| 1. | Amon Amarth - Fate Of Norns |
Well here goes. I've debated again and again over whether I'm really ready to write this review or not, because in the past week give or take a few days, I've felt some uncertainty as to how I feel about this album. The first day I got it, I couldn't stop listening to it, and decided that it was by far their greatest release to date. Then a few days later I realized that I was a little unhappy with the repetition to be found in the song structure and riffage. But now after giving sufficient time and thought, I feel like I've come to a conclusion that is ultimately reasonable and justifiable. The conclusion is that indeed, this album is kick ass from start to finish. I've heard some critics say that the lack of variation is a good thing because the formula Amon Amarth already has is nearly perfect. For me however, I can't get over the fact that this album sounds exactly like Versus and The Crusher. Everything down to the melodic progressions and even the overall feel of the songs has remained steady throughout. I can't deny that it's awesome or that it's so awesome that it's really carved its own niche into the death metal genre (Viking Metal). There is no way that I could deny any of this, but what I can deny is that its perfectly fine and dandy that they sound exactly the same in Fate of Norns as in their previous releases. Thus my main criticism with this release is a lack of innovation, and perhaps a lack of speed. It may just be a product of my imagination, but this record seems to be, overall, a little more sluggish than either Versus or The Crusher. Now that I've stated my main criticism, I'd like to make it clear that for every one thing that goes wrong in this album, at least 100 go right. The guitar riffs are still top notch death metal material, and the band's coordination is still impeccable. I really wish that I could see them live in support of this album, (well, to be honest I wish I could see them live period) because I'm curious to know what kind of atmosphere this album would create. Judging by the updates from the band on tour in Europe, the reaction has been pretty intense! I realize that I spent the majority of this review criticizing the album, but I wanna make it clear that I only do so because I could rant on and on about why this albums great, but there are only a few select things that I can find to complain about. Overall this album is an amazing release and I highly recommend it to both fans and newcomers!
Sam Warren |
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| 2. | Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night |
Sonata Arctica are back with their 4th studio album and on their way to conquer the Finnish throne of Melodic Power Metal. The album called "Reckoning Night" is much fresher, powerful, harder and simply 'better' than the previous one - you can really feel its energy. One again recorded in Tico Tico Studios by Ahti Kortelainen, the five-piece band, which has signed a new deal with Nuclear Blast recently, is showing their talent with this album and you can really say that they are one of the leading Power Metal bands in the Euro-Metal scene nowadays.
On "Reckoning Night" you can find as well the typical Sonata-style songs like the fast opener "Misplaced" or the power ballad "My Selene" which is as well my favorite song of this album, perhaps because the catchy chorus and great melodies. But there are also some new features on this album, like the keyboards, now played by Henrik Klingenberg, who brought his own influences to the band, or like the choirs you can hear in several songs like "Don't Say A Word" or "The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Real Puppet" and a very special song is "Reckoning Day, Reckoning Night". It's an instrumental song only consisting of piano and some synthesizers which are creating a dark atmosphere and to me it would make a perfect song for a movie soundtrack. The longest song on "Reckoning Night" is a mid-tempo ballad with an epic touch called "White Pearl, Black Ocean" which reminds me a bit of "The Power Of One" or "The Ruins Of My Life" on their past albums. A wonderful song though and one of the most recommendable ones of the album. With "Shamandalie" there is another ballad to be found that could be counted to one of the best ballads every written by vocalist Tony Kakko. Here you can as well hear his Queen-influences at some parts. Of course a song about wolves had to be on this album again as it could be found on every Sonata Arctica album so far (just think of "Full Moon", "Wolf & Raven" and "The Cage") - "Ain't Your Fairytale", and to keep the traditions it's a fast and melodic one again. The weak point of this album, yes it's hard to believe that there is one, is the song called "Wildfire" in my opinion. Nearly as fast as "Misplaced" but with agressive vocals (choirs), so that it doesn't really fit to the other songs on "Reckoning Night". However, I was more than positively surprised by this album so that it can already be called to be one of the best Melodic Power Metal released that have arrived from Finland this year. You are really missing something if you don't listen to this masterpiece, not only because of the good production. Sonata Arctica have always been walking in the shadows of Finland's Power Metal gods Stratovarius, but now they're standing on their own feet and have grown to a very remarkable band. Silence |
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| 3. | Mayhem - Chimera |
Mayhem hits extremely hard with "Chimera", and it's definitely somewhat of a surprise after their previous album "Grand Declaration Of War", which experimented with dark-electronic influences, spoken word passages, and unconventional song structures. For Mayhem, a band of legendary status, "Chimera" represents a return to an older, more savage and destructive style, but it also shows deep progression: the band has adopted a more technical subtlety to enhance their extreme style, and the lo-fi aesthetics of old have been entirely abandoned for a venomously crisp production. This allows drummer Hellhammer's outstanding technical work as well as bassist Necrobutcher's pounding, almost grooving, distorted riffs to shine through. There is also more diversity present in the band's songwriting. Even the fairly well-produced and more recent "Wolf's Lair Abyss" was relatively unvaried. It certainly didn't lack aggression and power, but stylistically it was a fairly straightforward album. "Chimera" defies this all-too-familiar black metal trend and mixes variation in with its extremity. Songs like "Dark Night Of The Soul" and "Impious Devious Leper Lord" exhibit strong and unusual influences – possibly from outside the black metal scene – which make them unique and powerful.
"Chimera" is an extremely attractive and charismatic album. Mayhem showcase many of their heretofore unseen quirks and musical ideas with this album, and this fact makes it all the more interesting and worthwhile. Blasphemer's guitarwork is deadly as usual, being technically well executed, ferocious with black metal flavor, and highly creative at once. As mentioned previously, Hellhammer's drumming and Necrobutcher's basswork are both very prominent and interesting. Maniac's vocals are very interesting on this album as well. Since his re-joining of the band for the "Wolf's Lair Abyss" album, he has developed a unique vocal style unimitated throughout the entire black metal scene. Rather than shrieks or screams, Maniac has mastered a repulsive, dry, throaty snarl that is perfected on "Chimera". This alone makes the album stand out from all of the countless other modern black metal CDs. Of course, Mayhem's legendary status contributes to the strength of the album, but this disc could quite easily stand on its own without the big name. "Chimera" shows that there is still true inspiration and power in black metal, and that as a genre it has potential to push onward into the future and expand and evolve. Anyone looking for new, inspiring black metal that is unashamed and unafraid to experiment without losing its deadly black edge should definitely look into "Chimera". This album is unlike anything else on the black metal scene today. Derek Schultz |
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| 4. | In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape |
Having recently reviewed a promo of three tracks from this album (and giving it 4/10), I can't say that I've had very high hopes for In Flames' latest. Well, I can say with some meager pleasure that those three tracks were slightly deceptive, and the album is of higher quality than I expected. The first song, 'F(r)iend' opens the album promisingly, with some nice-ish riffage, some surprisingly deep growls, and even a pretty cool melodic lead section. It's a good song and a bit better than most 'Reroute to Remain' material. 'The Quiet Place' isn't so great, being the album's 'single' and focusing on Ander's truly weak vocals. It also isn't such a good idea for a 'melodic metal' band like In Flames to focus more on keyboards than guitars, as is the case with this song. It has grown on me a bit, but it's still quite dull. 'Dead Alone' is moderately cool, picking up the intensity and melodic riffage. It has a few neat melodies going on. 'Touch of Red' is predictable fare, chugging, sparse leads and a 'catchy' chorus, but with an interesting outro of a lone, echoey guitar. 'Like You Better Dead' follows your typical In Flames song structure and is completely un-notable. 'My Sweet Shadow' has better riffage and an electronic bit that is sort of effective. 'Evil in a Closet' is a neat little calm song that Anders almost wrecks with his bad Jonathon Davis impression. The guitar melodies almost recall the old-school stuff, containing an actual solo near the end. Overall, it comes off feeling like a bid for radio-play, but it's still a highlight. 'In Search For I' is a surprise, very intense speed, energy and guitar playing. 'Borders and Shading' has terrible verse vocals from Anders, but is otherwise basically decent.
Our two final songs, 'Superhero of the Computer Rage' and 'Dial 595 Escape' follow the same formula as the rest, but the latter has exceptionally excellent riffage. As much as I dreaded my first peek of this album, it isn't really so bad. The album is much more consistant than 'Reroute to Remain', and slightly more unified in its melodies and stylistic progression. I'm afraid it does suffer from some big flaws though. Firstly, it is incredibly predictable. All the songs follow a basic structure, and the 'big opening riff' -> 'calm verse' -> 'catchy chorus' thing really gets old quickly. Secondly, Anders can't sing but he keeps trying, badly, relegating the band to 'nu-metal wannabe' status with his whining. Finally, every band needs to progress, but In Flames has turned into a shadow of its former self. Everything has been dumbed down completely since past greats such as 'The Jester Race' or 'Colony', the riffs and melodies, the lyrics, the vocals, and they use keyboards to cover up the lack of truly excellent riffage. 'Soundtrack to Your Escape' is largely superior to 'Reroute to Remain' in almost every aspect, but is hardly a return to form. It only solidifies the new, keyboard/chorus heavy In Flames sound and establishes it as here to stay. Too bad that the new In Flames sound is massively inferior to the old one. Consistent, moderately melodic, predictable, merely average. Standouts: 'F(r)iend', 'Evil in a Closet' and 'Dial 595 Escape'. Tim Blake |
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| 5. | Samael - Reign Of Light |
When the very beginning of an album like this smells of tribal rhythms and oriental sounds then you know that the ride ahead of you is not your everyday musical experience. My first thoughts were correct because the close to legendary Samael have done it again. The last album "Eternal" marked the end of a transition for the band as they step by step detached themselves from their black metal past, re-inventing not only themselves but an entire genre for that matter, leaving old fans with either love or disgust in their minds. It was now impossible to label the band who had mixed influences from all forms of extreme metal with industrial power and electronic experimentalism. Samael had always been leaders and not followers ever since Osmose Productions were lucky enough to discover the band in the early 90s. They were then picked up by Century Media with whom they head a somewhat shaky relationship towards the end. If you want to have someone to blame for having to wait five years for a new Samael album then blame Century Media who did not want to let the band go easily.
Now a new era is to begin for the band as they have a new contract with Sweden's Regain Records, a label that is steadily growing to become one of the leading metal labels worldwide following signings of veteran bands like Marduk, Danzig and Samael. Also, the new album, full-length album number six in their impressive career. Those of you who hold their first albums closest to your heart will probably not change your minds when Samael release their new album. A lot of things do of course happen during five years inbetween albums and "Reign Of Light" is a wonderful example of what a band can achieve when they are given the chance to work on their own without any time pressure. Compared to "Eternal" you could say that the brothers Vorph and Xy have taken everything one step further but still followed the same path. The black metal vocals are gone, there are plenty of electronics but the heavy guitar riffs are not missing. The biggest difference compared to the previous album is probably that "Reign Of Light" is harsher and more aggressive and a little less melodic although there are indeed melodies present in every song. The incorporation of industrial influences and one or two techno beats have added a sharp edge to their music that I think many will enjoy. It further adds to the uniqueness of the band and although they are a band set in steady evolution they somehow manage to sound like no other band but themselves with every new album. This is one of the reasons why I have always appreciated the band's music. While others desperately try either to copy someone else's music or mix everything together without any kind of personality or plan, Samael have found that magic formula that works and that every band is looking for. Something else that amazes me is the coherence of this album. Even though it has been many years since their last album, all eleven tracks share a similar musical concept and atmosphere. It is still possible to pick out a few songs that stick out from the rest. The first obvious choice is the title track with its hypnotic keyboards and powerful chorus. The second strike is the first track - "Moongate" - characterized by Rammstein-like heavy riffing, intense electronics and impressive vocals from Vorph. The heavily oriental sounding "Heliopolis" is also an interesting song although it is not one of my personal favorites. These oriental rhythms are probably the reasons why they were offered a chance to play at a festival in Egypt. How often does that happen to a metal band? Last I should perhaps write a few words about the production. There is not really much to say about it since it is flawless. Producer Waldemar Sorychta always knows what he is doing and the mixing was appropriately handled by the Swede Stefan Glaumann who is an expert in dealing with electronics, having previous experiences with bands like Clawfinger and Rammstein. All of this further helps in making "Reign Of Light" a heavy, powerful, intense and complete album. It's not the band's best album to date (but very close to it) but definitely one of the top ten releases of 2004. While most bands follow only a few are able to lead and Samael is one of them. "Reign Of Light" is a an album with many strengths but few, if any, weaknesses. Note: Guest appearances on this album were made by Sami Yli-Simiö on sitar and Sandra Schleret (ex-Dreams Of Sanity, Siegfried) on vocals. Vincent Eldefors |
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| 6. | Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath |
Ten years after the band's masterpiece of "Transilvanian Hunger", Darkthrone seem to be meandering down a sort of dead-end path. With their newest album "Sardonic Wrath", Darkthrone basically pick up where they left off with "Hate Them". That is to say that this album is full of rock and punk based riffs and somewhat bland musical concepts. It sounds harsh – and this album is by no means bad – but "Sardonic Wrath" can't hold a stick to any of Darkthrone's earlier works; particularly the black trilogy from 1991 to 1994.
Fortunately, Darkthrone decided to abandon the overly clean production found on "Hate Them". Now the guitars are dirtier sounding, and Nocturno Culto's vocals take on an aspect similar to that of "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" minus all the reverb. This is definitely a good thing, as his singing on "Hate Them" was so painfully up-front in the mix that it was very difficult to adjust to. Fenriz's lyrics also show some improvement from their last album. One must keep in mind that this music is still excellent compared to any pop or pop-metal. The album does have a very black metal sound, but this atmosphere is still weakened and filtered through Darkthrone's stubborn adherence to slower rock and punk stylings that devastate the possibility of this album rising to become a landmark. The members of Darkthrone claim to be making the same music over and over again. Unfortunately, this isn't really true. Darkthrone have changed a lot since their inception at the beginning of the true black metal scene. They have evolved rather far from their original (and inspiring) style of primitive, hateful, dark black metal. There is even a song on "Sardonic Wrath" acknowledging this titled "Rawness Obsolete". While the music is easily capable of standing strong on its own, it simply pales in comparison to the band's earlier works. For those who are unfamiliar with Darkthrone, "Sardonic Wrath" is not the place to start if you want to understand black metal. Look back to the band's early masterpieces – "Sardonic Wrath" is merely a continuation of Darkthrone's slow and rather unfortunate decay. Derek Schultz |
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| 7. | Therion - Lemuria / Sirius B |
As if Therion wasn't already an extremely ambitious project mastermind Christofer Johnsson now presents no less than two new albums, composed of material written since the Nordic concept album "Secret Of The Runes" from 2001. It is apparent right from the start of this album that the new Therion is more metallic, heavier and darker than before. On the opening track "Typhon" we hear growling vocals for the first time in many years and even though the rest of the track has a characteric Therion stamp on it, it fits right in there with it all. Perhaps there are things going on in Christofer's life which has caused the nature of this track or, more likely, he just wanted to experiment a little with different elements which he had not used for a long time. After all, he is a man of many ideas and one of the most creative composers in the history of metal. The second track "Uthark Runa" is more of a classic Therion song that is a natural continuation of the more symphonic moments found on "Secret Of The Runes". It features both wonderful operatic vocals and excellent driving guitar work and is one of the most intense songs of the album. My favorite. "Three Ships Of Berik" has more of a folksy viking metal feeling with a touch of opera and once again we find the growling vocals, this time deeper and darker. Yet another magnificent track, if only it had been longer than a mere three minutes and twenty seconds. A new Therion album always offers surprises and it is impossible to anticipate what it will sound like. That is what I like the most about them and it is a very important quality for a musician to be able to develop yourself this way. The focus on guitar melodies is stronger than it has been on many of the orchestral albums from the band but the classically influenced song structures have not been sacrificed. On the contrary the link between all instruments have been made even stronger and Therion anno 2004 sounds extremely complete. "Lemuria" is an excellent album but it isn't quite as perfect as "Secret Of The Runes" was in my opinion.
Vincent Eldefors
Vincent Eldefors
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| 8. | Deicide - Scars Of The Crucifix |
After the disappointing "In Torment In Hell" album many fans of the band were probably fearing a break-up when Glen Benton was set to appear as the vocalist on the latest Vital Remains album. Now you don't have to fear any longer though as Deicide is back on track again with a brand new album and a new major metal label (Earache Records) backing them up. Earache now provides a creative outlet for two of the biggest death metal bands in the world - Deicide and Morbid Angel - and maybe they are now moving to the forefront of modern metal once again. While "Scars Of The Crucifix" clearly display a Deicide back in form it does not sound exactly like the early releases from the band. First of all the production is a lot more clear and powerful this time around. Second Deicide have dared to include some more modern sounding influences in their still very characteristic style. A little bit more laid-back riffing can be heard at times but most of all this oozes of Deicide and nothing else. It is fast, anti-christian, brutal and tight as hell just the way old fans of the band like it. There is some minor experimentation in the vocal department but in general Benton uses his regular voice that we all have gotten used to, this time a bit more varied and darker though. The lyrics are as cheesy and straight-forward as always and the album is less than half an hour long but that's Deicide. The controversial deathsters are back with one of the finest death metal attacks in a long time.
Vincent Eldefors |
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| 9. | The Haunted - rEVOLVEr |
| No review available. | |
| 10. | Enslaved - Isa |
| No review available. |
Just like its twin "Lemuria" this album opens up with an unusually fast and aggressive track called "The Blood Of Kingu". In a way Christofer Johnsson has travelled back in time to re-discover his roots without returning to the death metal of the first three albums. Today the recording budget has been multiplied several times and "Sirius B" has everything that makes a Therion album complete - operatic vocals, classical arrangements, a live orchestra, heavy metal guitars and sophisticated religiously centered lyrics which stand out as some of the finest found in modern music today. Many bands who try to combine elements from vastly different musical genres encounter problems but on the two new Therion albums everything just blends in perfectly. While "Sirius" B opens up with some very impressive songs there is some slightly weaker material here than what was placed on "Lemuria". I can not really put my finger on any striking differences between the two albums but perhaps this one is a little lighter. If you can only afford one of them I would advice you to go with "Lemuria" if you wanted Therion to move into a more metallic domain and "Sirius B" if you prefer the classical arrangements. A fan who simply enjoys good music can of course not be without any of them.