Grave Digger - Return Of The Reaper

Power Metal
Napalm Records
2014










1. Return Of The Reaper (Intro)
2. Hell Funeral
3. War God
4. Tattooed Rider
5. Resurrection Day
6. Season Of The Witch
7. Road Rage Killer
8. Grave Desecrator
9. Satan's Host
10. Dia De Los Muertos
11. Death Smiles At All Of Us
12. Nothing To Believe

Grave Digger have always been a solid power metal band, but at this point in their career I'm looking for a spark and I think maybe the band is too. I guess you could say that of late their material and their style has become kind of predictable. The fire hasn't quite been there and I think the band knows it judging by the title and assumed direction going into this one. It seems like they're trying to recapture some of their darker side in getting back to "the reaper" and the only real question is if it is going to work here.

Well, after listening to Return of the Reaper, it's no real great re-imagining of the band or a return to the routes. Sure thematically it doesn't focus on any grand concept and feels a bit more straight up metal with some dark edge, but the overall sound of the band is really not any big change. Basically, this still sounds like heavy power metal with Chris Boltendahl's typical growls and snarls and the same guitar sound the band has had forever. The songs aren't really anything super imaginative and the kind of return to a more intensely dark vibe like on The Grave Digger that I was hoping for doesn't really happen.

That being said this is still Grave Digger and it's a pretty competent album. Just don't really expect any sort of grand rebirth. There are solid highlights though and overall the album is pleasing enough to me as a fan. I think the best tracks here tend to be when the band gets a good pounding rhythm and catchy groove going. The speedier tracks tend to be a bit typical, but when they settle into a good mid-paced heavy roll with some atmosphere like on Season of the Witch the band can still get my attention. Grave Desecreator is also a highlight and another kind of groove driven one, but more upbeat with a nice shout along chorus. Dia De Los Muertos is also noteworthy for it's pounding heaviness.

Overall, this is not a new classic for Grave Digger, but it is a pretty good album for the fans who are still hanging with the band. I don't think this is an incredibly creative or different album and not the kind to enter many album of the year discussions, but it's a solid listening experience in a familiar vein. If you like Grave Digger I'd say it's worth a listen. Not their best album, but not half bad either.

Highlights: Season of the Witch, Grave Desecreator, Dia De Los Muertos

Rating - 3.5/5

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

Night Mistress - Into The Madness

Heavy/Power Metal
Power Prog Records
2014










1. Into The Madness (Intro)
2. Until The Day Will Dawn
3. Hand Of God
4. The Place I Belong
5. Walking On Air
6. Madman
7. Longing For The Devil
8. Hell Race
9. Grieving Stars
10. Sacred Dance
11. Recurring Night

Polish act Night Mistress are not a band I have any particular experience with before this album. Really, I just stumbled upon them in my search for something new. When the year isn't quite delivering from the bands I know it becomes time to turn increasingly to checking out bands I don't. Into Madness is the second release from this band, but I'm going in fresh here.

Well, sometimes you just listen to a band and go "Where has this been all my life?". Alright, they haven't been along that long, but this is really freakin solid, traditional sounding stuff. The songwriting is very straight up metal in the best possible way coming off something like more direct, heavier end Maiden with the polish and smooth flow of power metal. I know there are a lot of Maiden inspired bands, but Night Mistress sounds really polished doing it and the songwriting is surprisingly mature and addictive. Think of a cross between Maiden, Seven Witches, and Tad Morose with the songs to back up the sound. Vocally, I'm reminded of Toni Parviainen (formerly of Machine Men) mixed with a bit of Rob Rock on the more mid-ranged, melodic deliveries and when he really sets loose on the highs/wails I get a bit of James Rivera. What the hell is not to like about this I ask? The sound is crystal clear and the music is swift moving, high energy, and in the best tradition of what classic sort of metal should be. This is just a total win at wailing intensity with the right melodic sense to sell the songs. I mean this is nothing amazingly new, but holy shit do they do it well. I found myself just rocking out to all of these songs. This is the kind of power metal I've been craving and it honestly reinvigorated my interest in the more traditional side of the power genre which has seemed to be a little lacking in recent years. It's good to know that although it's been sort of done that a band can still come up with a set of original songs like this.

I suppose I could break down songs, but honestly I like everything here. Absolutely everything. Not a great deal of disection required. Maybe the one thing I should note about the band is that they can be a little quirky, but it tends to come in brief moments like the whistling during the intro to Walking On Air. Overall it's fleeting and I don't find it distracting. The meat of all these songs more than sells them.

I'm honestly impressed and it's been awhile since a dark horse album like this hit me this hard. I think this is the sort of thing that anyone who likes a smooth flowing yet heavy power metal band heavily drawing on traditional roots should hear. Who doesn't like kick ass Maiden reminiscent metal I ask? And then I smack whoever says they don't. Just give these guys a chance and a listen. I doubt you'll regret it.

Highlights: Madman, Hell Race, Hand Of God, The Place I Belong, Recurring Night

Rating - 4.5/5

Falconer - Black Moon Rising

Power/Folk Metal
Metal Blade
2014










1. Locust Swarm
2. Halls And Chambers
3. Black Moon Rising
4. Scoundrels And The Squire
5. Wasteland
6. In Ruins
7. At The Jester's Ball
8. There's A Crow On The Barrow
9. Dawning Of A Sombre Age
10. Age Of Runes
11. The Priority

Falconer had a couple of bumps in the road early on in their career with a somewhat unsucessful vocalist change, but ever since Mathias Blad has been back in the picture the band has been pretty damn consistent. Probably one of the top power metal bands out there in terms of new/modern power metal material really. Going in I really didn't have a lot of doubts that they'd be able to put together a good mix of power and folk again really.

After giving this one some listens I have to say that my faith in Falconer was not misplaced. Black Moon Rising is really just a hell of an album from start to finish. The thing that strikes me most about this one is it just seems relentless in it's assault. There are some mid-paced tracks sprinkled in every song often for a bit of a breather, but aside from maybe the somewhat meandering and folksy Scoundrel And The Squire the album just crackles with energy and more often than not blaze with speed. The gallop is still there and the album is certainly not without folksy passages, but it just seems that the intensity on everything is turned up to 11. If you want a headbangable power metal album look no further. I just really like how this album manages to be heavy as hell, but still folksy power metal with that unique deep, melodic touch of Mathias Blad's vocals. Everything just comes together in a unique way to give this album a lot of identity as probably the heaviest album in Falconer's catalogue while still keeping true to their folk inspired roots.

In terms of highlights the album gets off to a quick start with one of my favorites being the intro and lead off single, Locust Swarm which has it all from a quick gallop, folksy flare, memorable riffs, and one really heavy break that sounds almost thrashy. Hall And Chambers also made an immediate impact on me with it's gallop and catchy, epic chorus and Wasteland brings some more thrashy riffs that I quite like. Seriously heavy stuff for Falconer and I dig it. on the other end of the spectrum The Priory is just a fun folksy number that makes a mark with it's mid-paced catchy roll.

Overall, this album just sells me on it's intensity and totally headbangable nature. This is pretty heavy, in your face sort of power metal. The folk is there, but surrounded by some damn fast Metal riffs. I totally dig this. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their power metal delivered in unrelenting fashion. Throw this on and head bang away my friends.

Highlights: Halls And Chambers, Locust Swarm, Wasteland, The Priory

Rating - 4.0/5

Cloven Hoof - Resist Or Serve

Power/Heavy Metal
High Roller Records
2014










1. Call Of The Dark Ones
2. Hell Diver
3. Deliverance
4. Brimstone And Fire
5. Northwind To Valhalla
6. Mutilator
7. Anti Matter Man
8. Cycle Of Hate
9. Premature Burial
10. Austrian Assault

Going into new Cloven Hoof I've gotta say I had no idea what to expect. I liked their early run and even their revival album Eye Of The Sun, but there are too many X factors here to have much in the way of expectations. The lineup on Resist Or Serve is once again completely different and this again comes a good number of years after their last original album. With this basically not being the same band except for Lee Payne I was curious, but completely uncertain what the new product would be like.

Well, listening to Resist Or Serve this kinda reminds me a bit of later Lizzy Borden although honestly not as good. Another comparison that comes to mind is Seven Witches after they ran out of steam around the Amped Album. Musically this is highly traditional and straightforward with just a bit of modernization in the guitar sound. In a similar way the vocals are traditional wailing, but with some slightly raspier bits that seem to try to be a little updated as well.  Stylistically, this is just a little too typical and see through. Kind of like any given 80s has-been trying to update themselves in the most see through fashion possible. There's just nothing imaginative here. Add to that the songs aren't all that varied, lack direction, and the vocalist is a bit nasally and has too limited of a range to completely sell his wails and you have a recipe for mediocrity. If I heard this new Cloven Hoof as an opening band I'd probably say they didn't suck, were mostly competent musicians, but didn't really have the songwriting thing down yet. Really, if I had to come up with an example for completely average metal this could serve as a fine definition. Then as perhaps the death blow to what is an mediocre album anyway, the sound of this release seems both thin and muddy at the same time. The vocals in particular seem like you're hearing them through some sort of murky fog and get lost in the music.

With a typical approach, murky sound, and below average songwriting there's not really a lot of good I can say about this. The musicians seem competent, but that's about it. It doesn't outright suck, but I can't image listening to this again or that this sort of reunion attempt was worth it. There's just a lot of better music out there that is more worthy of my time. I'll just listen to the epicness and soaring vocals of A Sultan's Ransom and be happy. The band was once great, but that's probably in the past now.

Highlights: Not really no.

Rating - 1.5/5

Timo Tolkki's Avalon - Angels Of The Apocalypse

Symphonic Power Metal
Frontiers
2014










1. Song For Eden (Intro)
2. Jerusalem Is Falling
3. Design The Century
4. Rise Of The 4th Reich
5. Stargate Atlantis
6. The Paradise Lost
7. You'll Bleed Forever
8. Neon Sirens
9. High Above Me
10. Angels Of The Apocalypse
11. Garden Of Eden

The second album is always an interesting one for a new band. The first release is the one that (hopefully) gets you excited, but the second album is the first test of the band's staying power and if they can continuously come up with good material. That is the test for Timo Tolkki here coming off a strong debut in The Land Of New Hope. I really wanted this one to continue to be good as I used to love this man's songwriting before the virtual nervous breakdown he had in Stratovarius. It was really nice to hear him seemingly finding his way again and I went into this rooting for him to succeed.

Well, rooting for Timo to succeed doesn't make it so. This isn't the worst power metal album I've ever heard, but I've certainly heard a lot of this before. A number of bands have tried the collection of guest vocalists thing since Avantasia gained some popularity doing it, but most have been subpar imitations with some of the more generic power metal I've ever heard and a lot of these songs fit comfortably into that category. The trick of sorts with having a cast of vocalists is making songs that fit the vocalists or alternatively picking the right vocalists for the songs. If you're going to bring in a bunch of varied talent than all the talent has to fit into their respective niches. That is largely where the last album succeeded and this one mostly fails. Well, that and trying to be more epic where as the last album was good to me because it wasn't the typical epic ensemble and a bit more subtle.

On The Land Of New Hope there was sort of a melodic/atmospheric nature to a lot of the material. Everything was smooth, flowing, and caught my  attention with the melodies. On Angels Of The Apocalypse there is no real coherent sound or identity. Loosely, this album tries to be more epic/symphonic, but the sound is pretty varied. A great deal of the tracks here sound like a mish mash of the most predictable power metal with some slight flavors of the bands that the vocalists come from. Rise Of The 4th Reich for instance sounds like a C grade Virgin Steele song where the music is too toned down to be effective and Defeis' vocals overpower the music. Jerusalem Is Falling is also guilty of this as Fabio Lione sounds heavier than the music which is similarly uninspired symphonic music that lacks the punch to sell it.

Another problem I couldn't help noticing here is that some of the vocal talent is thoroughly wasted. Some of the best moments of the last album came from Elize Ryd, but here she's reduced to a virtual backup role as she sings only parts of two songs along with 3 or 4 other vocalists respectively. That's certainly a head scratcher for me. Maybe she was only willing to commit so much session time to this band, but whatever the reason the band ends up leaning away from the strengths of the first album. Fantastic singer Simone Simons is likewise only utilized as part of these ensemble tracks which are honestly pretty forgettable anyway. High Above Me is a ballad of little note and the title track Angels Of The Apocalypse is a bloated epic that fails to justify it's own length.

On the positive side, not all of the album is bad though and some tracks that stick to the more simple, catchy, and melodic format do succeed in a way similar to the first album. Perhaps the biggest saving grace of this album is that Floor Jansen tends to pair well with the music she sings on. Songs like the smooth single Design The Century and the melodic and swift moving The Paradise Lost are among the best the album has to offer and make for solid highlights. Fabio Lione does get it right on his other track, Stargate Atlantis, as well which features a more subdued vocal performance more in line with the light power metal fare that makes up that track. It's not mind blowing, but it has a good flow and is not so jarring as his other track.

A few good highlights can't really make up for the bulk of the album just not being that interesting however. This isn't a terrible album, but it's not really a noteworthy one either. In the end this just sounds like something that fans of the vocalists might want to hear once, but that's about it. Basically, a lot of these songs are bonus track quality. Things that are interesting to hear, but don't compare to the usual material from the artists. This is certainly a misstep in Timo Tolkki's rejuvenation and not the review I wanted to write. Here's hoping that Timo can right this ship and find the spark that made the first album. Maybe it would be better for the man if he stuck to a more stable cast of vocalists or one good one. Hell, I wouldn't object to him making an album with just Elize Ryd or Rob Rock from the first release or even Floor Jansen if it could be arranged. Those two just seemed to sync up with his style better.

Highlights: Stargate Atlantis, Design The Century, The Paradise Lost

Rating - 3.0/5

Sabaton - Heroes

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast
2014











1. Night Witches
2. No Bullets Fly
3. Smoking Snakes
4. Inmate 4859
5. To Hell And Back
6. The Ballad Of Bull
7. Resist And Bite
8. Soldier Of 3 Armies
9. Far From The Fame
10. Hearts Of Iron

Recently, Sabaton's stock has been rising for me and it seems like that has been the case for a lot of the metal community. Sabaton have been moving further up towards the headlining spots of festivals, have been able to do their own headlining US tour, etc. None of these things would have seemed all that imaginable earlier in the band's career or at least not to me. Early on I considered Sabaton a passable, but kind of unspectacular power metal band as their brand of warrior type power metal has been done and done again. The thing is is that the band has really grown on me and their sound has continually matured to be less raw and more epic while still staying pretty heavy for the most part. I think the album that really won me over and showed that their songwriting could be more than just a one trick sort of deal was Coat of Arms where the songwriting was fairly diverse with a clean and powerful sound. It was a bit of a grower that I like more now than when I reviewed it. I'd also credit my growing regard for the band to getting to see them live and seeing just how Fun their sound and energy came across in that regard. Between seeing them live and hearing the two songs, To Hell And Back & Resist And Bite, in advance of the album I guess you could say my expectations were pretty high. Those two songs are just awesome and left me wanting to hear more.

Listening to Heroes, this album seems to have a bit more fire than Carolus Rex as things don't get too bloated with concept and most of the songs are quick moving and quick to finish. For the most part the formula is basically heavy, swift, epic, and short as the songs come out firing and rap things up generally within four minutes. This seems like a pretty good formula for the band really as the songs have a rather basic and continued point of being fist pumping and the quick changes provide for a bit of song to song variation before anything overstays it's welcome. Nothing wrong with being heavy and to the point. These sort of songs all seem made for the live arena.

The one issue I take with these short tracks is that there aren't really enough of them. I guess Sabaton albums have always been shortish and typically clock in around forty minutes and this may be a bit nitpicky, but having an album at 37 minutes is a bit like the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I expect a little more material than this if I'm going to shell out the cash for an album. One or two more songs would have done it really. It's just short enough to be noticeable as a bit lacking in that regard. Another minor gripe would be that the album did fall a bit short of the expectations it set for itself. I perfectly understand making the two best songs available as singles/previews in advance of the album, but it was a bit underwhelming that none of the other songs lived up to the promise of To Hell And Back and Resist And Bite. Certainly, there are other good songs to be found but none that match the folksy catchiness of To Hell And Back or the huge vocal sound and pounding rhythm of Resist And Bite.

Those relatively minor complaints aside though, there are certainly other good songs to be found and the album keeps the energy flowing extremely well. Actually, I'd say I find every track on this album pretty damn enjoyable except for one and that comes in the form of a change of pace ballad titled The Ballad Of Bull. This one is just too over the top sappy power ballad for me to enjoy it. One of the change of pace sort of tracks is also a favorite though as it does stand out as a nice breath of fresh air and as a generally different song for the band. That track is Inmate 4859. The pace of that one is almost doomy and carries a great slow burn heaviness along with a somewhat sinister vibe. Appropriate for a topic like Auschwitz I would say. Night Witches also makes the highlight list as just a good heavy opener with a lot of energy and some nice big gang vocals to add that epic touch.

Maybe this album isn't the huge step forward that To Hell And Back and Resist And Bite promised me, but it is one of their better albums and I don't think you can realistically Ask for much more than that. This is a great album to throw on if you want a lot of energy and direct yet epic songs. I can see Heroes as being something excellent to work out to, etc and I see no reason why this shouldn't be pleasing to fans of the band. The only things that hold back the album slightly for me from a higher rating are the amount of material on here and the fact some of the songs blend together and don't distinguish themselves as much as the two tracks available in advance of the release of the album.


Highlights: To Hell And Back, Resist And Bite, Inmate 4859

Rating - 4.0/5

Edguy - Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast
2014










1. Sabre & Torch
2. Space Police
3. Defenders of the Crown
4. Love Tyger
5. The Realms Of Baba Yaga
6. Rock Me Amadeus (Falco Cover)
7. Do Me Like A Caveman
8. Shadow Eaters
9. Alone In Myself
10. The Eternal Wayfarer

There was a time when I would have considered Edguy one of the top bands in the power metal scene, but that time becomes increasingly distant by the album. Age of the Joker got an okay rating from me, but it was not exciting, and the two before that fared considerably worse. With that said, it's easy to see why I only approached this one with passing interest going in. There's always the glimmer of hope a band can refind themselves though so I gave this one it's shot.

Sometimes you feel like you should have known better and Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown is certainly one such case. Sometimes I wonder why I even put myself listening to albums like this. I mean it was pretty easy to have an inkling that this would be entirely too goofy from the title of the album and the single Love Tyger. At least the last album had the kind of fun Robin Hood for a single which was lighthearted, but not so incredibly self parodying as to not be taken seriously.

Listening through this one I basically just heard a completely unexciting blend of uninventive power metal mixed with varying degrees of glam/cock rock nonsense and too much silliness popping up far too often. There are very few redeeming qualities to Space Police really and just when you think a song may get good it tends to take a turn just as quickly. What made early Edguy classic was the choruses, punch of the songs, and the epic overtones and those elements rarely show up here and then only briefly. Instead what we get is a whimsical pop rock vibe that contaminates even the songs that are more power metal oriented at their core.

The track Space Police starts off well enough for instance but then gets goofy as it progresses with the addition of spacey sounding keyboards and Tobias' strange warbling over poppier sounding music. Then there are pure throwaways like their cover of the already goofy Rock Me Amadeus, Love Tyger which sounds like pure 80s hair metal with power metal production, the poppy and goofy Do Me Like A Caveman, and a sticky sweet ballad by the name of Alone In Myself. The sad thing is that even the more pure power metal track Sabre & Torch fails to be exciting as the whole thing sounds forced with Tobias sounding strained as opposed to majestic or powerful. Defenders of the Crown also suffers from similar problems as the chanted chorus just comes off as uninventive and none too powerful. The Realms Of Baba Yaga also tries for more of a power metal approach, but comes off as too light hearted in sound and lyrics for the subject material as that pesky silliness pops into the song again.

Really, there are only two songs I didn't find myself internally complaining about too much and the first one, Shadow Eaters, didn't come until track 8 and then only attained a rating of being passable. It's a pretty average power metal song really, but by this point it just not sucking was noteworthy. The real kicker though is the fact track 10, The Eternal Wayfarer is actually pretty good. A slower intro builds up to a nice mid-paced roll coupled with a strong keyboard presence and a lot of epic flare. If more of the album was like this one I would be writing a very different review, but the rest of the album doesn't even come close to this level of quality. This is the one song here that really reminds me of why I used to like Edguy and conjures up memories of past glories like The Piper Never Dies and The Pharaoh. This is just destined to be a hidden gem that I rarely listen to based on all the crap surrounding it. Just good enough of a song to cause frustration over the rest of the album not pursuing this direction.

The only way to sum up this album is that it is pretty much to the modern era of power metal what hair/glam metal was to the 80s. This is just too goofy and stupid to be taken seriously or enjoyed. Tobias seems to think he's hilarious and fun but to me at least he just comes across as juvenile and stupid these days. Until he gets back to writing more serious material and lyrics I just have no interest in Edguy and I don't see it happening. Too much pop, not enough epic power.

Highlights: The Eternal Wayfarer

Rating - 1.5/5

Brainstorm - Firesoul

Power Metal
AFM
2014










1. Erased By The Dark
2. Firesoul
3. Descendants Of The Fire
4. Entering Solitude
5. Recall The Real
6. Shadowseeker
7. Feed Me Lies
8. What Grows Inside
9. The Chosen
10. ...And I Wonder

I've always liked Brainstorm though I'm not sure I could say I've ever quite loved them. Never really a top tier power metal band, they have none the less made some material I've liked and I do quite enjoy Andy B. Franck's vocals.  Basically, they have qualified as a good power metal band if not a favorite or a leader of the pack in my eyes. With that in mind I went into this one with modest expectations, but some curiosity. It had been awhile since they Really peaked my interest, but I'd also love to hear something like Metus Mortis or Soul Temptation again. What I wanted was some good German power metal heaviness.

Well, what I wanted was pretty much what I got. This is some heavy German power metal. Firesoul is a straight forward sort of album as it just focuses on blazing ahead, keeping the head up, and keeping the listener's head banging. Mission accomplished I would say as the band sounds good with the pedal to the floor and just focusing on laying down some heavy riffs while Andy B Franck soars above them with his Bruce Dickinson reminiscent sound and projection. There's not a huge amount of variation here and this is pretty no frills, but that kind of works to the album's benefit. Basically, there is an obvious formula, but the formula is solid. Firesoul is the kind of album I could easily see myself throwing on when I just want high energy/something to pump me up. There are a few moments of the more melodic to vary things just a bit though and those are also appreciated in that sort of way. Entering The Solitude uses a short melodic passage to set up the song early on and a couple others do make wider use of a mid paced, melodic approach. These include Recall The Real with it's chanting and paced approach as well as the highlight ...And I Wonder. That one just nails the mid paced approach as it allows Franck's vocals to breathe nicely and comes off as very powerful. Also worth noting is a nice touch of piano included in it.

Overall, this album is about 75% the same sort of song, but it just does a good job of it. Sometimes you want an album that just charges ahead and this fits into that sort of a niche. Perhaps not complicating things too much is to this band's benefit as this is the best album I've heard from them in awhile. I guess you can overthink things sometimes and getting back to basics serves Brainstorm well. If you just want some good, heavy, straight up German power metal than this is pretty satisfying.

Highlights: Descendants Of The Fire, Entering Solitude, ...And I Wonder

Rating - 3.5/5

Gamma Ray - Empire Of The Undead

Power Metal
earMUSIC
2014








1. Avalon
2. Hellbent
3. Pale Rider
4. Born To Fly
5. Master Of Confusion
6. Empire Of The Undead
7. Time For Deliverance
8. Demonseed
9. Seven
10. I Will Return

I can't really say I've ever been as huge on Gamma Ray as some people. I've liked them well enough, at times, but I've never put them on top of the power metal heap. Actually, I liked them considerably better and found them more adventurous and interesting on their Ralf Scheepers era material, but I guess I'm just an odd power metal fan like that. All that being said, I did think their last album was pretty good, if again, not the best power metal has to offer. I think it's been since New World Order that this band has actually excited me, but there are worse things to my ears than pretty decent power metal so I figured I'd give this a shot.

Well, it looks like we're in for a track by track ride again because I compiled a rather long list of notes/gripes listening to this one. From the start Avalon is alright, but isn't the kind of song I'd recommend to set the tone early as it is a bit too mid-paced and generic to start. It does pick up about halfway and it's not bad, but has little fire to make it jump out and I'd like to hear a bit more of that from Gamma Ray. Kai also doesn't really establish himself early as the vocals just lack the force to really sell this kind of a slow starter with softer moments mixed in early. If the music is going to be this low energy I'd at least like some passion in the vocal delivery to lift it up. Following that Hellbent is considerably higher energy and features some nice riffs, but is not without it's own problems. For one thing the lyrical unoriginality is kinda striking here. I'm pretty sure I've heard a band singing about being hellbent for something before. It's hard to avoid retreading familiar grounds sometimes, but this is pretty blatant. Hellbent for Metal is even the name of a Judas Priest tribute album. After that pretty good, but not so creative song we have Pale Rider which is kinda groove oriented and not half bad at it. I continue to be unimpressed with Kai though who sounds kinda raspy and unimpressive on the highs. Moving on to Born To Fly, this one reminds me a bit of something that could have appeared on another Judas Priest album, but this time it's Turbo. The music here has sort of a retro grooviness to it at times and at others has more of melodic flow. Comparing things to Turbo is rarely favorable and such is the case here regarding the quality of the track. The lyrics dip into the land of cliche again as well with lyrics about flying like an Eagle. I'm pretty sure I've heard something similar a time or two before to say the least. Master Of Confusion follows this with more of a melodic, but upbeat flow driven by the bass that kinda reminds me of Heaven or Hell. This is probably the most enjoyable track so far with it's catchy qualities, but it is a bit familiar as well.

Starting off the second half of the album, the title track opens up well with a decent wail and some faster guitar. It's a good start, but it quickly becomes apparent there's not a lot of variation in the music here and the riffs are a bit too familiar. The vocals are really starting to become a weak spot here as well as Kai tries to speedily talk along with the music before moving into some slightly gruffer vocals. Time For Deliverance then suddenly bottoms out on the heaviness scale with kind of a sappy sounding power metal ballad that would have been better off being left on the cutting room floor. Following this Demonseed has a very choppy sound and is another midpaced number. The stop/go sound of this wears on me quickly and it pretty much overstays it's welcome at 6:39.

On a legitimately positive note, Seven actually manages to wake me up as it comes in with a blazing riff, a nice melodic/catchy sound, and just a higher degree of memorability and energy than the rest of the album has mustered. This is one of those hidden gem sort of songs that just makes you wonder why the rest of the release couldn't have been like this. If more of Empires of the Undead was like this album would end up with a considerably higher rating than I had in mind after hearing all the songs it took to get here. Finally, closing out the album comes I Will Return which starts off with some happier sounding power metal before gaining a bit of edge to the guitar and picking up the speed. This one also has a pretty good energy level and is an above averge quick paced power metal song. Maybe not a new classic, but the album ends with a couple tracks that are easily better than the rest of the release.

Overall, listening to Empire of the Undead I heard a band that seems a bit tired. Not very much of this was particularly original or exciting and I think Kai's voice may be wearing down a bit with age. This is just not really a band anywhere near the top of their game. The songs that really distinguish themselves are too few and really only come after I was already getting kinda bored with the album. It just took listening to too many bland songs before the album really made an impression at all. I can't really see myself listening to this album through much. If anything I could see me randomly throwing on the last couple of tracks on occasion. At it's heart most of this album is pretty generic power metal and there's not enough out of the vocals or the riffs to fully sell it.

Highlights: Hellbent, I Will Return

Rating - 2.5/5

Stormwarrior - Thunder & Steele

Power Metal
Massacre
2014








1. Thunder & Steele
2. Metal Avenger
3. Sacred Blade
4. Ironborn
5. Steelcrusader
6. Fyres In The Nighte
7. Die By The Hammer
8. Child On Fyre
9. One Will Survive
10. Servants Of Metal

My first experience with the band Stormwarrior is a pretty ease one to remember. Back when going to ProgPower used to be a highlight for me I caught this band on the 2010 edition. I wasn't really familiar with them at the time, but I looked them up as they were on the bill with other bands I wanted to see. They seemed a little bit typical power metal to me, but I liked them well enough and they even had a song I loved in the track Heading Northe. They didn't quite blow me away, but they performed well live when I eventually saw them and the guys in the band seemed nice enough. Really this is the kind of album I give a shot when not a lot of bands I Love are releasing stuff and I feel like something new.

Well, one thing Thunder & Steele doesn't do is waste time as things start off extremely speedy from the start. There's only a short and quick paced drum intro before we dive right into maximum speed. From the start I'm reminded of Kai Hansen Helloween or particularly Gamma Ray as the vocals are similarly nasally and the music just blazes ahead in speed metal fashion. Hibria is another one that comes to mind with this not so subtle approach to power metal. The thing with the sound here is it's not at all varied. If you want nothing but a speed metal assault this is competent, but there's not really vocal range or enough creativity to keep my attention. Basically, this comes off as very middle of the road power metal without the songwriting ability, range, or vocal ability to propel it any kind of real recognition. When I say a band is typical power metal this is exactly the kind of band I think of, but since there's really no stand out songs at all the album falls even a little below that. The only thing that separates them is the one trick of never relenting and that only gets you so far. Of course, it's worth noting that the one really mid-paced track here, Child Of Fyre, is kind of boring so maybe that's why they try to sell themselves almost entirely on speed.

Basically, if you like your metal completely over the top speed than this might be worth a look, but I bet you've heard better in even that regard. Personally, I found the lack of variation grew a bit tiresome quickly. The band is talented enough and the they play with ferocity, but the predictability of these songs is very high. This is competent enough, but as songwriters I find the band to be totally average with only moments of something better and none of those moments really make it to this album. Almost all of the songs here sound like a slight variation of a very obvious idea.

Highlights: Not really. It's mostly a bunch of comparable, inside the box, speed metal.

Rating - 2.0/5

Iron Savior - Rise Of The Hero

Power Metal
AFM
2014








1. Ascendance (Intro)
2. Last Hero
3. Revenge Of The Bride
4. From Beyond Time
5. Burning Heart
6. Thunder From Mountains
7. Iron Warrior
8. Dragon King
9. Dance With Somebody (Mando Diao Cover)
10. Firestorm
11. The Demon
12. Fistraiser

In a way Iron Savior is a great representation of the power metal scene as a whole. Maybe they're not the most technical/showy or the most varied band in the metal scene, but they're really great at sounding epic, powerful vocal deliveries, and energy that gets you pumped. I pretty much know what to expect from an Iron Savior album and that is to bang my head and want to sing along.  They're just great at what they do and an Iron Savior song is immediately recognizable as theirs. Really, how much I like an Iron Savior album tends to come in how infectious the songs are, how epic the choruses feel, and how driving the rhythms are so it all boils down to the songwriting session. The Landing certainly had it, but it's worth noting that the previous album Megatropolis' songs just didn't grab me as much. Going into this one I was hoping the band kept up the energy level from The Landing.

After listening to Rise Of The Hero I couldn't really remember one strikingly driving rhythm or super epic chorus so that pretty much tells you what you need to know. The sound is basically still the same with it's gruff-ish vocals building to soaring/layered choruses and thick chainsaw-like guitar charging ahead coupled with the feel of a sci-fi warrior movie's soundtrack, but there's something missing. This album is lacking that magical, so called it factor. Nothing here takes any big leaps in sound and this is familiar, pretty decent sounding stuff, but it never really seems to get past the familiar. As already stated, I don't expect Iron Savior to reinvent the wheel, but I do expect them to come up with a rhythm that stands out and sticks in my head or a chorus that just makes me want to sing along. That never really happens for me as the songs seem to lack that extra bit of passion or muscle and the choruses sometimes get a bit overly light and happy. The overall sound is still good, still Iron Savior, but that's about all that can really be said of this. Rise Of The Hero is basically more Megatropolis than The Landing. I just don't hear any new songs to really latch onto here that make for new live staples or that make me want to pick this album sometimes over another, better Iron Savior release.

These are my least favorite sort of reviews to write because the band didn't do anything particularly Wrong. There were no big changes, but they didn't do anything exceptionally right either. It's almost something you need to hear to understand. In that sense this is probably worth a listen for fans, but I certainly wouldn't recommend this for a new listener. If this was the first album I heard from Iron Savior I'd probably walk away thinking they had a nice sound, but were a little too typical to stand out in the genre. For a band with a pretty predictable sound you just need those sort of nifty little moments that make the songs jump out and this album doesn't really have them. The band simply doesn't come up with any new tricks here or get quite forceful or powerful enough in the deliveries to set the band/songs apart. Honestly, the highlights listed here wouldn't be highlights on an album like Condition Red or Unification. It's albums like this that I can't get excited about reviewing and they turn into a chore because I don't have anything to write about that I particularly loved or hated.

Highlights: Revenge Of The Bride, Burning Heart, Dragon King

Rating - 3.0/5

Primal Fear - Delivering The Black

Power Metal
Frontiers
2014








1. King For A Day
2. Rebel Faction
3. When Death Comes Knocking
4. Alive And On Fire
5. Delivering The Black
6. Road To Asylum
7. One Night In December
8. Never Pray For Justice
9. Born With A Broken Heart
10. Inseminoid

Going into this new one from Primal Fear I'm not sure I had much of an expectation. Their last album, Unbreakable, was pretty forgettable. It really just kind of robbed me of any excitement going into this one. On the other hand, Primal Fear have only released one other album I didn't like in Devil's Ground so I was hoping for a rebound here. The last one was so bland I just really hoped the band wasn't running low on steam.

The good news is this album has way more fire than the last one. From the start the riffs have a lot more edge to them and the album sounds more aggressive than the band has in quite awhile. I liked the more melodic approach of New Religion and Seven Seals, but it's also cool to see the band showing that it hasn't forgotten it's roots. This is very upbeat and attacking material the likes of which I haven't really heard consistently from the band since Black Sun. In fact both the riffs and the guitar sound recall Nuclear Fire and even a bit of the early, even more obvious Priest worship of the first album. This is a pretty drastic step back for the band, but I guess they must have been tired of the more melodic rock geared experimentation they'd adopted on the often melodic rock/metal based label Frontiers. It's a welcome change in that it seems to have breathed some life back into Primal Fear's song. Primal Fear really don't let their foot off the gas much on this one and it's a pretty heavy experience. I think my only real gripe is that the album comes off as a bit overproduced at times for the material. The obnoxiously up front cymbal crashes in King For A Day are one example of the production being a bit distracting and the backing chanting in Rebel Faction that follow seem a bit unnecessary. This problem is most evident on the bloated epic One Night In December though with it's pompous piano, strings, and bell intro. The song isn't even that bad, but I'm not sure it needed the symphonic treatment. It just tries a little too hard to be epic and the length of this track is also not really necessary. The ballad Born With A Broken Heart is another one with a heavy handed melodic/symphonic approach, but in fairness this seems a little more appropriate in ballad form. My favorite tracks though really tend to be the ones that are more direct and just kick some ass. There's nothing fancy about songs like Alive And On Fire, Never Pray For Justice, or Road To Asylum but they have a good attacking approach with a touch of groove.

I can't help but thinking the album could have benefited from sounding just a little rawer and that Frontiers is maybe not the best label to be handling this sort of material. Despite any flaws in the sound though the songs are far better than on Unbreakable though and this is a certain improvement. This isn't a flawless album, but the riffs are there and keep the head moving. Overall, this isn't a quite a home run but it's a definite step up compared to the last release and I'll take it.

Highlights: Alive And On Fire, Never Pray For Justice, Road To Asylum

Rating - 3.5/5

Tad Morose - Revenant

Power Metal
Despotz Records
2013








1. Beneath A Veil Of Crying Souls
2. Follow
3. Babylon
4. Within A Dream
5. Ares
6. Absence Of Light
7. Death Embrace
8. Dance Of The Damned
9. Spirit World
10. Timeless Dreaming
11. Millenium Lie
12. Gypsy

It's been a good long decade since Tad Morose has put out any music. I have memories of listening to this band in my high school and college years. It's weird to see them finally return really. When any band is gone that long it begs the question... Can they come back? The question mark just gets bigger when you throw in the fact that they have a new vocalist. Replacing Urban Breed... that's some big shoes to fill. The guy is one of the best in power metal in my book. I had to approach this one with a lot of skepticism.

Well, this sounds like Tad Morose in essence. Aggressive power metal with a slight dark flare about it. The guitar is familiar with basically the same tone as they were doing a decade ago. The problem is... it's too close. This sounds like leftovers or like they're trying way too hard to be the band they used to be. Like instead of going for anything new, any slight tweak, or anything fresh they were content go go... yup... we're still Tad Morose. It sounds like a half remembered idea of what they sort of recall they used to be and it doesn't cut it.

Let's talk about the vocals for a minute though because they are the nail in the coffin. It seems like new singer Ronny Hemlin tried to mimic the slightly harsh vocals of Urban Breed. That sort of lightly growled, but powerful style. The problem is he's nowhere Near as powerful and does not have the same melodic sense. Everything sounds sort of yelped out rather than smoothly rolling over the music. I actually find the vocals here incredibly irritating for some reason. I guess because it sounds like I'm being barked at or something. The vocalist change here kind of reminds me of when Steel Prophet did an album with Nadir D'Priest. The drop off in quality is equally severe.

Well, add together what sounds like mediocre leftovers and a vocalist who actively annoyed me listening to him and you don't have much of an album. If this didn't have the name Tad Morose on it, I wouldn't have even bothered to review it probably. This is the essence of a mediocre power metal. All the songs just blended together in a blur of uninspired riffs, none of the melodies stick, and you just end up with a totally forgettable album. The only thing that stuck was the memory of shitty vocals. The name of the album, Revenant is oddly appropriate though. This is a ghost of the band that used to be.

Highlights: No

Rating - 1.5/5

Rhapsody Of Fire - Dark Wings Of Steel

Symphonic Power Metal
AFM
2013








1. Vis Divina
2. Rising From Tragic Flames
3. Angel Of Light
4. Tears Of Pain
5. Fly To Crystal Skies
6. My Sacrifice
7. Silver Lake Of Tears
8. Custode Fi Pace
9. A Tale Of Magic
10. Dark Wings Of Steel
11. Sad Mystic Moon

Rhapsody Of Fire has a lot to prove to me from the very start. They come out with the burden of having to prove that they deserve to exist. I suppose every band has that burden to some degree, but it is really apparent here. Luca Turilli's Rhapsody pushed out an album much faster and it absolutely kicked my ass. I mean, Rhapsody has always been Luca Turilli's band in essence so the odds on which band would success always favored Luca's group. That being said, I do like vocalist Fabio Lione a lot and I don't want to dismiss Alex Starpoli who have been involved in the band since the beginning. My best hope would be that both pursue their own direction and they each have a different vision and good music to offer. I just couldn't help having the feeling that Luca was going to school these guys on who owns the band Rhapsody after the monster Ascending To Infinity album. So I guess the question is... Do we need two Rhapsodys?

After listening to Dark Wings Of Steel the answer is kind of yes and no. Certainly, Rhapsody Of Fire has a different focus as this sounds less orchestral and more like Rhapsody's old school fantasy power metal driven by keyboards. In that way the band does take a step back to older Rhapsody and that could appeal to some fans. The material does beg the question of whether or not there is a need to revisit this material or if this is simply retreading old ground though. Personally, I have to lead towards no with this material coming off as somewhat derivative. Sure, it sounds like older Rhapsody, but the band has grown since then and this is kind of like removing that growth, removing the songwriting power of Luca, and coming up with some typical power metal that sounds like what you've heard before. It's not too bad for what it is, but I can't really get that excited by any of the songs here. Nothing really has the epic punch of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and the neoclassical shredding is not really up to Luca's level. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh here as this isn't bad power metal. I mean in relative terms this is pretty competent in structure and musicianship, the vocals are good, and some of the songs are pretty enjoyable. The album and the band face a big problem though and that is obvious. Can this live up to previous Rhapsody material or what Luca is doing now? Based on this first album the answer is no. I'd probably see them live if they came around, I'll check out what they put out next, but will I reach for this album when I want some music of this type? Probably not often. The bottom line is Luca Turilli's album has more epic punch and better songs. This really is a silver medal for Rhapsody fans and I'm not sure that will cut it.

All in all, this is a decent symphonic power album in a familiar Rhapsody style. It's probably worth it for fans to listen to, but as a fan myself, I have to maintain that my reaction on this one is really middle of the road. I'm still not certain we need two Rhapsodys and the other one kicks the shit out of Rhapsody Of Fire. It's just an unavoidable fact I'll be looking forward to Luca Turilli's material way more and it's hard for this band to seem all that relevant in comparison.

Highlights: Rising From Tragic Fire, Tears Of Pain

Rating - 3.0/5

Chastain - Surrender To No One

Heavy/Power Metal
Leviathan
2013








1. Stand And Fight
2. Call Of The Wild
3. Deep Down
4. Freedom Within
5. I Am Sin
6. Rise Up
7. Evil Awaits Us
8. Fear My Wrath
9. Save Me Tonight
10. Surrender To No One
11. Bleed Through

It's been awhile since Chastain has interested me all that much. It's also been awhile since the band has released anything. That all changes though with a new release featuring their classic vocalist Leather Leone. Certainly my interest was peaked hearing that she was coming back to the fold here. It's the same with any sort of classic reunion. It gets you to remembering the old/classic days. I started remembering how good The Voice Of The Cult and The 7th Of Never were. Still, I also had to remember it's been awhile since those releases and Chastain had moved in a different direction on more recent albums. The question was would we be getting the shredding of old or the less interesting chuggy riffs off the more recent material. One also had to wonder if Leather would sound as good as she did back in the day.

Listening to Surrender To No One it seems to fall somewhere between the old and the new. For the most part the riffs are more old school sounding and up tempo which does bring things back more towards the style of the old. Leather Leone also contributes to the feel of this being more of a traditional sort of metal album with her raspy snarls. That being said there is still a somewhat modern feel at times and things do get chuggy here and there. The mix of styles isn't bad for the most part and I do like some of the groovier stuff like the thick chug and attitude of Fear My Wrath. The album is at it's best when the guitar sounds a bit cleaner and swifter though. Energetic tracks like Freedom Within and Call Of The Wild keep a good pace going and are pretty rocking.

One thing I can't help thinking about the music here though is that the guitar does seem to lack some of the more showy neoclassical leads and solos that made old Chastain for me. Things are direct to a fault at times and I can't really point to any song that gets creative enough to be truly exciting/memorable. Nothing on hear really lives up to the classics more or less. Another issue to me is that Leone doesn't seem to have the same melodic moments she did at times on the old stuff. There's way less clear, soaring wails and a lot more rasping and growling. Of course she always had some of that, but I can hear the age in her voice. There are a few moments of the more melodic in the solid Deep Down In The Darkness which also has a bit more flair to the guitar than a lot of the tracks. Save Me Tonight uses cleaner vocals more than any other track, but the use of them and the song in general is not great. The clean moments come in the form of some super cheesy sounding 80s ballad moments that I could have really done without. Listening to this next to the 90s sounding chugging of Fear My Wrath is pretty strange. They honestly don't sound like they belong on the same album.

Surrender To No One is the kind of album that excited me for about a minute. At first it sounded more traditional and it was good to have Leather Leone back. By the time the album was done though Surrender To No One didn't have the songs to make it memorable and Leather Leone sounds a bit tired. It's just not the same really. Between the lack of flair in the leads and solos, Leather Leone not quite being what she used to be, and the album sounding a bit confused at times this is just a flawed release. Not really bad, but certainly underwhelming. This is at least worth a listen from fans of the band, but this isn't the sort of release that's going to really revive Chastain or bring in New fans. Pretty middle of the road stuff. It has it's moments and it's interesting hearing a more old school approach from Chastain, but this album doesn't have much of any staying power.

Highlights: Rise Up, Freedom Within, Deep Down In The Darkness

Rating - 3.0/5

Running Wild - Resilient

Power Metal

SPV

2013

1. Soldiers Of Fortune

2. Resilient

3. Adventure Highway

4. The Drift

5. Desert Rose

6. Fireheart

7. Run Riot

8. Down To The Wire

9. Crystal Gold

10. Bloody Island

Coming off of the album Shadowmaker, this is an album I was looking forward to hearing from Running Wild. Reviews on that album were a bit mixed, but personally I found it fun and catchy. It's absolutely true that Running Wild isn't the same band they were in earlier days though so I can understand the varied reactions to their more recent material. Running Wild just aren't the speed demon they used to be so that's something you kind of have to accept if you want to keep listening to them. My expectation for Resilient was pretty much just rocking and catchy anthems. I'd love it if they went full on Death or Glory blazing leads again, but I was more expecting a fun and hook filled rocker.

Listening to Resilient I don't hear a lot of surprises really. Not a lot has changed from Shadowmaker as this is more rocking than blazing. Most of the tracks have a good anthemic energy, but it comes less from speedy leads and more from sing song vocals and rocking hooks. There are some teases of older Running Wild in familiar epic guitar tones, pirate themes, and a speedy moment or two, but this is mostly what Running Wild is doing these days. The highlights do tend to be the speedier ones though and there are a couple. Soldiers Of Fortune sounds kinda like something that could have been on Pile Of Skulls and starts the album with one of the more upbeat leads of the album. Adventure Highway is also a quicker moving one which builds to a nice chorus you can sing along to. Blood Island is a bit more paced and maybe a bit overlong, but it's also fairly epic. Maybe not their best epic length song ever, but I found it a nice inclusion anyway. Overall, I don't think the highlights are quite as strong as Shadowmaker, which is a minor disappointment, but the album is more or less on equal ground overall. The hooks don't grab me quite as immediately, but the general listening experience isn't far removed and the end rating is about the same.

Basically, if you liked Shadowmaker or any of their more recent mid-paced album this isn't bad. It sounds like Running Wild and it has that fun, epic pirate quality about it. There's nothing genius here or anything to change anyone's mind about their recent material either way. Personally, I still want some new pirate sing-a-longs and this satisfies that. It's not a new classic, but it's pretty good material anyway and above the general curve of power metal. Pretty good mid-paced power metal with epic tones and mid-range vocals.

Highlights: Adventure Highway, Soldiers Of Fortune, Bloody Island

Rating - 3.5/5

Lingua Mortis Orchestra - LMO

Symphonic Metal
Nuclear Blast

2013

1. Cleaned By Fire
2. Scapegoat
3. The Devil's Bride
4. Lament
5. Oremus
6. Witches' Judge
7. Eye For An Eye
8. Afterglow
9. Straight To Hell (Rage cover)
10. One More Time (Rage cover)

Lingua Mortis Orchestra aren't really a stranger to me going into this one. Sure they're sort of a new band, but this is also Lingua Mortis Orchestra featuring Rage where as before Rage featured Lingua Mortis Orchestra. It's not a huge change, but you could feel why the distinction was being made from the start. Basically, Rage and particularly Victor Smolski wanted to bring the orchestra to the forefront and not be concerned with making an album that had to sound like Rage. This being Lingua Mortis Orchestra allows a certain freedom in the songwriting and style. It's basically what side projects were made for. The idea is an interesting one though and I was looking forward to this release.

Listening to Lingua Mortis Orchestra though, I've gotta say it still pretty much sounds like Rage. The guitar sound and style is mostly familiar, we have Peavy's vocals, and the band is no big stranger to classical inspiration in some of their material anyways. That being said, there is more of an emphasis on classical structure and instrumentation as it is present throughout the album. It's just not Quite as dominating as I expected considering this is named after the Lingua Mortis Orchestra itself. All expectations aside though, the sound here is extremely good and very epic. I don't really have a problem with top shelf Rage songs that mix Victor Smolski's signature sound with more of a XIII era style. Really, this is the best, most cohesive classical fusion that the members of Rage have produced to date.

The album opens with some nice classical/operatic elements on Cleansed By Fire and the whole song is one big epic masterpiece for certain. I love this song to freakin death. Between the subtler classical moments, operatic backing vocals, and a perfect big Rage chorus this is pure win. Also worth noting is Scapegoat which brings in some death growls that have a nice heavy impact from the start and some heavy as fuck riffing. Once again, not exactly what I expected with a fair emphasis on the guitar, but the classical touches are there and play a good backup. This just continues the trend of somewhat surprising, but in a good way. Another highlight for me is the ballad Lament which features some nice smooth piano and great heartfelt vocal deliveries from Peavy and one of the female vocalists from LMO who I am not familiar with by name. There are a couple on there and I'm honestly not sure who is who, but it's nobody I'd really known before this album. Peavy still takes center stage for the bulk of the material, but all the vocal talent here is good and I do like duet tradeoffs. The two listed are Dana Harnge and Jeanette Marchewka. Not to be left out, Eye For An Eye has a nice rhythm heavily driven by the strings section.

I also have to point out that two Rage songs have been covered. Neither blew me out of the water as it's pretty much the old songs with a bit of classical accompaniment that don't add or subtract a lot from the impact. Still, these are basically extras at this point of the album as it is a good 54 minutes in length even without them. There's no shortage of content here and I look at these kinda like bonus tracks. Neat extras, but not really the best stuff here. It makes for some Rage tracks they can easily throw into the live set probably and that's ok by me.

All in all, this is a very good album for Rage fans. It's still pretty much Rage, but there are by far worse things to be. This is a strong classically inspired album from the band. There are some tweaks to the sound in the addtional female vocals and the album is pretty freakin epic. I can't be displeased with that and I don't think any fans of Rage's more orchestral stuff will be either. I think if they use this band for more of the classical material and Rage for more straight up metal than a good balance can be struck between these two different band names and fans can know what to expect from both. Anyone who likes their metal with a good dose of classical instrumentation and feel should check this one out.

Highlights: Cleaned By Fire, Scapegoat, Lament, Eye For An Eye

Rating - 4.0

Ashes Of Ares - Ashes Of Ares

Power Metal

Nuclear Blast

2013








1. The Messenger
2. Move The Chains
3. On Warrior's Wings
4. Punishment
5. This Is My Hell
6. Dead Man's Plight
7. Chalice Of Man
8. The Answer
9. What I Am
10. The One Eyed King (Bonus)

Anyone who knows me at all knows what a huge fan of Matt Barlow I am. The guy is probably my favorite metal vocalist of all time so it pretty much goes without saying that this project had my interest from the start. Not only that, but Ashes of Ares also boasts one of my favorite drummers, Van Williams who formerly played for Nevermore. Rounding out the lineup is Freddie Vidales who played for Iced Earth. That's seriously a whole lot of talent for one band to contain. I had no question going in that the band has the talent to be great. My only question was if they also had the ability to write good songs. Being able to execute material and write it is not the same deal.

I have to say that my first real experience with the band set my expectations a bit low. When the single, Dead Man's Plight, came out it kind of underwhelmed me. The track is just a bit too plodding and uninventive and doesn't really have a lot of energy. When you hear a single like that you have to just stop and wonder... is this really the best the album has to offer?

Thankfully, the answer is no... not even close. Of all the songs on the album that is my least favorite and pretty much everything else puts it to shame. Not sure about that single decision, but it's a small complaint when you hear the rest of the album is awesome.

The Messenger opens up the album with a mid-paced approach, but good vocal range and just a lot more passion. This isn't too far off an Iced Earth track in feel and reminds me a bit of the original Something Wicked album. After that, Move The Chains picks up the pace nicely with some biting riffs that make it my personal favorite on the album. This is just really good, no frills, screaming metal. I kind of like that not all of this album is epic or written around concepts like Iced Earth has been of late. Beyond that we get a bit more melodic with epic flair for On Warrior's Wings which shows off Barlow's softer vocal ability. Next up, Punishment comes in with a lot of attitude and some really heavy grooves. Nothing, but keepers so far and nothing changes as This Is My Hell starts off with an acoustic song, building into some heavier emotionally charged power from Barlow. After that one we head into Dead Man's Plight which still doesn't quite have it. One weaker track on a debut album is pretty forgivable though so let's move on to Chalice Of Man. This one comes out speedy as hell and just a tad chaotic, but I like the wide open sound and the aggression is a nice change of pace. After that we get a bit softer again as Barlow shows off his ability to project emotion beautifully through his voice. It's one of my favorite things about the guy and his ability to go from soft to a screaming demon never ceases to amaze. Rounding out the regular tracks we have What I Am which is another ripping beast of a track. Also worth noting is the bonus track The One-Eyed King which also has great edge to the guitar and plenty of heaviness to go around. This is not a filler extra.

It's not often I write about every track on an album, but barring maybe the single, everything is worth writing about. This is damn fine straight up heavy metal that recalls a very traditional style mixed with the power that power metal should have. Barlow's range is in full force here and it's a pretty perfect album for a superior frontman to be at the helm of. This is ranged, this is heavy, and this is damn good. There's a fair amount of reminders of Iced Earth, but the band also has their own songwriting flair. It just doesn't range too far from what made Barlow and that can't really be a complaint. This is just a great album for fans of Barlow era Iced Earth.

I think everyone who's as big of a fan of Barlow as I am can breathe a sigh of relief now. Not only is Matt Barlow not vanishing from the scene, but this is a great new start for him. Ashes Of Ares have what it takes to overcome the expectations of past material and make a band that stands well on it's own. This is great stuff for fans of Iced Earth, but also any fans of straight up metal. This is traditional in a way few bands are now a days in the world of subgenres, but it also manages to not sound dated at all. This is no easy feet and Ashes Of Ares is worthy of a lot of praise here. I only hope I did it justice here. The best thing I can say though is that you need to hear this for yourself.

Highlights: Move The Chains, Punishment, The Messenger, What I Am

Rating - 4.0/5

Masterplan - Novum Initium

Power Metal
AFM Records

2013

1. Per Aspera Ad Astra (Intro)
2. The Game
3. Keep Your Dreams Alive
4. Black Knight Of Magic
5. Betrayal
6. No Escape
7. Pray On My Soul
8. Earth Is Going Down
9. Return From Avalon
10. Through Your Eyes
11. Novum Initium

Masterplan's latest, Novum Initium, is the kind of album that makes me just a little nervous going in. The band has been on shaky ground with the member changes, particularly when it comes to their on and off again experience with Jorn. Mike DiMeo, who I do in fact like, failed to quite fill Jorn's shoes and oddly when Jorn came back he failed to live up to his own previous work too. The bottom line for me is that the past two albums were not as memorable and haven't really stuck with me. Given yet another shakeup in the vocal department here I had to approach this one with a bit of caution. I do like Rick Altzi though so that is a plus.

Novum Initium does start off pretty well with a solid sound that fuses power metal and melodic rock again in a way that is fairly smooth yet heavy. Rick Altzi also seems like a good fit for the band as he has a similar approach and sound to Jorn. In terms of overall sound and first impressions I found myself optimistic about Novum Initium really. The thing is that despite a pretty good sound, the whole thing ended up ringing just a little hollow for me. Something is missing here and I think it's imagination. This is an acceptable Sound, but I found in the end that the song experience blended together and I didn't find myself particularly latching onto the material. It's like the band knew what made the first couple albums good, but they tried so hard to replicate it that they made an album of B grade mimics of what came before. Something's off here and I'm pretty sure what's missing can be chalked up to a really safe album that lacks creativity. Certainly, this could have been worse and the band weathers the storm of member shifts, but the experience viewed as a whole just underwhelmed me.

I guess the verdict on this has to be the band manages to bring the Masterplan sound back together, but there is nothing here that brings anything new or adventurous to the table. I can sort of understand why the band tried to be safe with a new singer and the band on shaky ground, but this is just too safe to be interesting. Novum Initium is just too cookie cutter to be exciting or all that memorable. I have to give this a mediocre rating because really because it's all flash and no substance. A smooth, well produced melodic power metal sound is nice and all, but you have to have more original songs and creative flare to back it up. This just doesn't. This reminds me a bit of a cover band of the Masterplan who put together the first couple of albums and my patience is running a bit thin with the band.

Highlights: Black Knight Of Magic, The Game

Rating - 2.5/5