Magistina Saga - Creaith Anthem

Symphonic/Gothic Metal
Starwave Records
2014










1. Creaith (Intro)
2. 朱ニ染メ狂フ
3. Various
4. Dark Side of the Moon
5. パラレル戯曲トラップ
6. 絡みつく空虚
7. グリード
8. Unplace
9. Persona
10. Deep Affection
11. Fate Gear

The theme of this set of reviews is mostly bands I've never heard before and the theme continues here. This band from Japan is a stranger to me and although they've had a couple of mini-albums/EPs, this is their full length debut. When I saw this band I was reminded of the kind of quirky symphonic sound I heard from fellow Japanese resident Liv Moon (which I completely dig) and decided I'd give this band a shot.

Well what I expected is pretty much what I got and that is not a bad thing. Creaith anthem is full of over the top dramatic delivery, keyboard symphonics, and thick/kind of modern sounding guitar. I know some people immediately cringe at the word modern, but I don't think a thick sound if it's not just simple chugga chugga guitar and the music on Creaith Anthem is absolutely not that. This is more like metal mixed with touches of Trans-Siberian Orchestra flare and with a touch of anime soundtrack. I really dig the fusion and to me the combo of high speed keyboard, thick guitar, and symphonic elements just makes for a great heavy yet dramatic and powerful experience. Any band that pair guitar and keyboard into a majestic experience like this is a winner in my book. Not to leave out the vocals, they're mostly mid-ranged female vocals sung in Japanese and the woman has a good melodic sense which fits well with the overall symphonic yet heavy experience.

Song-wise the experience is overall strong with a fair amount of intricacy to the symphonic/keyboard elements. Stand outs include Various with it's controlled chaos feel and グリード with it's dark jazz feel that would make Tim Burton proud and reminds me a bit of Mechanical Poet 朱ニ染メ狂フ is also worth mentioning with it's nice shapshifting structure between slower heavy moments, mid-paced melodic vocal driven segments, and quick moving passages often driven by the keyboards. Fate Gear is highly enjoyable as well with it's swift melodic feel. There are maybe only two touches on this album I don't like and those are the kind of feedback sounding effects in 絡みつく空虚 and moments of mediocre death vocals in Unplace. Both are fleeting though and don't really detract much. They're more like minor nitpicks.

To sum it all up, this is pretty interesting and involving debut. There's a lot going on and the songs have a lot of pace changes and variation within them. I find this symphonic, complex, heavy, and just plain enjoyable. If you like your music heavily keyboard driven and dramatic this is for you.

Highlights: Various, 朱ニ染メ狂フ, グリード, Fate Gear

Rating - 4.0/5

Bloody Hammers - Under Satan's Sun

Doom/Gothic/Stoner Metal
Napalm Records
2014










1. The Town That Dreaded Sundown
2. Spearfinger
3. Death Does Us Part
4. The Moon-Eyed People
5. Second Coming
6. Welcome To The Horror Show
7. Under Satan's Sun
8. Dead Man's Shadow On The Wall
9. The Last Alarm
10. Necromancer

Under Satan's Sun is Blood Hammer's third album, but my first experience with them. I tend to watch the new albums coming out and give them a little preview if the general genre/style sounds like something I might be into and I liked what I heard from Bloody Hammers well enough. I've been digging some of the groovier doom/stoner metal lately and this fit the general bill so now it's time to give the full album a shot.

Listening to Under Satan's Sun it's a little difficult to pigeon hole Bloody Hammers into one particular style as I hear a lot of different elements. Their sound is definitely cohesive, but I hear everything from elements of creeping doom metal, to smooth gothic ambiance, to stoner metal fuzziness and groove, to subdued melodic passages. Nothing wrong with a unique fusion or an adventurous sound and I really dig what I hear on this release. Kind of like if you threw Hour Of 13, Kyuss, and The Bronx Casket Co. into a blender. This is dark, but quirky and fun at the same time like the audio equivalent of an old, vaguely cheesy horror movie. There have been a lot of these kind of occult rock/metal sort of bands springing up of late, but more than not I've been digging the trend and I don't think Bloody Hammers sounds precisely like any other I've heard. To the average traditional metal fan I can see where this might be a bit challenging and/or outside the box of the old school, but personally I find them refreshing. This is dark and atmospheric yet full of hooks and downright groovy while keeping a satisfactory level of heaviness.

Amusingly I didn't realize until I looked up the band members that I have actually heard and liked the vocalist Anders Manga before though in a different context. I remember I first heard and enjoyed his gothic/electronica stuff when I came across his cover of Mercyful Fate's Gypsy. Too funny for me and cool to hear him doing more with his obvious appreciation of metal. On Bloody Hammers he still sounds kind of gothic, but not as deep, cleaner, and with a little more edge which works well the music.

I've gotta say that I'm really digging this album. If you like dark, creeping metal and occult/horror themes than this is pretty damn enjoyable stuff. Don't expect high intensity, shredding traditional metal, but the atmospheres and grooves here are exceptional.

Highlights: Spearfinger, Under Satan's Sun, The Moon Eyed People, Dead Man's Shadow On The Wall

Rating - 4.0/5

Stream Of Passion - A War Of Our Own

Gothic/Atmospheric Metal
Self Released
2014










1. Monster
2. A War Of Our Own
3. The Curse
4. Autophoria
5. Burning Star
6. For You
7. Exile
8. Derlirio
9. Earthquake
10. Secrets
11. Don't Let Go
12. Out Of The Darkness

Stream Of Passion are one of those bands on the verge of being something. In the past I've liked them, but they also haven't Really managed to stand out in the rather large crowd of female fronted bands that draw on gothic/melodic atmosphere with symphonic touches. They've also strugged a bit to define exactly what they are between the minimalistic/violin heavy style of the first album and the more typical gothic second album. The third album meanwhile didn't do much for me in either regard. Basically, I wasn't really sure what I was going to get out of this album, but I did like the one song I'd heard from it in advance of it's release.

After listening to A War Of Our Own, I'm still kind of ambivalent on Stream Of Passion. Their sound and good vocals makes me want to like them and I do, but I don't quite love them. There's just not really a lot here to set the band apart in a crowded sort of style. Everything here sounds well executed and surprisingly well produced for a self released album, but that's more or less what the album has going for it. The sound is smooth, the atmospheres are good, and it is almost too safe. I just don't hear a lot of individual flare or identity. Even on a song level most of the songs seem to blend together a bit. Overall the sound reminds me of early Lacuna Coil with symphonic touches, but the songs aren't unique enough to put them in the same sort of songwriting company.

Stream Of Passion is the sort of band that's probably good enough for big fans of this sort of sound. If you're just jonesing for more female fronted gothic/atmospheric stuff with symphonic touches than this is good enough. Stream Of Passion just aren't ready to contend with the top names in this sort of style. Still, it is admirable that they managed to sound this polished releasing the album themselves. It's got to be nice not being beholden to a label and I admire their entrepeneurial spirit.

Highlights: The Curse, Autophobia

Rating - 3.0/5

Within Temptation - Hydra

Gothic/Melodic Metal
Nuclear Blast
2014








1. Let Us Burn
2. Dangerous
3. And We Run
4. Paradise (What About Us?)
5. Edge Of The World
6. Silver Moonlight
7. Covered By Roses
8. Dog Days
9. Tell Me Why
10. Whole World Is Watching

It would be hard for me to overstate my excitement early on about this album. Within Temptation is a band that has been steadily climbing up my list of favorite bands. The band's last couple of albums have been nothing short of spectacular in my opinion and I could not wait to hear more. Then upon hearing the jaw dropping single Paradise, my expectations just grew higher. It is not without a smaller hint of concern I listened to this one though. I mean the band has set a pretty high bar, so that is one thing, but there's also something else that gave me pause as I heard more about the album in advance of it's release. The sheer number of guest vocalists is noticeable enough, but far more concerning than even that is the choice of vocalists. Sure Tarja is a fine inclusion, but choices like metalcore vocalist Howard Jones or particularly rapper Xzbit are much more questionable. To say that good metal and rappers don't mix is an enormous understament and the commercial influence this speaks to is a bit disturbing. Still, the band has been on a hell of a roll so I was definitely ready to give Hydra a shot. Even if I had to disregard some rap experimentation... much like I do with Anthrax.

Let Us Burn openers the album up well in familiar fashion with a solid melodic approach and that underlying majestic quality I tend to like about the band. This one is pretty typical of their last couple albums, but that is no kind of complaint. After this one we head into a run of three tracks with guest vocalists though and I had to consider this a bit of a test of the album... so let's dive in deeper shall we?

Dangerous with Howard Jones (formerly of Killswitch Engage) does not start this experiment off well. It's not a terrible track musically, but Howard Jones adds nothing to the song at all. In fact his vocals are pretty distracting and don't seem to suit the music or blend with Sharon Den Adel's vocals in harmony. Everything that worked about Keith Caputo of Life Of Agony on What Have You done is wholly absent from this track. There's nothing subtle about the delivery here as Howard Jones virtually shouts through the whole song. It's not harsh hardcore shouting or anything, but it none the less has the subtlety of a donkey hee-hawing as loudly as possible to music. Needless to say, this song is kind of ruined by the guest vocalist presence so that's strike one. Well, on to And We Run with Xzbit which is instantly nothing like I expected. The song actually starts off slow with piano and way more of a classical influence than I would have expected from a song with a rapper on it. The strings and piano are nice and actually gave me a bit of hope... and then it was crushed as soon as Xzbit came into it. I seriously want to know what kind of potent drugs whoever decided Xzbit should be on this track was on. I can't even comprehend the level of meth addled insanity that could lead to a song such as this. If this yo yo shit doesn't make you puke I'm tempted to revoke your metal card. What a fucking trainwreck this one is. Switching from heavy classical influence to ghetto tough guy rapping is the most confusing thing I think I've ever heard in my life. I realize I'm writing about these tracks a lot though so I should move on before dwelling on them too much leads to an aneurysm.

Now that I'm free of that garbage I can tell you what I already knew about the third guest vocal appearance. Paradise is a masterpiece of a song and ranks up with the best this band has ever produced. This is everything Within Temptation should be with it's heavier riffing mixed with fantastic melodies and incredible vocals. Tarja's performance hear is nothing short of fantastic and hearing two of metal's best female vocalists together is a virtual dream come true. I can not say enough good about this song and it's just a confusing stark contrast to the last couple of turds. How does one even rate an album that goes from a zero star song to a five star song in the span of one track? At this point I was already entirely confused about what to make of Hydra. Mixed feelings would be an understatement.

From here on out things get more normal which is a welcome return to sanity. Silver Moonlight establishes itself a definite highlight with it's melodic sound coupled with an energetic pace. There are some backing death vocals on this one which is a slight nod back to older Within Temptation, but they're pretty subdued and don't distract from their newer sound. Roses follows it with a similar sound (minus the death vocals) and has just as much success with it, becoming another highlight. This is exactly the sort of material I like from Within Temptation. Majestic, powerful, and catchy with a good rhythm. The shame is that I had to suffer through some pretty hard to swallow songs to get here. After that the mellower Dog Days is alright, but not incredibly memorable and the riffy Tell Me Why is likewise not a real standout, but not bad either. After that comes the final guest vocalist in the form of Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum who does better than most of the singers here. This song is a little sugary sweet, but a melodic alternative rock vocalist is a better fit for Within Temptation than Howard Jones or Xzbit. I don't love the track, but this not being a disaster is enough considering the shit I heard earlier on in Hydra.

Thinking about this album, Hydra is probably an appropriately named one. Each song is a distinct head of this beast... unfortunately at least a couple of the heads are brain damaged and some of the others have fallen asleep. This is probably one of the most challenging albums I've ever reviewed to rate. One one hand, 4 of the tracks here are worthy of the last couple of albums (Paradise, Silver Moonlight, Roses, and Let Us Burn), but on the other hand... Xzbit and mediocrity dominates 6 out of 10 tracks. The highlights just can't save that kind of ratio even if only one of the tracks is truly atrocious and one kind of annoying. It would have taken a total effort to redeem this one and some of the more mediocre tracks fail to give the album that kind of a recovery. Over half the album is a bit much to forgive and this just isn't an exciting release from Within Temptation. I can't honestly see myself listening to the album, as a whole , very much in the future. This is just a middle of the road album between it's high peaks and deep valleys and those valleys are awfully hard to deal with.

Highlights: Paradise, Silver Moonlight, Roses, Let Us Burn

Rating - 2.5/5

Poisonblack - Lyijy

Gothic Metal
Warner Music Finland
2013








1. Home Is Where The Sty Is
2. Down The Ashes Rain
3. The Flavor Of The Month
4. The Absentee
5. Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone
6. Death By The Blues
7. The Halfway Bar
8. Them Walls
9. Blackholehead
10. Pull The Trigger
11. Elaman Kevat

Poisonblack have been pretty much the model of consistency since their second album. Really, the first one was good too just considerably different vocally. At any rate, the band has been putting out excellent album after excellent album every 1 or 2 years without fail. Lyijy marks their 6th release and I expected nothing less than another great uptempo, rocking gothic metal album in the vein of Sentenced.

Well, my expectations are met and them some with Lyijy. This one hit me hard from the start and never really let go. The sound here is nothing particularly new for Poisonblack, but the material is extremely good with songs that are just loaded with hooks, an energetic pace, and lots of headbangable riffs. Poisonblack hasn't taken any big styistic leaps or gone for much experimentation in their career so far, but I'm also pretty fine with that. When Sentenced disbanded they really did leave a hole in my musical listening that needed filling. I had never heard a band with quite the same rocking approach to this sort of dark material/lyrics. Ville learned a trick or two in Sentenced though and has come to be a fine songwriter all his own. Poisonblack basically manage to come up with a sound that's recognizable as their own/from Sentenced while at the same time keeping the qualities that made Sentenced so great.

For those not well versed in Sentenced or Poisonblack the band basically takes on dark, depressing lyrical fare in typical goth form, but the music is considerably more headbangable and energetic than most. The material is not the sort of gothic fare that gets bogged down in atmosphere. There certainly is a good melodic flare and some slower moments, but in general the music has a straight up metal feel. The riffs have a bit of a hard rocking blues feel at times, but the songs are also distinctly metal in a way that defies sub-genres. Vocally, things are just slightly gruff, but with a lot of feeling. I don't think I could come up with an exact comparison, but Nick Holmes in Paradise Lost has sort of the same approach when he's a bit gruffer. Overall, between the vocals and no nonsense riffs that keep things moving I feel like this band just balances the gothic and metal aspects better than most.

Overall, this is just a really solid album. Every song from fist pumping opener Home Is Where The Sty Is to the beyond great ballad Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone is noteworthy. This is just an album that lacks a weak song. Sometimes it all comes down to a good songwriting session and this is a great one. This has got to be Poisonblack's best album to date.

Highlights: Home Is Where The Sty Is, Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone, The Halfway Bar, The Absentee, Elaman Kevat

Rating - 4.5/5

Tarja - Colours In The Dark

Gothic/Symphonic Metal
earMUSIC

2013

1. Victim Of Ritual
2. 500 Letters
3. Lucid Dreamer
4. Never Enough
5. Mystique Voyage
6. Darkness (Peter Gabriel cover)
7. Deliverance
8. Neverlight
9. Until Silence
10. Medusa

I've said it before and I'll say it again... When Tarja left Nightwish the talent went this way. Or maybe, in fairness, Tarja just landed on her feet better. Nightwish just hasn't been the same since Tarja left and meanwhile she seems to have a better grasp of how to sound operatically powerful. It's still up to either to make material as good as Oceanborn or Wishmaster again though. I like what she's been doing well enough however and her voice is excellent so this was on my list of albums I had to hear.

Getting into listening to this new effort, Victim Of Ritual starts the album off well and is a perfect example of what I like about Tarja. The music is grounded in a heavy classical influence and if there is one thing Tarja knows, it's how to sound melodramatically awesome. I love the way she rolls out "Victim of Riiiitual!" and projects her voice. It's perfect for this sort of material and brings the kind of operatic power that Nightwish just doesn't have anymore. It's powerful, it has passion, and it's a total keeper. Following that, I also need to point out 500 Letters which is smooth and somewhat more subdued and melodic, but also keeps an element of heaviness and features a vocal performance positively dripping with passion and emotion. This is perfect material for Tarja and she really shines here.

Beyond that the quality does dip a bit with Lucid Dreamer which has an ok sound, but is a bit too sedated and long winded. It's about 7 and a half minutes that just don't have the same kind of energy. Basically, it sounds decent, but it doesn't keep me as invested. Never Enough charges in with some heavy riffs mixed with melodic passages though and has a hell of a powerful chorus so things pick up again quickly. My only gripe with that one is it gets a bit discordant and noisy at the end. Overall though, it is a really good song.

From here on out the album doesn't hit quite the same heights as early on, but there are some good tracks. Deliverance is a more melodic track boosted by some really strong operatic vocals and Neverlight is a heavier one with some edge to the guitar that is also lifted by a great vocal performance. None of these songs are bad and I enjoy everything here to some extent, but I do have to point out that there does seem to be a bit of a pattern with Tarja's solo releases. They start off with a bang and go out with a pew pew. The albums always promise a lot and then kinda peak early. If everything was as good as the first couple tracks this would be an album of the year contender, but they never seem to quite keep up the energy level. I can appreciate some variation and I like some slow tracks, but I'd stick with what works a little more. Those high energy single type tunes work for her and her voice.

Overall, this is another good Tarja album that narrowly missed on hitting the next level. It's certainly good for what it is, but I can't help feeling the band could be better if they kept the energy level a bit more constant. Still, I can say as a fan of Tarja, that this album is worth it for fans and still a well above average release. Really, this brings some good new songs for the live stage and a lot of above average/good songs to back it. That's not the worst thing in the world by any means. If you like operatic female vocals this is pretty appealing.

Highlights: Victim Of Ritual, 500 Letters, Never Enough

Rating - 3.5/5

ReVamp - Wild Card

Symphonic Gothic Metal
Nuclear Blast

2013

1. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: On The Sideline
2. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: The Limbic System
3. Wild Card
4. Precibus
5. Nothing
6. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: Neurasthenia
7. Distorted Lullabies
8. Amendatory
9. I Can Become
10. Misery's No Crime
11. Wolf And Dog

It's no big secret that I'm all about vocal ability really. It's not by any means the only thing important to me, but it does go a long way and I place a lot of importance on a strong singer. One reason death metal rarely does anything for me. Back on point though, this band certainly does have one hell of a talented singer in Floor Jansen. She's pretty well regarded for her operatic ability, something that landed her in Nightwish as well, and she's done a fair amount of guest work, etc around the metal scene. I found the first album a good showcase of her ability so I was looking for more of that here.

Listening to this one, the basic formula remains intact. This is female fronted gothic material mixed with a nice dark/aggressive edge and backed by some symphonic elements. One thing I do notice though is the riffing does seem a bit more harsh and in your face on this one. The heaviness is good, but I do find that this album does not immediately jump at me as much as the debut. Perhaps it's the fact that the melodies aren't as smooth and the it loses a degree of catchiness as a result. After listening to this one a bunch of times the songs just didn't stick with me quite as much. The material is good, but not as loaded with the kind of hooks I like in female fronted gothic material. There's something to be said for the aggression if you're in the mood for something heavier, but I would have liked a bit more balance perhaps. One track that does get it right while being pretty heavy is Neurasthenia which has nice melodies and some solid backing vocals from one Devin Townsend. That one is easily my favorite on here. Also worth noting is Distorted Lullabies which stands out with some nice softer moments, and On The Sideline which has a standout chorus and opens the album with driving energy.

Overall, this isn't a displeasing album by any means and I quite like it. It just doesn't have the kind of standout songwriting that the debut had. A solid overall experience, but Wild Card does try just a bit too hard to be biting while not playing up Floor Jansen's smooth voice enough. It's always wise to play to your strength's when you have a superior talent in your band. This is still solid though and I'm sure fans of Floor and the last album will find enough to enjoy here.

Highlights: Neurasthenia, Distorted Lullabies, On The Sideline

Rating - 3.5/5

Amorphis - Circle

Gothic/Melodic/Folk Metal
Nuclear Blast

2013

1. Shades Of Gray
2. Mission
3. The Wanderer
4. Narrow Path
5. Hopeless Days
6. Nightbird's Song
7. Into The Abyss
8. Enchanted By The Moon
9. A New Day

Going into this new Amorphis album I was fully expecting good things, but wondered if I'd be getting great ones. To this point, since the vocalist change to Tomi Joutsen, everything has been at least good and that is not a small accomplishment. Losing a vocalist and recovering is always a challenge and the band has done a good job in moving forward. Credit where credit is due. That being said, I did not like The Beginning Of Times as much as Skyforger and it hasn't really stuck with me. I guess it just didn't have those big highlights like Skyforger or Eclipse that made me want to go back again and again. That being said, Silent Waters was similar so the band has alternated between good and great albums since the change.

Well, after listening to Circle I'd say this falls just a little short of what the band is capable of again. Maybe things have just gotten a bit static and predictable for a band who basically based their identity on being shapeshifting. What Circle brings to the table is a somewhat familiar formula at this point of melodic, gothic music and deep vocals mixed with earlier death metal vocals and influences. The songs are competent, flowing, and enjoyable, but don't really break the established molds to stand out strongly on their own. I don't want this review to come across as all negative because the band sounds good and there's never a time I don't like this album. I just feel like the songs could be a bit more adventurous and like this is lacking those songs that Really grab your attention with something unique.

The best tracks of this album comes when the folk influence the band has incorporated at times takes center stage. Narrow Path and Mission are good examples of this and they do have nice energy and melodies. Even these are relatively predictable though and blend together just a little too much. Certainly, the folk melodies they bring in are nothing new to metal. Basically, this album just lacks a Two Moons, House of Sleep, Silver Bride, Sky Is Mine, or even a Silent Waters to get me really excited.

Overall, I like this and the band does well with their sound. I'm looking for the next level though and Circle doesn't quite give it to me. This is just a little too safe to get me really excited and put this in the running among the top albums of the year.

Highlights: Narrow Path, Mission, The Wanderer

Rating - 3.5/5

Tiamat - The Scarred People

Gothic Metal
Napalm Records

2012

1. The Scarred People
2. Winter Dawn
3. 384EKteis
4. Radiant Star
5. The Sun Also Rises
6. Before Another Wilbury Dies
7. Love Terrorists
8. Messinian Letter
9. Thunder & Lightning
10. Tiznit
11. The Red Of The Morning Sun

Tiamat are a band I've been following for awhile. Really about as long as I've been listening to metal. I remember listening to A Deeper Kind Of Slumber & Skeleton Skeletron in high school so that's kind of my association with the band. I've always dug their more gothic days and not so much their more death/black oriented stuff. With that in mind, the last album was a disappointment for me as they got back to more harsh vocals, etc. Just didn't do it for me. Going into this one I had heard the single/title track and dug it though so I was optimistic that this might be more in line with what I want from the band.

After listening to this one through, I can definitely say Tiamat has come back strong. This is exactly the sort of Tiamat album I want. From start to finish this is dreary and just loaded with atmosphere. Basically, it's the sort of music I think this band excels at and it's nice to hear them doing what they do best. There's just a very good flow to all the songs and it all becomes one big soundscape of melancholy. There are some upbeat moments and I don't think it ever becomes too slow to the point of tedium, but it is most certainly more about atmosphere and feeling than heaviness, etc. Nothing wrong with that at all and I can see this finding a place in my sort of 'relaxation' albums. There are some pretty good upbeat rockers too though and the blend of a rocking pace and goth atmosphere is always something I like. Tracks like The Scarred People, Love Terrorists, and Thunder & Lightning find that nice balance and do end up being some of my favorites. On a different note, I do like the somewhat lighter, less gothic sounding ballad Messinian Letter quite a bit as well. Kind of an oddball, but a welcome one.

If I had one minor criticism of the album it would probably be that there are a lot of effects, etc and the sound gets a bit saturated at times. All in all, it's not a big deal though and works more often than not. The scope of the sound/production didn't take long to grow on me really. A little busy at times, but it also adds an element of depth to the music.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with The Scarred People. Tiamat sounds in fine form here and this album takes me back to those albums I dug in my high school days. The Scarred People is just a top form album with a band doing what they do best. Fans of Tiamat since they went more gothic should be pleased. I certainly am.

Highlights: The Scarred People, Love Terrorists, Messinian Letter, Thunder & Lightning

Rating - 4.0/5

Lullacry - Where Angels Fear

Melodic/Gothic Metal
EMI

2012

1. Antidote To You
2. Still An Angel
3. Thousand Suns
4. Feel My Revenge
5. Bad Blood
6. All Behind
7. Gone Are The Days
8. I Am
9. Broken (Into Pieces)
10. Where Angels Fear
11. Stay
12. Love & War

Where Angels Fear is a fairly anticipated album for me as it has been awhile since I had a new Lullacry fix. Not since 2005's Vol. 4 has the world heard some new Lullacry and that album did leave me wanting more. This band just brings good energy and plenty of catchy songs to latch onto. Their simple and catchy approach just works very well for them basically.

Well, nothing has changed here and that is just fine. This is probably the first album to meet my expectations this year and it's actually refreshing to hear a band just charging out with their signature sound and making it work again for them. Experimentation and expanding one's sound has it's place certainly, but with a band like Lullacry I just want them to rock and they deliver. Everything sounds like it should without sounding rehashed and that is just fine by me. All the songs have great energy, an almost pop-punk catchiness that totally works, and a sort of gothic atmosphere that adds a bit of substance and feeling along the way. This has just the right blend of a frontwoman with personality, melodic hooks, upbeat energy, and slow down moments.

Lullacry are a band who just do what they do and do it well. Nothing surprising here, but a lot of highly enjoyable music. If you liked Lullacry before then you'll dig this album too. If up tempo, energetic melodic metal with a gothic vibe sounds good to you than you should give Lullacry a shot. I doubt you'll regret it.

Highlights: Thousand Suns, Where Angels Fear, Still An Angel, Bad Blood

Rating - 4.0/5

Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline

Atmospheric/Gothic/Alternative Metal
Century Media

2012

1. Trip The Darkness
2. Against You
3. Kill The Light
4. Give Me Something More
5. Upsidedown
6. End Of Time
7. I Don't Believe In Tomorrow
8. Intoxicated
9. The Army Inside
10. Losing My Religion (REM Cover)
11. Fire
12. My Spirit

Lacuna Coil are sort of an odd band in my listening. They have undoubtedly become much more commercial in sound since attaining some popularity. At the same time Cristina Scabbia still has a great voice and the band does have a good knack for smooth melodies. It's like I can't help but like them even if they're not quite as good/metal as they used to be. They still manage to make some good songs, even if their best and most metal sounding days are behind them.

Well, there's no real way around it so I'm just going to say it... this does sound pretty nu/commercial rock. The production, guitar sound, chuggy guitar riffs, etc are all there. If this band wasn't rooted in coming from a metal background this probably isn't something I'd be writing a review for. This is not at all a leap from a band like Evanescence at this point.

That being said, this album does have a good catchyness to it and the vocal deliveries are strong. There's some good feeling/emotion to be found in songs like End Of Time as well which sounds genuine and powerful. The album also boasts a rather great cover of REM's Losing My Religion. I love their take on this one. All in all, I find it a good listen for what it is. Their older, metal material this is not, but if you can get around/past that then I do think the songs are good. The album has a good upbeat energy... just delivered in a very radio friendly way.

I guess all I can say is that if you've hung with the band this long you've probably accepted this incarnation of Lacuna Coil and you'll probably still like this. Good songs are good songs and I think this has em. That's pretty much my piece. It's not a perfect album and I'd love them to have more of their old sound, but I've also kind of accepted the newer version. Metal? That's debatable. Good? I have no real debate with that. I'd say Dark Adrenaline is their best release since they did go more mainstream. I think the only thing that holds my rating back just a hair is the fact I miss the perfect fusion of good production and metal that was Comalies.

Highlights: Kill The Light, Losing My Religon, Trip The Darkness, End Of Time

Rating - 3.5/5

Dark Princess - The World I've Lost

Gothic Metal
Out Of Line

2012

1. Fight With Myself
2. We Can Not Fly So High
3. Fields Of Youth
4. The Key
5. Everlasting Pain
6. Paradise Land
7. Point Of No Return
8. The Temple Of Darkness
9. The Last Page
10. The Way Of Passion
11. Caruso

Dark Princess are a band I've enjoyed up to this point. They're sort of a novelty in my collection as one of the few Russian bands I listen to and most know I enjoy a good female fronted goth album. It's been awhile since the band has released anything though and they have a new vocalist. These sorts of things can be warning signs so I approached this one with a bit of skepticism.

Listening to The World I've Lost it's one of those situations where while I like the previous vocalist a little better, the band did find a pretty worth replacement. New singer Natalia Terekjova slips into the band's style pretty easily. I do find that this album does sound just a little less gothic with her at the front, but the change is not huge. She just strikes me as a slightly higher and less resonant singer than Olga Romanova, but that's more a nitpick than anything else.

Musically, the songs still have great flow and are loaded with hooks. Again maybe slightly less gothic at times, but there are still elements of that as well. The band still has a flare for writing good hooks and that gos a long way here. Fans of female fronted goth metal should find more than enough to like here. Dark Princess basically takes the gothic/atmospheric approach, but injects some good rocking into it as well. I continue to enjoy their style and am glad to hear them putting out new material again.

Overall, this might not Quite reach the heights of Stop My Heart for me and I do think Olga was a bit better singer, but the band recovers from the vocalist swap pretty well. We all know how these sorts of changes Can go and in relative terms the impact is pretty minor. Fans of stuff like Within Temptation's more recent material or Lacuna Coil will probably dig this.

Highlights: We Can Not Fly So High, Fight With Myself, The Key

Rating - 3.5/5

Within Temptation - The Unforgiving

Symphonic/Gothic/Melodic
Roadrunner

2011

1. Why Not Me
2. Shot In The Dark
3. In The Middle Of The Night
4. Faster
5. Fire And Ice
6. Iron
7. Where Is The Edge?
8. Sinéad
9. Lost
10. Murder
11. A Demon's Fate
12. Stairway To The Skies

Within Temptation set a high bar for me with the last album. The Heart Of Everything really did strike all the right chords with me as it was passionate and epic... beautifully symphonic yet completely metal. Really this band has been like a fine wine for me and has improved with age. I've always liked them, but that last album sealed the deal in a serious way as it just seemed heavier and more intense. The questions for me had to be if they could maintain this new standard they had set and where the ceiling was.

Well, I'm still not sure where the ceiling is because the arrow is still pointing upwards. The Unforgiving does not disappoint at all and the band continues to grow in sound. This is not just a rehash and once again the band finds a new sound within it's own trademark. This is the kind of thing I love to hear. Familiar in that it won't alienate fans, but not just the same old.

While The Heart Of Everything seemed to focus on being larger than life, this one takes a little different approach. There's still a big feel to this one as it is a concept album with varied moods, but at the same time this seems smoother and more geared at being catchy. I might add that this album absolutely succeeds at it. The choruses are addictive, the rhythms are energetic, and the hooks grab you. Really, I think the songwriting and production of this album are completely top notch. The nuances are great as well. A prime example would be the perfectly placed acoustic solo section in Lost that brings a lot of feeling to the tune and just gives it that extra something to push the song over the edge. Also worth noting is the great feeling some of these songs bring to the table and I have to point to a song like Murder for atmosphere. That song's creeping nature is positively dark and I love it.

Some of the songs surprised me a bit by being more upbeat than I'm accustomed to as well. An example of that would be In The Middle Of The Night which just moves along with a pace I'm not familiar with from this band. Very fast paced with some nice symphonic touches that give this a serious metal punch. I can't stress enough how gratifying it is when a band branches out to give you something new and interesting while not forgetting their own sound.

In conclusion, this a new high for Within Temptation who really set quite a high standard with The Heart Of Everything. In a way this album feels slightly more commercialized with more single ready tracks, but the songs work and the band does not lose who they are. This album kinda reminds me of Lacuna Coil's Comalies in a way. Not so much in sound as much as the point of the band's career. Great ideas and songs stepped up with smooth production that benefits this kind of a band. Let's just hope they keep remembering who they are and where they came from better than Lacuna Coil. I may be a bit of a Lacuna Coil apologist and still like their music, but I wouldn't deny they've strayed and were better in the past. Remember your fans Within Temptation... and they will keep loving you.

Highlights - In The Middle Of The Night, Shot In The Dark, Faster, Murder, Lost

Rating - 4.5/5

Stream Of Passion - Darker Days

Gothic/Atmospheric Metal
Napalm Records

2011

1. Lost
2. Reborn
3. Collide
4. The Scarlet Mark
5. Spark
6. Our Cause
7. Darker Days
8. Broken
9. This Moment
10. Closer
11. The Mirror
12. Nadie Love
13. The World Is Ours
14. The Hunt

Stream Of Passion have been a decent, if not necessarily spectacular, addition to the super saturated sub-genre of female fronted atmospheric metal. Their first album was interestingly minimalistic with a strong violin presence and their second was more typical, but also more upbeat and catchy. All in all, this band has yet to put out a truly great album, but good enough ones to warrant continued listens from me.

On Darker Days, they seem to be in just that. Missing is a heavy violin presence or the energy of the second album. It seems like this has both the drawbacks of being somewhat typical and the slow and minimal qualities of the first album without the bonuses of either really. This basically plods on at a slow pace and never really picks up and despite the singer having a good voice, I don't get much in terms of memorable vocal melodies. Darker Days is pretty much slow and moody to a fault.

There just really aren't much in terms of highlights here and this just never establishes itself as anything more than a decently competent band. In this genre in particular, this just isn't good enough to distinguish Stream Of Passion from the pack.

Highlights: Broken

Rating - 2.0/5

Poisonblack - Drive

Gothic Metal
Hype

2011

1. Piston Head
2. Mercury Falling
3. A Good Day For The Crows
4. Maggot Song
5. From Now-here To Nowhere
6. Sycophant
7. The Dead-End Stream
8. Futile Man
9. Scars
10. Driftwood

Another year, another Poisonblack album. This one follows quickly on the heels of 2010's Of Rust And Bones. Whenever an album comes out this quickly it always gives me a moment of hesitation. Too often this means the band has pushed out an album too quickly and the product suffers.

I've got to say that this doesn't really seem to be the case though. This is nothing groundbreaking, but it could be easily argued that this band never really has been. Barring the first album perhaps, Poisonblack has always pretty much sounded like a continuation of Sentenced and there hasn't been a great deal of change in the sound since the second album. This one pretty much follows suit. If you've heard the band before then you can expect much of the same. Some upbeat melodic rockers with somber themes, a bit of crunch, and some slower moments. If you're a fan of the Finnish gothic metal/rock sound than you'll probably like this. The songs are solid with good energy and some pretty catchy melodies. If you don't like the style though than this won't change your mind.

Basically, this plays to the band's fanbase and the style. Poisonblack has their niche and they're using it. If you like your gothic metal with some up tempo energy than this is for you. Personally, this band captures the kind of gothic style I like best. Kind of dreary and dark, but it doesn't get bogged down in the atmosphere to the point that the album can't rock out. Nothing new here, but this album succeeds at what it seeks to accomplish I think. Highly listenable and the rating reflects it.

Highlights: Piston Head, Mercury Falling, The Dead-End Stream, Scars

Rating - 4.0/5

Lake Of Tears - Illwill

Heavy/Doom Metal
AFM

2011

1. Floating In Darkness
2. Illwill
3. The Hating
4. U.N.S.A.N.E.
5. House Of The Setting Sun
6. Behind The Green Door
7. Parasites
8. Out Of Control
9. Taste Of Hell
10. Midnight Madness

Lake Of Tears are one of those bands out there that I've always felt are underrated. The amount I enjoy this band is not even close to the small amount of press this band gets, etc. I can sort of see where this band could be a band you get or you don't though. The vocals are kind of an acquired taste and the band's style has shifted fairly dramatically at times from heavier, slower doom oriented music to keyboard driven material that was only borderline metal. Recently with Black Brick Road and Moons and Mushrooms the guitar presence has come back and the band has formed themselves into a sort of melodic sound that is a bit on the gothy sound, but heavier in nature.

Illwill is the sort of album I found hard to review, because it can be all over the map. There are songs here with a melodic flow that seems almost gothic like U.N.S.A.N.E, there are songs which are fast enough to seem almost thrashy like The Hating, and there are songs which are sort of both at once. An example of that would be Floating In Darkness which has some fairly aggressive riffs at times and then works itself into some nice melodic passages. Then you have a slower gothier number like the ballad-ish track House Of The Setting Sun. One thing I don't think anyone can say is that this album is not diverse in it's songwriting.

In a way, Illwill represents Lake Of Tears pretty well with it's genre defying sound and eclectic nature. Overall, this is less polished than their last release in sound as it doesn't have that smooth kind of gothy/melodic production. I think this benefits the vibe of the music and ties it all together into a sort of aggressive and dark soundscape. What this release sounds like to me is a truly dark experience where there is both shouts of anger and depression involved.

It's hard for me to compare this release to much of anything. The closest thing I can come up with is Paradise Lost since they too dabbled in both doom and more gothic sounds. Think of all of Paradise Lost's sounds mixed into one and you're half way there. Although they are nowhere near a soundalike, Nevermore comes to mind a bit as well just because they have a similar ability to be both dark and heavy at times and somber at others. If the idea of doom metal that can be fast at times and gothic at others appeals to you than this could be to your liking.

Highlights: U.N.S.A.N.E., Floating In Darkness, Behind The Green Door, Illwill

Rating - 4.0/5

Imperia - Secret Passion

Symphonic/Gothic Metal
Massacre

2011

1. Touch Of Your Hand
2. Secret Passion
3. Fragile
4. Out Of Sight
5. Let Down
6. Violence
7. Like Rain
8. Suicide
9. Hold On
10. Greed
11. Missing It All
12. My Sleeping Angel
13. Mistress

Imperia aren't a band I've payed a lot of attention to up to this point. I remember listening to Queen Of Light and not being incredibly impressed with it. Basically, it was one of those albums I thought was just OK and never actually got around to reviewing. Well, now here they are with a new one called Secret Passion and I'm feeling motivated to do some writing.

Secret Passion is fairly typical of your standard female symphonic/gothic stuff, but I do find the songwriting is improving for the band. Helena Iren Michaelsen does have a good voice so given the right material this band does have potential and they seem to be finding it here. The style of the songs is nothing new and this is nothing to rock the female fronted boat, but I do find myself enjoying the songs. If this is your sort of style than this is probably somewhere in the upper middle of the style. One track to miss is definitely the bonus one entitled Mistress. This is really less a metal song and more of a club/dance one. I would have been very ok with this song being left off the album entirely.

In the end, if you enjoy the more Goth leaning female fronted acts than there's probably enough here to satisfy. I don't consider this a top release in the style and it brings nothing new to the table, but if you're big on the style than this is another album for your collection.


Highlights: Secret Passion, Touch Your Hand

Rating - 3.5/5

Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

Gothic/Melodic Metal
Nuclear Blast
2011

1. Battle For Light
2. Mermaid
3. My Enemy
4. You I Need
5. Song Of The Sage
6. Three Words
7. Reformation
8. Soothsayer
9. On A Stranded Shore
10. Escape
11. Crack In A Stone
12. Beginning Of Time

Amorphis has been a pretty solid run for me for awhile now. Looking back, it's funny to think I was very worried about a new singer in Amorphis. While Pasia Koskinen remains my favorite vocalist of Amorphis and likely will always be so, Tomi Joutsen has done an admirable job. All of the 3 albums to this point with him on vocals have been very enjoyable, so I had no reason going into to expect this to be any less.

Well, for some reason this one just didn't hit it home on listening to it. Don't get me wrong, The Beginning Of Times, is a good album and the rating will reflect that. For some reason though this album just doesn't seem as memorable. I largely blame the fact the songs seem to be more oriented towards story telling and less at melodic, catchy tunes that build to great choruses. Simply put, this album seems to try too hard.

That being said, this is a pretty good overall experience. The music has some good, subtle melodies. Overall the guitar is good, the sound is solid, and the vocals aren't bad. The biggest strike though is the lack of big choruses and Tomi cutting loose with power. Overall, he actually seems pretty subdued here and blends into the music more than leads it.

I guess you could say I consider this a pretty listenable album, but not the sort that will end up as a highlight of 2011. It falls a bit short. I don't doubt that Amorphis fans will find some good stuff here though.

Highlights: You I Need, Song Of The Sage, Mermaid

Rating - 3.5/5

Unsun - Clinic For Dolls

Gothic Metal
Mystic Production

2010

1. The Lost Way
2. Clinic for Dolls
3. Time
4. Mockers
5. Not Enough
6. The Last Tear
7. Home
8. I Ceased
9. A Single Touch
10. Why

Unsun's debut was one of those albums I thought was ok but didn't really wow me. As is often the case with the saturated female fronted gothic/atmospheric scene the band just didn't distinguish themselves enough on their debut for me. None the less, the first album was decent enough to merit a second look.

Well, second chances can be a good thing. I find this album as a whole more energetic, catchy, and generally memorable than the debut. Things just seem to be put together better and the songs flow nicely. I like that this has a pretty substantial guitar presence for a female fronted goth sort of act. Combining a nice female voice with this kind of energy and good heavy guitar makes for a pretty winning combo. Not a bad listen from start to finish with moments of something more and a release that makes me think this is a band to watch in the future. This is a good piece of songwriting with a bit more attitude than I'm accustomed to hearing from a lot of female fronted acts. There is a whiff of vaguely commercial feel to this, as is the case with many of these bands who tend to have a polished sound, but there's more than enough to remind you this is a metal act. Nothing wrong with being a little polished if it's done well.

In conclusion, if you like female fronted metal that is atmospheric, but still driven by riffs then you'll probably want to hear this. This is a good sophomore effort.

Highlights: The Lost Way, Not Enough, Mockers

Rating - 3.5/5

The Man-Eating Tree - Vine

Gothic Metal
Cobra

2010

1. Lathing a New Man
2. The White Plateau
3. This Longitude of Sleep
4. King of July
5. Of Birth for Passing
6. Out of the Wind
7. Nights in White Satin
8. Tide Shift
9. Instead of Sand and Stone
10. Amended

The Man-Eating Tree are a band I had to check out as a confirmed Sentenced fanatic seeing as the band was started by ex-Sentenced drummer Vesa Ranta. Pretty much anything connected to Sentenced gets my attention so this debut was a must listen.

Initially I wasn't sure what to make of this release upon listening to it, but sometimes those can be the best albums. I really wanted to give this one some time before I wrote down my thoughts on it and I'm glad I did. The thing that really threw me when I first listened to The Man-Eating Tree was the vocals. They're really quite different and especially so for the genre. I mean when you listen to Finnish goth you pretty much go in with an expectation of the typical deep vocalist, but Tuomas Tuominen is nowhere near that. Really the best description I can muster is something of a mewling folk singer and it took some time for his voice to grow on me. It was just a culture shock you could say, but the more I listened to it, the more I grew to love the originality of it. It's kind of refreshing to hear someone bring a new sound to gothic metal and stretch the boundaries of the sound. The vocals still come across as somber but in an entirely different sort of way from most Finnish goth.

As for the music, this borders on atmospheric as much as metal as there are many low key moments. There are moments of energy and heaviness, but really it is not the bulk. A good portion of these songs are often pretty somber and light, building to a heavier instrumental portion or chorus. This is the kind of release that you can get really into when you're in a mellower mood or a really depressed one which, of course, is rather appropriate to the goth genre. I do believe there's more than enough heaviness here to keep things metal, just don't expect the up tempo energy of Sentenced. This is more about crafting beautiful and somber atmosphere than rocking out and I do think this band has a good ear for creating this sort of sweeping and haunting atmosphere.

Really, Vine is a pretty original and I dig that about the band. I've not heard another gothic metal band like them and after giving their sound a bit to sink in I find them most enjoyable. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this band in the future and this is a major debut highlight. If you like your metal somber and gothic, give em a shot. After giving this band/album time to grow on me I was really quite impressed. It was hard for me to pick favorite tracks because I really do enjoy this one from start to finish. Highly impressive for a debut.

Highlights: Out Of The Wind, Lathing A New Man, The White Plateu, This Longitude Of Sleep

Rating - 4.0/5