Valkeryon - Visions Of Fire

Progressive/Power Metal
Independent
2014










1. Never Fades
2. Culture War Pt. 1: Dumas
3. Culture War Pt. 2: Reconquest
4. Umbra Wars
5. Fight With Time
6. Corruption
7. Trivial
8. Spaceshift
9. A Place Beyond
10. Farewell

Visions Of Fire is Valkeryon's first album so I go in not knowing a whole lot about them or having much in the way of expectations. This is the sort of album I saw the band advertising and decided to give a shot. Hailing from Panama this band caught my attention enough on a preview of a couple of their songs which seemed to have a pretty well put together power/prog sort of sound.

Well, listening to this my initial preview of the band mostly represents their sound. This is a pretty well produced, good sounding sort of Power/Prog band. Musically, I get reminders of Sonta Arctica and Royal Hunt. This is smooth flowing stuff with a fair amount of keyboard touches and a bit of symphonic flare here and there. vocally those comparisons also ring true as I hear some Tony Kakko, DC Cooper, and maybe a little Michael Grant. Not quite as deep as the later, but there is sort of a deep, resonant touch to the singing. At a glance listening to a couple tracks this band sounds pretty solid.

Getting a little more into the meat of the album and listening to it though I've gotta say that the songs start to bleed together as the album gos on. I also find that the music would probably benefit from a bit more heaviness/edge to the guitar as this just gets really bouncy and happy. It's the kind of sugary sweet power sound that starts to wear on me after awhile and it's just a little constant and over the top in that regard. None of the songs are bad, but the lack of the Metal holds most of the songs back a wee bit for me. Oddly the exception to this is the instrumental A Place Beyond which has more heaviness to the guitar and is a nice bit of proggy music. Maybe if more of the album was like this (with added vocals) I'd enjoy it more. Farewell and Never Fades are also pretty good smooth flowing power/prog type tracks even if they are a tad happy.

If you like power/prog that is decidedly on the light and happy side this isn't bad, but the band could benefit from a bit more variation in tempo and dialing back the tralala feel a little. Still, this is a decent power/prog debut that I could see appealing to the right audience who likes their metal pretty fluffy.

Highlights: A Place Beyond, Farewell, Never Fades

Rating - 3.0/5

Royal Hunt - A Life To Die For

Progressive Metal
Frontiers
2013








1. Hell Comes Down From Heaven
2. A Bullet's Tale
3. Running Out Of Tears
4. One Minute Left
5. Sign Of Yesterday
6. Won't Trust, Won't Fear, Won't Beg
7. A Life To Die For

Royal Hunt's last album Show Me How To Live was a pretty exciting one for me. It wasn't their best release ever (though it was very good), but it featured the return of DC Cooper to the band. DC has always been my favorite Royal Hunt singer so that was big for me. The album itself was a grower that I'd probably rate higher now than when I first reviewed it. The songs weren't very outside the box or as experimental/interesting as Royal Hunt can get, but they were melodic and powerful. Still, I went into this one hoping the band would get a little more adventurous with their songwriting this time than trying to make Paradox again.

Well, for better or worse this is much of the same. The sound on A Life To Die For is similar to the last album which is similar to the DC Cooper stuff that came before. The vocal melodies seem sort of familiar, the music sounds much as it has, and the heavy on the strings orchestration continues to show up in the background. If you've heard Royal Hunt with DC Cooper this album isn't really going to shake your expectations. This is the sort of melodic progressive with a hint of power that they've always done. The problem is that once again the band feels to reach outside the box and this does feel kind of rehashed. Pretty much the exact problem I'd feared this album would have.

Besides the familiarity, there are some other problems that strike me in regards to the songs though. The general style may be very recognizable, but there are other issues that hold some tracks back. Hell Comes Down From Heaven's chorus seems rammed into the music and doesn't really fit the flow of it for one thing, but even more than that, the song is a bloated one at nine and a half minutes. It really didn't need to be that long as far as I'm concerned. Running Out Of Tears is also worth noting as sounding just too sugary sweet for my ears. That chorus is so overblown happy I think it may have given me diabetes. Sign Of Yesterday is a better song, but also suffers from a bit too much sugar, so to speak. None of these songs are really bad, but they do have elements that hold them back from being better.

Overall, this is an alright album for fans, but it breaks no new ground and doesn't offer any song I can call extremely memorable. It's a pleasant enough listen in that the music is well executed, DC is a good singer, and this is passably melodic and smooth, but this just doesn't offer anything exciting. This is just a little too cookie cutter for me.

Highlights: One Minute Left To Live, A Bullet's Tale

Rating - 3.0/5

Circle II Circle - Seasons Will Fall

Power/Prog
earMUSIC

2013

1. Diamond Blade
2. Without A Sound
3. Killing Death
4. Epiphany
5. End Of Emotion
6. Dreams That Never Die
7. Seasons Will Fall
8. Never Gonna Stop
9. Isolation
10. Sweet Despair
11. Downshot
12. Only Yesterday

It's been awhile since I've listened to a Circle II Circle album so you can't really count me as much of a fan. The last album I reviewed from them was Middle Of Nowhere in 2005. I remember thinking they were OK, but I was never very interested. The band just didn't have that certain extra something to me. Competent, but the songs never quite grabbed me. Really, the main draw/claim to fame this band has is Zak Stevens and I was never much of a fan of later Savatage either. This is more the sort of album I go into hoping to be pleasently surprised by than one I was expecting a lot of.

Listening to Seasons Will Fall, nothing really surprised me much. This sounds like melodic rock with a bit more heaviness and the song structures are pretty familiar. Nothing here sounds bad and the band's sound isn't bad, but there's not a lot to distinguish Circle II Circle from the pack of bands who draw on melodic rock/AOR influences. I can't help but also think the vocals are a bit overly melodramatic as Zak Stevens trys to pump more feeling into the songs than they actually have/warrant. That really about sums up this album and band for me. Melodic and easy to listen to (maybe a little too easy/unchallenging) with a pretty good, but sometimes flamboyant vocal presence.

Seasons Will Fall feels like the sort of album I could listen to and not feel like I have to turn it off, but it's also the sort of album I couldn't see myself choosing out of all the metal out there. Not exactly a rave review, but basically they don't suck. This might be worth it for fans of melodic rock/metal and probably worth it for Zak Stevens fans, but in the grand scheme? Barely a blip on the metal radar for me. My opinion of Circle II circle remains more or less unchanged.

Highlights: End Of Emotion, Epiphany

Rating - 2.5/5

Symphony X - Iconoclast

Progressive/Power
Nuclear Blast

2011

CD 1

1. Iconoclast
2. The End Of Innocence
3. Dehumanized
4. Bastards Of The Machine
5. Heretic
6. Children Of A Faceless God
7. When All Is Lost

CD 2

1. Electric Messiah
2. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
3. Light Up The Night
4. The Lords Of Chaos
5. Reign In Madness

Symphony X are a band who have lost me a bit lately. Or at least they haven't been as pleasing to my ears as they used to be. Don't get me wrong... The Odyssey and Paradise Lost weren't Bad albums at all. I can't help but think something has been lost though. Despite being good albums, neither struck me as very progressive, as melodic as past material, and it did seem as though the band was trying too hard to be heavy. At first The Odyssey seemed like an interesting change of pace, but then came Paradise Lost and it sounded like too much of the same. That album has not aged with me well at all.

After listening to Iconoclast I can pretty much say that this is what the band is now, for better or for worse depending on your own opinion. Personally, I just find that a lot of this album runs together. I kept listening to it over and over again trying to concentrate, but I found my attention drifting, much as it seems to be in this band. I just don't hear anything as epic and soaring as they used to be and the chugga chugga guitar riffing gets kind of boring. I feel as though a lot of the riffs here are just too samey and the songs suffer for it. Basically, Iconoclast is missing the hooks, creativity, and soaring melodic vocals that made the band in their earlier days.

Overall, this isn't at all a bad listen. It really isn't. It's pretty headbangable. It just seems a little shallow and one dimensional to me. There are moments that break that mold are recall better days, but I do feel like this band's best days are behind them if they continue to follow this path. This is probably still above average and if you like heavy power metal you could do worse. If The Odyssey & Paradise Lost were to your liking than by all means check this out.

The rating is something I batted around in my own mind for awhile, but in the end I can't really give this above an ok rating. Not wholly mediocre or anything, but I just can't get excited about this and the true highlights are few for me. If I could go back and re-rate Paradise Lost at this point, it would likely be lower as well in retrospect. I have a feeling some may differ on this, but hey... it's my take.

Highlights: Children Of A Faceless God, When All Is Lost

Rating - 3.0/5

Labyrinth - Return To Heaven Denied Pt 2

Power/Progressive Metal
Scarlet

2010

1. The Shooting Star
2. A Chance
3. Like Shadows in the Dark
4. Princess of the Night
5. Sailors of Time
6. To Where We Belong
7. A Midnight Autumn's Dream
8. The Morning's Call
9. In This Void
10. A Painting on the Wall

Ah bands trying to recapture their most popular moments by creating a part 2... it has a certain whiff of desperation. Especially for a band/album where it would be stretching it to call the album a 'classic'. That being said, Labyrinth aren't bad and neither was the original album. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan, but they're decent, and occasionally this does work.

Well, I don't know that I have a huge basis of comparison or can say this will live up to the original for bigger fans, but I think it's a pretty good album. What we have here is a somewhat 90s sounding power/prog album that reminds me of bands like Stratovarius, Elegy, etc with its neoclassical touches, melodic nature, and somewhat happy sound. All in all the songs are solid, the music is good, and it's an enjoyable enough listen. The only criticism really would be that it's nothing new or very stand out. Still, if you like this band or this style it could be a worthy listen.

In conclusion, I don't think this is a classic or even the original was really, but it ain't half bad either. If you like the power/prog style of the 90s with not a great deal of heaviness, but plenty of energy and good melodic passages than you might enjoy this release. Fans should find enough here to be pleased I would think.

Highlights: The Shooting Star, Sailors Of Time, Princess Of The Night

Rating - 3.5/5

Evergrey - Torn

Power/Progressive
SPV

2008

1. Broken Wings
2. Soaked
3. Fear
4. When Kingdoms Fall
5. In Confidence
6. Fail
7. Numb
8. Torn
9. Nothing Is Erased
10. Still Walk Alone
11. These Scars

To be perfectly honest from the start, Evergrey is a name I haven't cared about in like 5 years. Ever since Recreation Day this band has been on a total downslide for me as I haven't enjoyed much of anything on the past couple releases. Neither of them seemed to have the same dramatic touch that Tom Englund can bring to the band when he is on. At times on The Inner Circle and Monday Morning Apocalypse I simply felt his performances sounded phoned in or flat out bad with some noticeable straining of his voice. To me a large part of the memorability of this band can be found in the vocal melodies and choruses and without good ones the atmosphere of the band just suffered.

I'm happy to say though that on Torn however Evergrey has seemingly rebounded in fine fashion and this album sounds like the logical follow up to Recreation Day that I've been waiting for. Englund once again finds his niche and those choruses will stick in your head and not let go. The music itself also seems to step up as the riffs have a lot of heaviness to them. Combined with the dramatic vocals this makes for a nice melodic album with a bit of a dark feel to it and just enough muscle. The formula hasn't changed drastically, it just seems like better all around performances from the band without those sour notes that dragged the songs under for me. I knew the band was capable and honestly I'm not sure what was happening over the past couple, but I'm glad to hear the sound of the band back in shape.

Basically, as I think I've stated, this is Evergrey in top form so if you like the band then this is a worthwhile listen. Evergrey have it within them to be towards the top of the heap of power/progressive if they can keep writing songs like this and keep pulling good performances from Englund.

Highlights: Broken Wings, Fear, Numb, Torn

Rating - 4.0/5

Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bonecarver

Power/Prog
Nightmare

2006

1. Era Of Chaos
2. The Birth
3. What Lies Beyond
4. Ancient Words Within
5. Souls In Pain
6. She Who Summons Me
7. Legend Of The Bone Carver
8. Bring Back Life
9. Blood Red Skies
10. Tears Of Hate

What we have here is yet another Lance King band. When it comes to Lance King I tend to be of the mind you can't get too much of a good thing though. Wherever Lance gos, great singing and incredibly memorable vocal melodies will surely follow.

On this album, Pyramaze have really established themselves as the best thing Lance has done outside of Balance Of Power for me. Really in many ways this band resembles BoP. While I find Pyramaze a little ballsier/heavier there is a similarly creative blend of power and progressive with a focus on an intricate, melodic approach. Everything just comes together so beautifully and Lance's high end vocals shine above subtle orchestration, piano usage, and some killer riffs. Any fan of Balance Of Power, Shaaman, Kamelot, Pagan's Mind, etc should eat this band up I would think. Truly one of the best newer bands out there and I hope Lance sticks with this one. I think the only nitpick I would have about this album is narrative tracks. I really don't like listening to music with cheeseball narration throughout instead of singing, but there are only two relatively short ones of those so I'll live. Otherwise the narration is used very sparingly. Also worth noting is an incredible duet ballad Lance sings with a female vocalist I've never heard of before, but who is fucking excellent. The track is called She Who Summoned me and the vocalist is named Christina Oberg. Two great vocal talents and truly one of the best ballads I've heard in recent memory.

Highlights: Ancient Words Within, She Who Summoned Me, What Lies Beyond, Souls In Pain

Rating - 4.0/5

Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse

Progressive/Power
Inside Out

2006

1. Monday Morning Apocalypse
2. Unspeakable
3. Lost
4. Obedience
5. The Curtain Fall
6. In Remembrance
7. At Loss For Words
8. Till Dagmar
9. Still In The Water
10. The Dark I Walk You Through
11. I Should
12. Closure

Evergrey really lost me with the last album, Inner Circle and I was hoping for a rebound out of this one going in. My hopes for this album were somewhat diminished though by the samples as they largely featured lackluster, restrained vocals and some vocal distortion coupled with chugging riffs. After listening to it in it's entirely though, those songs were not the best choices to represent this album.

The vocals on this album are a 180 improvement from Inner Circle back to Recreation Day as they're very dramatic and powerful. Really It's Englund that makes this album have the atmosphere I like out of the band and the slower moments with acoustic sounding guitar are the best parts of the album. The problem I have with this one is that the constant chug riffing is very repetitive and dull in the heavier moments. Englund keeps things interesting for me despite those, but I can't help but notice the heavier moments of this album are pretty uninspired. Still, as a total experience the slower moments and vocals drive this along and make the songs fairly memorable and an enjoyable listening experience. Some more lead work certainly wouldn't hurt though.

If you liked Recreation Day's dramatic/atmospheric approach then you'll probably like this one too I'd think. At the very least I'd think you'd like it better than the strained vocals and boring songwriting of Inner Circle. Recommended to people who likes modern chuggy riffs and clear soaring, maybe a little overly dramatic vocals.

Highlights: Lost, Unspeakable

Rating - 3.0/5

Royal Hunt - Paper Blood

Power/Prog
Frontiers Records

2005

1. Break Your Chains
2. Not My Kind
3. Memory Lane
4. Never Give Up
5. Seven Days
6. SK 983
7. Kiss Of Faith
8. Paper Blood
9. Season’s Change
10. Twice Around The World

The latest in a long and steady career of albums, Paper Blood marks the 8th album by this very consistent band. Probably best known for their couple albums that introduced one DC Cooper, this album continues with John West whom they've had for the past few. West has also probably exceeded the band in notariety as he's been featured in many other groups such as Artension and Feinstein.

Really though Royal Hunt is pretty underrated. I never hear a thing about this band from anyone and for a band that's forged their own style and kept things steady since the early 90s, this is suprising. Using an interesing blend of atmospheric keyboards and heavy riffs this would certainly appeal to fans of finnish power and progressive metal. John West is mostly mid ranged and melodic but can let go at times. Kind of like a more 'metal' sounding Jorn Lande in a way, but he has a sound that's pretty unique. An interesting blend of progressive rock, choir-like backups, and heavy riffing, this album is nothing particularly new for the band, but they continue on in their own style. If you haven't checked them out yet and this sounds appealing to you then it's about time.

Highlights: Never Give Up, Break Your Chains, Paper Blood

Rating - 3.0/5

Lanfear - aNother gOlden rAge

Power/Prog
Massacre Records

2005

1. aNother gOlden rAge
2. The Unrestrained
3. Dispraise
4. Transmigration
5. Eclipse
6. Shades Of Black
7. The Voice Within
8. In Silence
9. Eternally
10. What...For?
11. Outliving The Ages

Listening to this album, Lanfear is probably not as known a name as it should be. An interesting mix of power and progressive with both heaviness and atmosphere they remind me of a combination of Symphorce and Angel Dust. Like Angel Dust they have an ability to combine heavier, rapid fire riffs with spacey sounding keys and have it come out seemless. Vocally it is soaring and smooth in a style reminiscent of DC Cooper. A solid release from start to finish I'd recommend this one to any fan of euro-prog, finnish keyboard metal, or the above mentioned bands.

Highlights: Dispraise, Transmigration

Rating - 3.0/5