, and 2021 was no slouch either, with too many special albums to name in one article. The past two years have been a testament of strength for any band. We lost many greats during and post-Covid. It’s been the most tumultuous time since the Cold War, and we had amazing releases in music during that time as well. These trials prove that the worst of times can cultivate the most beautiful and complex art.

I consider Metal one of the purest art forms. It has a Classical approach that requires discipline. These musicians in the genre have studies in Music and an appreciation for the highest technicality. The standards of the genre are set extremely high. These musicians, having backgrounds or interests that nurture a high technicality, can tap into a deeper emotion and even rich subject matters that show a vulnerability that Bach may even appreciate. This vulnerability and rawness of the music captivate even those who never expected to like Metal, in the first place. I have seen a great conversion of music fans to the genre of Metal just through the phenomenon of Reaction videos.

The first reaction to come from great tracks like Awakening by Unleash the Archers, Ghost Love Score by Nightwish with Floor Jansen, and Kingdom by Devin Townsend is pure emotion. Whether it is just pure shock, tears of greatness, or speechlessness from the sure speed, Metal is the best genre to grab people by their hearts. And, I believe this reaction is starting to become more common because Metal is continually raising the bar of quality and depth of content. Below is a list of songs released this year that prove there’s so much Metal to be excited about

Arch Enemy

After a long wait, the classic Melodic Death Metal band is releasing a brand new record July 29th. I am a huge fan of all things Arch Enemy, since the days Angela ruled the Legions, but the addition of Alissa White-Gluz and legendary Jeff Loomis has only amped me up. The band has already released four incredibly diverse singles. Sunset Over the Empire is a heavy throwback to long before War Eternal in the beginning with blast beats and chugging bass lines. It showcases Alissa’s signature amazingly low growls and perfect annunciation. Micheal and Jeff really have the guitars dialed in on this record and this track is a great sample of what’s to come on “Deceivers”. The lyrical content has gone back to the apocalypse, and I am living for it. Handshake With Hell is a crazy new catchy track with driving rhythms, but a surprising twist with absolutely brilliant power belting for Alissa. It’s one of the most dynamically interesting tracks they have ever released. I am obsessed with this particular song. It took me a while to warm up to it, “Clean vocals in Arch Enemy? This is just weird.”. Deceiver, Deceiver is another classic Arch Enemy track that’s got that Hardcore Punk rhythm that you find in classic Death and Thrash. Also, House of Mirrors is another incredible track that is a perfect mix of Modern Melodeath and classic. It is reminiscent of Nemesis, but screams Alissa’s usual dynamics. This album, based on three tracks, is going to be the quintessential Arch Enemy. It is one of my most anticipated albums of the year as I think it’ll be way more successful and interesting than the last album.

https://rebellionrepublic.com/products/brands/arch-enemy/

Eluveitie

Full disclosure: I have been a massive Eluveitie fan for twelve years now. I am Scot-Irish and
German, so I’m a sucker for Celtic-style music, but Eluveitie is my favorite Celtic band. They flawlessly mix Death Metal and Celtic folk based on ancient Gaulish stories. The music is truly as crazy as it sounds if you’ve never heard it, but it 100% works. It feels like forever since the release of my favorite Eluveitie record “Ategnatos” in 2019, and Aidus is definitely my most anticipated album of the year. Eluveitie is a band of multi-instrument virtuosos. There’s a mix of Metal with blast beats and Thrashy guitars, and a medieval Hurdy Gurdy, impossibly fast Celtic violin from Nicole Asperger, Celtic Harp, and anywhere from Alpine yodeling vocals to fry screams to belts from immensely talented Fabienne Erni, and tin whistles and mandola and eclectic bagpipes. Everything you hear in Eluveitie is played live. The arranging by harsh vocalist, writer, arranger, composer, and pretty much Gaulish all-father Chrigel Glanzmann is spectacular. The new single, Aidus (Gaulish for Fire), is a feat that Eluveitie has never done before. It is a new era of charged dynamics. It is as if Heilung, Myrkur, and Arch Enemy had a very heavy Gaulish baby. It has every aspect of classic Eluveitie, but on utter steroids. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but check out the vocals from Fabienne Erni. It is unbelievably amazing. It has quickly become one of my favorite tracks by them. If Aidus is any indication of what this record has in store, we’re all going to need time off to be crushed by this record.

Xandria

As you already saw on this page, Xandria is back in the world with a new single Reborn, and a new singer Ambre Vourvahis. It was a complete surprise to fans a week ago, and a great surprise at that. Xandria has been one of the most consistent Symphonic Metal bands for two decades now. Due to poor management and a constant scheduling battle with singers being reportedly overworked, the band went into hiding and lost five members including Dianne Van Giersbergen. Now, Xandria has seemingly figured out their issues after a much-needed break. Reborn is an addictive rhythmic track that throwback to the Middle Eastern timbre of Xandria’s music. It is stunningly rhythmic, layered with choirs and echoing orchestral, and then beautiful vocals that range from sweet and sultry to growls to soaring operatic. Ambre has so much range and style dynamics. From what I’ve heard, she may be the most fitting singer the band has ever had. I hope Ambre is treated with the immense respect she deserves, as previous singers have received the utmost pressure to the point of health issues. If not, Ambre no doubt has the talent to go far beyond Xandria. I am hopeful that Xandria will have this lineup for many years to come, and that another ego in Symphonic Metal doesn’t squelch the talent of a female singer.

https://www.xandria.de/

Helloween

I am a huge Power Metal fan, so loving Helloween and anything they release is no surprise. Getting a chance to hear two of the best male vocalists of the past forty years on the same record; It’s impossible not to be excited about. Michael Kiske and Andi Deris have created these mesmerizing dual male vocals, mixing raspy and soaring screams. So far, it’s sounding like a classic late 80’s NWOBHM album mixed with a mainstream catchiness like that of Priest’s Turbo Lover. I have no clue what to expect from the rest of the record, but being Power Metal, it’ll probably be consistent in style. This brand has been pretty consistent since 1984 and the classic release of Keeper of the Seven Keys in 1987. Check out the latest single below, and let me know what you think of this decade of Helloween.

Lorna Shore

Lorna Shore has become one of the biggest and most talked-about Metal bands in the last two years. I never expected a Deathcore band to be on the charts in America, let alone most of the planet. Lorna Shore’s EP And I Return To Nothingness bore the epic and bombastic track To The Hellfire in 2021 that showcases singer Will Ramos’ insane grunt range. This song took the world by wildfire, converting millions into Deathcore fans. While I believe tracks like this only arrive once in a career, that doesn’t mean new tracks will disappoint. No specific word on a new album yet, but they releases Sun Eater last month. The new track showcases more epicness from guitarist Adam De Nicco, possibly this decade’s virtuoso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK8mw2X-4ug

Seven Kingdoms

One of my favorite bands of all time and great people, Seven Kingdoms, spent their spring killing it on Kickstarter to fund the print and release of 2022’s Zenith. This band has come farther than 99% of the bands out there. It’s a complete evolution from 2007 from a small Power Metal Fantasy act, to an absolutely thrilling Speed Power Metal band with one of the best singers I’ve heard since
Ann Wilson. Sabrina Valentine joined the band in 2009, and I think the band has really found its sound since then. The EP Empty Eyes released in 2019 really showed this evolution flawlessly and skyrocketed the band to open for titans Unleash the Archers and Beast In Black. The band has a blue-collar shredding and down-to-business attitude with absolutely gorgeous vocals and 1980’s vibes, working their way into every crowd’s hearts they play to. “Zenith” is my most anticipated album of the year. Tracks like Empty Eyes, Diamond Handed, and Universal Terrestrial is heart-pounding and full of juicy layers (just like a good cheeseburger). It’s shocking how good this band is, and yet even more shocking that no one has ever heard of them. I hope this record skyrockets this band of genuine and talented human beings to the success they deserve. This will undoubtedly be the independent album of the year.

Out June 17th-

https://sevenkingdoms.bigcartel.com/?fbclid=IwAR13KSlVzZOxRghWNoQLg64a53ohiIfGN-M8F4w4zkh8vGfmwmMVcS2OybI

Amon Amarth

Swedish Melodic Death Metal Vikings have been pounding out incredible albums since 1992. But, the rise in Viking and Lord of the Rings popularity has served this band well in this new millennia. These guys play hard, fast, and with a passion beyond anything, I have ever seen. If there’s ever been battle-ready music, it’s written by Amon Amarth. Berserker in 2019 is possibly one of my top twenty albums (trust me, that’s a big deal). Listening to Amon Amarth’s music is a ritual for me and for the fans out there. It is not unlike Wardruna or Heilung, and yet the music is the complete opposite. It’s transcendent music that takes you to another place, maybe the shores of Iceland with Erik The Red screaming to row your ass off as crows sit upon the boat’s edge. The new track “Put Your Back Into the Oar” is a perfect example of this sound. But, this time we’re rowing our journey to the shores of Great Britain to invade the powerful catholic Englund. I imagine you could watch Vikings whilst listening to this record and have the Viking experience in your own home. “Get in the Ring” is an absolutely sinister track with a more classic Amon Amarth sound than Berserker. The dueling guitars chime in, and I am transported to the 90s where Thrash still reigned supreme. “The Great Heathen Army” is sounding to be an eclectic mix of everything Amon Amarth. It is out on August 5th with Metal Blade Records. It’s a long wait, but always worth it for these guys.

https://www.amonamarth.com/

Oceans of Slumber

Texas Doom Metal band, Oceans of Slumber have made a unique cornerstone in this Avant-Garde Soul aspect that the world has simply never heard before. It’s old-school Doom and old soul Blues, but such a new take on Metal. Once I heard the first album, Winter, with Cammie Gilbert I was swallowed in this gloomy and moody aesthetic. She is a poet, a songstress, and one of the most unique voices I have ever heard. She captures you like a siren wading up on the shore. Underneath her sultry, emotional, and even belting vocals is a million layers of sound from an eclectic mix of influences. There are blast beats, Death Metal finger bass, howling guitars with delay, intense and passionate piano composition, and driving rhythm guitars. It’s incredibly difficult to put this band in a genre box, and they refuse to be pigeonholed. The New album, Starlight and Ash (out July 22nd), is even different than Oceans of Slumber (self-titled) in 2020. It’s even more Doom-centric with Texas Rock and Soul-laden throughout. It’s an album of a lifetime. Check out the two new singles below.

Dark Sarah

The symphonic Gothic Metal band led by genre veteran Heidi Parviainen is coming back in 2022 with another bombastic album Attack of Orym. The group has put out concept albums that may even make Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish cry. Every Record this band puts out is a brilliant Symphonic Rock album in the making. This band begs for a full orchestra, choir, and theatrics in a live setting. It’s certainly not for your average Metal listener, but its quality outweighs the ridiculous stigma against Rock Operas. Heidi’s voice is incredibly smooth and light, dancing upon the melodies and the rhythmic chugging guitars. Attack of Orym is a “cinematic Metal” album crowd-funded to 108% on indiegogo.com. It combines orchestral with a horror-themed story. There’s not much more on the album yet, but I bet my ass it’s going to be epic.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dark-sarah-attack-of-orym#/

Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend, the creative Progressive Metal madman from Canada, has been working on a project called Lightwork for nearly two years. And when Devin has too much time to think about a project, you know it’s going to take longer than he anticipates. Though, his projects are always worth the wait and reading convoluted descriptions of said projects. I love Devin; He’s undoubtedly my favorite artist of all time. He is a genius and a virtuoso far beyond any normal standard. Empath, released in 2019, was a proving ground of soloist measures for Devin after disbanding DTP. Empath was a concept that was larger than life, big picture themes, along with enormous layers of sound. It is one of the craziest albums I have ever heard and I love everything about it. It was 100% unfiltered and untamed Wild Canadian Boy on speed. But, I truly believe Devin is at his best when he is challenged and dialed back by a producer. This second voice shunts Devin’s perfectionism and musical neurosis, allowing him to relax into the music and not overcomplicate the sound to live up to his unrealistic expectations. Transcendence, produced by the incomparable Nolly Getgood, was an exemplary example of this. However, I expect an even greater example of Devin’s music.

Lightwork, from what I gather, is going to be a mix of Epicloud, Dark Matters (disc 2 of Z2), and Empath. It is going to be heavy, but more friendly and entry-level than Empath. It sounds interesting. I have yet to hear any clips from it or get any succinct descriptions, but I expect it’ll be pretty Riffy and Vocal-centric based on the information Devin has given out. We shall see what he conjures up this time. Out in September

https://www.loudersound.com/features/devin-townsends-new-album-lightwork-is-about-hope-and-strength-dont-give-up

Honorable Mentions

Polyphia

The Halo Effect

BAM! Xandria Are Back

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Xandria 2022

Symphonic Metal Juggernauts are back! We hadn’t heard much from the German band since Dianne Van Giersbergen’s exit after “Theater of Dimensions” in 2017, and I was beginning to worry. The titans led by guitarist, founder, and writer Marco Heubaum was founded in 1994 and has been formidable ever since despite much drama and lineup changes. The band is known for beautiful melodies, heavy riffs, soaring operatic vocals, and epic tales of battle and mental delirium. I’ve been a fan of this band since my European Metal crusade began. I’ve found them to be underrated and unjustly overshadowed by “biguns” like Nightwish. Xandria is one of the best Symphonic Metal bands I have ever seen live (opening for Sonata Arctica in 2014). I fell in love with the music during the Manuela Kraller era, and it broke my heart to see her go, but faith has been restored with “Reborn”.

Xandria’s Marco Release Statement:

Dear Xandria fans, Xandria is finally reborn. It has been quite a journey so far, and a new journey is about to begin right now. There will be a lot to come still, and “Reborn” is just the first sign of life for all of you amazing fans out there. Thank you so much for your patience and support, in this time needed to be coming back to life! We cannot even begin to tell you how much we appreciate the warm welcoming words of many of you in the last days! Thank you all! We truly hope you will be enjoying this new song! It tells you about the time when you feel that something very precious in your life, the passion that you give all your heart into, is about to die – and that you need all your strength for going through a hard time in which you have to painfully sacrifice and leave behind things, to let it be reborn. There definitely was a lot of passion and heart going into this song, too. “Reborn” also introduces our new singer Ambre Vourvahis, who for us is the perfect match for the new Xandria you are going to experience! You will hear something more about her very soon! In this song you can hear already a few of her diverse voice facettes, but she will show you quite some more still, so be prepared for some surprises… As you can see there are also a few other new faces. Their names are: Dimitrios Gatsios (drums), Tim Schwarz (bass) and Rob Klawonn (guitar). You will soon learn more about these both great people and musicians, too! Our former members went on to new musical endevours, and we wish all of them the best for the future, in gratefulness and respect for the times we shared and everything that they have done for Xandria. We want to share a statement of the long time members Philip, Gerit and Marco with you all: “After a long journey together, during which we were sharing great experiences, but as well have developed in different directions, we have decided that it is time for each of us to go our own way. We would like to thank the fans for the many wonderful memories, and wish each other all the best for the future. See all of you soon out there with our new or old projects. The music will be connecting us all still! Philip, Gerit and Marco”

Review of Pirates by Visions of Atlantis

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5/23/2022

10 minute read

    I used to be an avid fan of the newer genre, Symphonic Metal.  I foamed over bands like Epica, Delain, Within Temptation, After Forever, Stream of Passion, and the older catalog of Visions of Atlantis and Amberian Dawn.  I truly believed that this was the world’s best music.  I thought that these bands contained the best musicians since Bach, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.  I grew up listening to classical music, even taking classes and studying music theory.  Symphonic Metal piqued these roots and moved me more than most music ever had before.  I saw Epica live in 2012 and it led me to start this blog and explore Metal in depth.  I’ve seen Nightwish, Delain, Xandria, Epica, and Within Temptation and it was an absolute blast to experience.  Symphonic Metal didn’t keep my interest much longer, however.  I became entranced by the sheer raw power, speeds, and lack of backing tracks of vocals of Power Metal.

    I gave up on a lot of Symphonic Metal, finding that new bands were contrived and new releases formulaic or boring.  I love the classics still, but my attention and admiration have gone to other genres. You can imagine my surprise when hearing the first single from “Pirates” by Visions of Atlantis.  Legion of the Seas blew me away. I had written this band off originally due to vocalist changes that disheartened me, and I quickly learned I made a mistake.  Visions of Atlantis bring Symphonic and Power Metal together with gooey cheesiness that I love. Pirates convinced me Symphonic Metal isn’t dead.  This is the best record of the genre since Dark Sarah’s “Grim”.  

    Visions of Atlantis pulls out all the classic Symphonic aspects, mixing with Clémentine Delauney’s Classic Soprano vocals, and Michele Guaitoli’s Power Metal belts and perfect vibrato.  “Pirates” is straight out of the realms of Nightwish and Blind Guardian.  While not a groundbreaking or immensely innovative album (Pirates and Metal go together like green chili and burritos), is it a fresh new take on an inundated genre.  It is epic and exciting beyond the usual keyboardist egoist-ridden records with long pointless interludes.  “Pirates” melds rhythmic driving riffs and drums with all-consuming melodies.  It flows effortlessly between power and airy piano.  Catchiness is also a huge factor with tracks like Melancholy Angels, Legion of the Seas, Clocks,  and Master of the Hurricane. Interesting Folk touches like flutes and horns come into play, breaking up the Power Metal instrumentation.  But, it is not over-saturated with layers, leaving room for two brilliant vocalists to thrive.  The harmonization is spectacular, some of the best I’ve heard.  This album has everything the Symphonic Metal fan desires, but can also cross over into the Power Metal head’s realm of battle music.  There’s something so reminiscent of Hans Zimmer, which is ironic because he wrote the soundtrack to the brilliant Pirates of the Caribbean.  This album ticks so many boxes for good Metal.

    “Pirates” surprised the hell out of me.  It has restored my faith in the Symphonic Metal genre and even brought me back to listening to it again.  It’s unpretentious, playable live, and brings a new dual vocal style that I haven’t heard since Floor Jansen first joined Nightwish.  It’s a familiar sound, but so refreshing to me.  I’ve liked newer Epica releases, Illumishade’s debut, Dark Sarah, and Ad Infinitum, but “Pirates” from VoA is a marriage of sound I’ve been dying for.  They delivered on every aspect I critique albums on; Emotion, execution, instrumentation, repetitiveness, movement, lyrical themes, and notation. It deserves an even more positive reception.

https://www.visionsofatlantis.at/

New Music Friday from Seven Kingdoms

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Seven Kingdoms in Canada










Power Metal band from DeLand, Florida has been on fire since last fall and their successful tour with Unleash the Archers and Aether Realm, and this year’s Power Metal tour with Beast in Black and Striker.  I knew once I witnessed Seven Kingdoms live in person, I was witnessing the greatest Power Metal band in America.  We don’t get bands like this here.  But to be frank, their quality and consistency are unmatched anywhere.  With tracks like After the Fall, Empty Eyes, Monster, and epic ballad Valonqar this band knows how to deliver impactful songs.  Every member is vastly talented and the chemistry is that of a band that’s been playing for two decades.  I have never been more impressed with an opener (well, not since System Divide).





Now, the wait for the crowdfunded album “Zenith” has begun.  With the debut original track, Universal Terrestrial, we got absolute speed, dynamic vocals, and amazing melodic solos.  The track is simply addictive with unique qualities that I am not hearing anywhere else.  The unique tonal quality of Sabrina Valentine Cruz’s voice is divine and surprising:  I’ve never heard anything like it, and I can’t seem to get enough of it.  I foresee a lot more Reaction videos coming their way soon.  The first release from Zenith was insanely surprising: A Power Metal rendition of Joan Jett’s classic “I Hate Myself For Loving You” that screamed.  It is one of the best covers I have ever heard, with musical and vocal perfection.  It’s a huge upgrade to the original, which in my opinion long outlived its usefulness.  The soaring screams and high notes elicit a jaw-dropping experience and “WOWs”.  It’s one of those times when you think “why isn’t this going viral?”  “Zenith” may be just what this band needs to skyrocket into a bigger fandom that they unequivocally deserve. 










Today, Seven Kingdoms dropped the emotional powerhouse of a track “Diamond Handed”.  I am forever impressed by this band, but this song brought it to a new level.  I love every aspect of this track.  It’s classic Power Metal mixed with modern touches in this beautiful emotionally heavy and inspiring track.  I am a sucker for dueling guitar solos and Cam and Kevin delivered perfectly fast, technical, melodic solos over Keith’s pocket-perfect metronome double bass.  It’s very different from any song they’ve done before, to me, but keeps within the typical Speedy-riffing soaring Power Metal that SK always delivers on.  Sabrina’s range on this track is unbelievable, in that I believe she uses a lower section we haven’t heard before.  And then, she roars into harmonic screams that seem to resonate forever.  It’s vastly impressive.  There’s nothing quite like this track, and you really have to play it multiple times to get every tidbit of deliciousness.  





For fans of Blind Guardian, Beast In Black, Unleash the Archers, Halestorm, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Heart















			

	


			
				


	

							
Melodeath Bands You Need to Hear 2022
						

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Melodeath Bands You Need to Listen To:





    “This list is purely about lesser known Melodeath bands.  Obviously, these bands are not necessarily an introduction to the genre.  If you want to get into the genre check out the heavy hitters such as Arch Enemy, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Before the Dawn, Insomnium, Swallow The Sun, Children of Bodom, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Amorphis, and At The Gates.





If I missed any essentials, comment below or tweet me at @ebombmetal on Twitter.”





In Mourning





    In Mourning is yet another Melodeath offering from Sweden.  But, comparing them to the likes of Dark Tranquility, In Flames, and At the Gates would be criminal.  The small town Swedish “sad bois” are not your typical flavor of Melodeath.  Of my two decades as a Metal fan, I have never heard such a diverse band.  Their layers are endlessly entangled with Doom, Black Sabbath, Power Metal, and Amorphis-like brutality.  To say this band is stunning, is a vast understatement.  From the saga based lyrics, to the classic riffs, to the depressive overtones of three different growlers, this band had me absolutely mesmerized.  Their Weight of the Oceans record is a timeless Melodeath gem that deserves far more press than it has received over the decade.  The opening track “Colossus” has the haunting beauty that I look for in Melodic Death Metal.  The atmospheric aspect transcends you to the ancient oceans as you await a giant sea creature to swallow the earth.





    In Mourning has the most interesting song structure, making every track unpredictable and interesting.  Verses last half of songs, preceding three staggeringly good guitar solos, and  harmonized brutal growls over unique driving leads.  Some songs have so many changes it is hard for me to keep up with at times, but it truly makes the music more interesting.  It’s surprising, because you never know what influence the band will throw in the ring next.  This band is a permanent addition to my collection and I will long await a North American tour.





Essential Tracks: Colossus, Thornwalker, Black Storm





https://www.instagram.com/inmourning/?hl=en





https://inmourning.bandcamp.com/





Omnium Gatherum





    From the brain of Melodeath legend Markus Vanhala of Insomnium, comes a lighter hearted brother of Insomnium.  Omnium Gatherum is Speed meets Melodeath with immensely beautiful atmospheric synths and meanings that make grown men cry in the pit.  Omnium is an enigma of brutal growls from Jukka Peikonen and soft lead melodies from Markus with an occasional melancholic clean vocal.  Omnium has a “battle ready” feel to it.  I find them to be one of the most uplifting Melodeath bands.  It’s a great diversion from the “my wife tragically died and came back to throw me in a well” feeling you get from Amorphis and Insomnium.  





    Seeing this band live twice, I can say they truly play to astound.  They put one hundred percent of their passion and practice into each track and play with immense speed.  It is shocking to watch the dueling guitars play perfectly together at neck break pace.  Their drummer, albeit a different drummer every time I’ve seen them, is a machine of a metronome that keeps everything really tight.  Jukka’s guttural growls for a whole set defy and blow me away.  His vocal stamina is some of the highest for the difficulty of technique he displays.  I also really enjoy the group cleans, as it gives an 80’s arena vibe.  This band is fantastic on record but also one of the best live.  I cannot recommend their catalog enough, specifically from Stuck Here on Snakes Way (2007) and on.





Essential Tracks: The Unknowing, Fortitude, New World Shadows





https://omniumgatherum.org/






Omnium Gatherum Shop















Countless Skies





    For something fresh and completely different in Melodeath, I recommend UK newcomers Countless Skies.  If you dig the Progressive aspects of Amorphis and also Devin Townsend, this band is a brilliant bright mix of both.  Not to be confused with Pop Atmospheric duo, Silent Skies, these guys are all heavy goodness.  If you like bands with bassists that sing, this band is definitely for you.  Phil Romeo has one of the greatest voices I have ever heard, effortlessly laying tenor operatic on top of Melodeath speed and epic ballads beyond anything I could have imagined.  This band has music that moves; it goes from gloom and doom to heavenly optimistic and heartbreaking.  This is a band that deserves an entire symphony behind it (maybe a show at the famous Plovdiv Amphitheater).  The music composition is beautiful and flawlessly flowing from orchestration to synth to perfect blast beats.  Ross King wails on guitar while executing perfectly dictioned gutturals and soaring screams. Every song builds into something heavier or something immensely melodic and breathtaking. 





Essential, Tracks: Zephyr, Tempest, Moon





https://www.countlessskies.com/





https://countlessskies.bandcamp.com/





http://willowtip.com/bands/details/countless-skies.aspx





Infected Rain





    I may catch some slack from genre sticklers on this one, but I have to include Infected Rain on this list.  The Moldovian Nu-Metal band displays a huge range of influences, I have trouble believing they’re among the likes of Korn and Slipknot.  This heavy groove based band has a plethora of interesting sounds and progressive nuances.  I wouldn’t compare them with any other band on the planet.  Lena Scissorhands is one of the most unique vocalists of the past two decades.  Her range from cleans to gutturals to harmonic screams.  Her fluidity amazes me on every track.  Vidick, the sole writer and mastermind, lays down addictive rhythm guitars ranging from Djent to Pantera.  It grooves better than anything I’ve heard in twenty years.  They’ve been around since 2008, but haven’t hit big time in the USA yet.  I could see this band exploding very soon with the tours they’ve been on lately with Butcher Babies and Stitched Up Heart.  This band deserves much more credit for quality and innovative Groove Melodeath.  Part of me wishes Lena was the new addition to vocaless Fear Factory, but I would hate to see Infected Rain lose her.  That’s how immensely good they are.  She can scream, guttural growl, sing melodically, rap, and go into operatics occasionally.  This band is just staggeringly good.





Essential Tracks: Fighter, Lullaby, Longing





Infected Rain Metal Band from Moldova














https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/infectedrain





Kalmah





    This doomy brutal Melodeath band from 1998 has been vastly underrated and lost under the radar.  I didn’t hear of Kalmah until 2013, after discovering Insomnium live supporting Epica in 2012.  Kalmah is a bit slower, more under-stated in its take on Melodeath.  It’s not as in your face, but the quality is formidable.  Their doomy death metal layered with catchy lead guitars and insane piano melodies sets them apart in the genre.  They cover a huge range of emotions and themes throughout every album, but remain solid.  Older Kalmah is purer Death Metal with Thrash guitars, atmospheric synth, and chaotic heart pounding blast beats.  There’s truly something for every Death Metal fan within the Kalmah catalog.  They’re a much heavier version Children of Bodom with Doom layers intertwined throughout.  They also show some love for Power Metal with dueling guitar melodies.  They’re an unexpected gem, but not surprising being from the most Death Metal country in the world, Finland.





Essential Tracks: For The Revolution, Seventh Swamphony, Blood Rain Cold







Homepage







https://spinefarm.merchnow.com/catalogs/kalmah























Deadtide





    If you’re anything like me as a metal head, you’re constantly looking for underground epic bands to discover.  I came across Deadtide on Bandcamp in a very saturated list of Death Metal bands.  These guys stood out to me, because they offer a more approachable sound to Melodeath.  They have the most clean vocals I’ve heard in the genre and some interesting Progressive Metalcore layers.  I kno;w I am using a lot of genre jargon to describe sounds, but comparing them to anyone specific is not helpful.  Every song i’;ve heard is totally different from the next with Deadtide.  They have flavors of In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Metalcore bands like Born of Osiris and All That Remains.  The Ephemeral EP is a stunning sampler of what Deadtide has to offer.  Check it out below.  We don’t get a lot of quality Melodeath in  the USA, so it was a wonderful surprise to discover these guys.





Essential Tracks; The Rabbit Hole, Alteration, Begin the Dream





http://facebook.com/Deadtide





https://deadtide.bandcamp.com/music





https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbBbGKOS8E9_MEV82S5q77A

			

	


			
				


	

							
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

			

	


			
				


	

							
Power Metal Band From Allentown PA Releases Amazing New Album
						

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Mindmaze, a Traditional Metal and Power Metal band from Allentown PA, released their 2nd album this October.  As far as Power Metal goes, America is lacking in numbers, so discovering a quality band here is a big deal.  Mindmaze is a meld of Ancient Bards, Iron Maiden, and Dream Theater.  Their music has characteristics of European Power Metal that most American bands do not strive to achieve, causing American Metal’s downfall in my eyes.  This band restores my hope for American Metal. With Female Fronted Metal on the rise, more and more extremely talented Metal bands are coming out with a woman at the front.  No doubt there is something different about the music when a woman leads the band, causing a superior power to male lead metal bands.


 


With their new album Back From the Edge, Mindmaze proves their underrated qualities and shows immense maturity.  Every song on this album is different and unique, containing subtleties as well as huge powerful sound.  The guitars are technical, gritty, and fast with perfect rhythm from guitarist Jeff Teets.  The bass is incredibly audible and quick, demonstrating a rare technical ability from bassist Mike LePond.  The drums are dynamic and hit with precision, reminiscing of the days of Mike Portnoy.  Kalin Schweizerhof is just a great quality drummer and holds the music together.  Last but not least, Sarah Teets is a powerhouse of emotive and technical vocal ability.  She brings an explosive quality to the music, fitting inspiring lyrics in a perfectly placed pocket.  Her abilities are that of Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica, having a theatrical quality that makes the music so relatable.  All of these amazing musicians put their all into Back From the Edge, making it a well executed metal album that sounds like a blast from the past.


 


Tracks like “Dreamwalker” and “The Machine Stops” remind me of the times of Dio and Iron Maiden, when true Power Metal prevailed over the Hair Metal.  Then there’s tracks like the title track and “The Machine Stops” that bring a more modern metal song.  “The Machine Stops” is actually a ten minute long track featuring brilliant instrumental sections as well as slow building vocals.  It is one of the best tracks I’ve heard of this year.  “Consequent of Choice” is another great song, showing a progressive off-beat rhythm that is reminiscent of Dream Theater and Hammerfall.  With songs like that, I could easily Mindmaze touring with bands like Kobra and the Lotus and Halestorm.  There is no song on this new album that disappoints.


 


Back From the Edge is an incredible Power Metal album that brings reincarnates a classic edge that American metal has strayed from.  Mindmaze truly surprised me with how solid their sound is for being a smaller American band.  I absolutely loved this album.  Every aspect of it blew me away, but especially the throwback sounds that they executed so well.  It’s so rare to find Metal like this in America and it’s something I hope gets much popular here. With bands like Mindmaze being overlooked here, it makes me wonder if the music industry is just as greedy as the government.


 


Rating 8/10- I highly suggest purchasing this album.


 


https://www.facebook.com/mindmazeband


 


http://www.mindmazeband.com/


 


http://www.reverbnation.com/mindmazeband





			

	


			
				


	

							
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.