Amon Amarth - Berserker (2019)

Okay, Amon Amarth may not be well known for their album covers, with most of them being totally fine, featuring some dude ready to attack something, but this one? Gah, it sticks out like a sore thumb, making the guy on "The Crusher" look handsome in comparison. Then again, the ugly nature of "Berserker" might reflect the main topic of the record, about men who are more beast than human, who is not afraid to get a little dirt (or blood) under their nails. So yeah, when thinking about it, the cover is quite fitting, yet still ugly as all hell.

So with an album title like "Berserker", you would think that the Swedes would unleash all hell, go completely berserk through your eardrums, right? Well, while we still get their trademarked style of melodic death metal, it is more of a watered down approach, not the black metal blend we experienced in the band's early days, nor the brutal speedy type we saw during their golden era. There is more of classic heavy metal in this album than I initially expected, there are even parts in here that straight out reminds me of HammerFall. Nothing against HammerFall, I love that band, but it is so odd to hear Amon Amarth doing their type of music.

Here is the thing though, this new direction does bring something we have not seen from the band before, and it certainly helps in making "Berserker" not another "paint by numbers" Amon Amarth record. The switch ups are not that many, but they are noticable, like the acoustic guitar in the opener "Fafner's Gold", Johan Hegg singing clean (ish) vocals on "Ironside", the close to doomy approach in "The Berserker At Stamford Bridge", and the piano in the marvelous closer "Into The Dark". It is little touches like that that makes this album unique, and while not all of these experiments work, it is still showing that Amon Amarth is trying to evolve, even 11 albums into their career.

The band still knows though what the fans what, catchy and heavy tunes that you can drunkenly shout to in a live show, and they deliver just that several times throughout "Berserker". "Shield Wall" is sure to be a fan favourite, having this infectiously groovy beat that transitions into this brilliant chorus, and the singles "Crack The Sky" and "Raven's Flight" are in the same wheel house, making sure that the live shows will be as loud as ever.

The familiarity is certainly a strength for the band, but it also acts as a weakness, just knowing that there are similar songs from their catalog that are simply better. The lyrical content is also really familiar, and at times it feels like the band is repeating themselves, which they actually do in this very record. The chorus for "Crack The Sky" goes "Thor, let your hammer fly, let the lightning crack that blackened skies", and it is a great chorus for sure, but the very next song is called "Mjolner, Hammer of Thor", giving you more thunder god than necessary. I know that Thor is an important character in Norse mythology, but put at least one song in between that is not about him, just so we can get some space. Also, I am a little disappointed that they did not try their hand at another original cohesive story going through the record, like in "Jomsviking", but maybe next time perhaps.

In the end, this is still an Amon Amarth record, and the band delivers yet another great piece of brutal and catchy viking metal. While the core of their sound is still the same, they do show growth, which makes me hopeful that any of the upcoming albums could become a future classic. "Berserker" is ultimately a serviceable record with a lot of good quality metal in it, just as you would expect from these barbaric Swedes. So raise your glass of mead, and give a cheer for another successful outing for our favourite viking overlords.

Songs worthy of recognition: Shield Wall, Fafner's Gold, Crack The Sky, Into The Dark

Rating: 8/10 Wings of Eagles

https://www.amonamarth.com/
https://twitter.com/amonamarthband

More reviews of Amon Amarth
Once Sent From The Golden Hall
The Avenger
The Crusher
Versus The World
Fate of Norns
With Oden On Our Side
Twilight of The Thundergod
Surtur Rising
Deceiver of The Gods
Jomsviking

Children of Bodom - Hexed (2019)

Children of Bodom is back! Well, that is what most people are saying when they first hear the Finnish melodic death metal legend's 10th studio offering "Hexed", and to that I respond with the following words, they never left. Sure, the band is easily categorized into two categories, pre-"Hate Crew Death Roll", and post-"Hate Crew Death Roll", with most people (as it commonly is with metal bands in general) preferring the earlier version of CoB. Personally, I think there is a charm to each of the eras, not thinking that one is better than the other (although I do admit that some albums in the second era are more inconsistent). So let us see if "Hexed" is truly a return to good old form.

So there is definitely an aura of nostalgia going throughout this record, from the murky painting like album cover that might have suited a doom band better (and also makes Roy look like a brittle old lady), and also through the music. There is a raw aggression to this record that certainly takes your mind back to that original trio of records that kickstarted the band's career. Songs like "Kick In A Spleen" (what a title!) and the title track are some of the heaviest tracks the band has done in years without adding too much of their patented melodies. It is pretty cool to see that these guys still know how to be brutal.

Still, "Hexed" is through and through more of what we have seen from the band in the last decade or so, where it is the mad technical work of the keyboard and the guitars that takes the charge. "Under Grass And Clover" displays this the best, having this almost happy main lead to be the building block of this fun, but surely divisive song. There are more songs in here that some CoB fans are gonna love, while others will hate. Tunes like "Platitudes And Barren Words" and "Soon Departed" will leave no one untouched.

It is pretty safe to say though that the sheer amount of quality in "Hexed" is enough to make the ride enjoyable, showing a great variety of memorable speed demons ("This Road", "Glass Houses"), haunting anthems ("Hecate's Nightmare"), and of course a lot of guitar gymnastics. As far as innovation goes though, there is not a lot of it. Most of the material in here sounds familiar and true to the CoB formula, but it is well made enough to not make it feel stale or boring. So in a way, this is really good old Children of Bodom we are hearing, showing a band that knows exactly who they are, and that they are not apologizing for it even for a second.

"Hexed" is far from a perfect record, but I would definitely hold it as one of the strongest Bodom record in recent years. Maybe it is not as good as "Halo of Blood", but "Hexed" still has enough juicy melodic death nuggets in it to make most fans of the band satisfied. It does make me wonder though, where is the band going from here? The predecessor "I Worship Chaos" may have been uneven, but it at least tried to show growth, something "Hexed" did not do. Well, I still enjoyed this record, so I can wait another album to make that assessment, let us just hope that Roy puts on a few more pounds, he looks like "Whistler's Mother" in his current state.

Songs worthy of recognition: Glass Houses, This Road, Kick In A Spleen, Hexed

Rating: 7,5/10 Knuckledusters

www.cobhc.com/
twitter.com/cobhc/

More reviews of Children of Bodom
Halo of Blood
I Worship Chaos

In Flames - I, The Mask (2019)

It is that time again when In Flames has released a new record, and most of the metal community goes bitching and moaning over how awful the band has become and that they should either quit or go back to their death metal roots. While I am in the minority of fans who still supports the band and their decisions, even I cannot hide the fact that the quality of the last couple of records has not been up to par thanks to some uneven approaches, and after listening to the first two singles for "I, The Mask", I was very worried that the gap between the good and bad songs were gonna be bigger than ever.

So basically, "I, The Mask" is a tale of two halves, and the first single of the record represents the first half. When I first heard "I Am Above", I was first struck with how strange the video was, but also how much this sounded like something out of "A Sense of Purpose", which definitely made me happy. The riff is heavy, yet fluent, and the whole song structure is so well crafted, making it a clear return to form. Fortunately for me, and hopefully all of you as well, there were more of this to be found on the disc.

All of the first four tracks are just great In Flames songs, harking back to the pre-"Siren Charms" era where the band was on a whole different level. Besides the previously mentioned "I Am Above", we have the catchy "Voices", the epic "Call My Name", and also the self titled track that is on a league of its own, having a flow we have not heard from the band in so many years, almost forcing you to scream "in the maaaaaaaaaaask", and also adding a great, melodic solo. It is as strong of an opening to an In Flames record you could ever hope for. The album takes a slight dip after that in the acceptable "Follow Me", but then we come to the second single of the record, officially entering the second half.

From here on out, we are witnessing a complete nose dive for "I, The Mask", starting with "(This Is Our) House", which is one of the dumbest In Flames songs I have ever heard. It starts out with the children's choir bullshit that we also heard on "Battles", which then leads to some interesting chugging riffs and build ups that gets your hopes up just enough for you to get disappointed again once Anders Fridén goes falsetto. God damn, this is one of the most disjointed songs out there, changing tempos at will, going everywhere and nowhere at the same time, never staying in one place long enough for the listener to get orientated. I truly hate this song, and I do not understand how such talented guys could look at this song and feel good enough about it to actually release it at its current state.

While that was rock bottom of the album, "I, The Mask" does not exactly get better for the rest of the run time. What follows is a mish mash of forgettable songs that do not get out a lot of emotions out of me, and the few emotions that do escape my hollow shell are not good. No other song does make me rage like "(This Is Our) House", but songs like "We Will Remember" and "Deep Inside" just makes me uneasy because they are basically pop rock radio songs, unimaginative ones at that. I kind of like "Burn" for its intensity, and closing track "Stay With Me" has some sweet moments (showing off the improved clean singing of Mr. Fridén), but the rest of the second half is so dull that it becomes pure misery just reaching the end of the record.

Well, this is about as two-faced of an album I have ever encountered. "I, The Mask" is pretty reminiscent of its predecessor "Battles" in how uneven it is, but "Battles" did mix the ups and downs in the track list, making the entire experience much more bearable. I believe "I, The Mask" would have been perfect as a 5, maybe 6 song long EP, because there is genuinely great material in here, but with so much filler and other shit, it just does not make a good album. It is just like "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" in that it contains a lot of masks, some are really good for you, and others are just horrifying.

Songs worthy of recognition: "I, The Mask", Voices, I Am Above

Rating: 5,5/10 Houses

www.inflames.com/
twitter.com/inflames_swe

More reviews of In Flames
Siren Charms
Battles

Soilwork - Verkligheten (2019)

The word verkligheten is Swedish for reality, and the reality for Soilwork is right now looking pretty good. Their last two full length efforts have been critically acclaimed, and the band is seemingly on a roll, especially guitarist David Andersson and vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid who also enjoy success with The Night Flight Orchestra. They even seem to be more patient, because the four year span between this record and "The Ride Majestic" is the longest "album to album" span in the band's career. Let us see if it is worth the wait.

So before we answer any other questions, yes, this is more or less a continuation of the direction the band has been going in for the last records, and I do not mind that decision at all. The band has showed enough promise to continue down this road without any real hickups, and sure enough, we get treated with a pretty solid record, with enough surprises to keep our interest. Most of those surprises come in the latter half of the record, so we will get to those eventually, but the first half is not just a safe bet with predictable tunes.

To start off the album after a small intro, "Arrival" bring the blast beat with an epic effort that is classic Soilwork work. The rhythm is infectious, the chorus is easy to scream to, and the solo makes you wanna close your eyes and just take it all in. It is a great opening that continues on to "Bleeder Despoiler", a track that goes for a slower, but groovier tempo that works, even if the chorus is not the best. Then we have "Full Moon Shoals", which is easily memorable, but I believe a lot of people will just dismiss this track and its "Pull Me Under"-like riffs. The band does not really get back their groove on "The Nurturing Glance" either, but "When The Universe Spoke" pulls them back in, with some nice "The Panic Broadcast" vibes.

"Stålfågel" (Swedish for steel bird) opens up the second, and more experimental part of the record with something that could have easily been with The Night Flight Orchestra if it had a little more 80's flare to it. It is a melodic track that is easy to hum along to, and it does give the album a nice little half time break, which eventually transitions to the obviously Thin Lizzy inspired "The Wolves Are Back In Town". Not that it sounds like the classic rock band, but it is certainly not much metal in this track. Both "Witan" and "The Ageless Whisper" plays around with the guitars to create some nice melodies, but once again we get some more NFO vibes that could be a little distracting, but it sounds great, so who cares.

In the second to last song "Needles And Kin" we get a guest appearance of Amorphis singer Tomi Joutsen, who brings the most brutal segment of the record, and with some contrasting clean vocals from Mr. Strid, we get an adrenaline fueled steam roller of brilliant metal. Another uptempo track in "You Aquiver" ends "Verkligheten" with Disco. No, I am serious, the drums and the tempo completely reeks of disco, which is just strange. It is not KISS levels of disco, but you can certainly dance to this one.

So if you have not guessed it already, the NFO influence in this record is pretty strong, which is certainly gonna divide some of the fans, but I think the material is strong enough to merit such a risk (also, NFO is pretty good for a 80's inspired AOR band). "Verkligheten" is a reasonable continuation of the last two records, and it changes just enough to make it not feel like a stale repeat. It is a little inconsistent at times, and it might have needed some more heavy parts to add a little spice, but just as that album cover, "Verkligheten" could be seen as a beautiful landscape of Swedish melodic death metal. This definitely (Soil)works for me.

Songs worthy of recognition: Arrival, When The Universe Spoke, Needles And Kin, The Ageless Whisper

Rating: 7,5/10 Stålfåglar

https://www.soilwork.org/
https://twitter.com/_soilwork

More reviews of Soilwork
The Living Infinite
The Ride Majestic

Amorphis - Queen of Time (2018)

I do not know if I am beginning to get old and grumpy, but I have not found many records of high quality this year. 2018 so far has been disappointment after disappointment, with very few real highlights. Hopefully, it all might change now, since last week's releases did at least spark some interesting albums. No, I am not talking about the new 5FDP album, instead I want to focus on two other giants that just keeps on giving us some great music, one being death metal legends At The Gates delivering another face crusher in "To Drink The Night Away", and the other being the Finnish juggernaut Amorphis.

While Amorphis has never been one of my all time favourites, these lads have still produced quality work with each new record, and "Queen of Time", lucky number 13 for the band, is of course no exception. It is yet another Amorphis release that takes their patented brand of melodic folk death metal to new territories. Sure, it is not that much different from its predecessor, 2015's "Under The Red Cloud", but everything here feels more refined, perfected just a tad bit more to elevate it further.

With its 57 minutes divided into 10 songs (all between 4:50 to 6:40 minutes), "Queen of Time" certainly is a meaty record, but the flow is just so god damn fluent, it never feels tiring or stale. Amorphis does a good job in balancing all of the tracks, giving each and every one of the songs something that the listener can connect to, whether it be a catchy melody line, or an Anneke Van Giersbergen who pops up in "Amongst Stars". It also helps a lot that each song is of good quality, each one holding up on its own without any problem.

The performances are crisp as well, with the dual guitar attack of Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari as the show stoppers. Some of these riffs that they line up here are so addictive, and kind of unreal as well, like they should not be coming from a guitar. The opening riff of the opening track "The Bee" sets the bar, and it just gets lifted higher in "The Golden Elk", and "Wrong Direction", there are so many fantastic riffs and licks in here. Obviously, singer Tomi Joutsen deserves a shout out as well, ever since he joined the band in 2004 he has been flat out brilliant.

So this is just a wall to wall fantastic album, with no filler, all killer. The only remark I might have against it is that they could have used Anneke in a more interesting way in "Amongst Stars", and maybe put in one or two songs that were more different, to diversify the album even further, but that is just petty remarks for an album that is sure to be one of the front runners in the race for the number one spot of the year end lists. There are so many epic moments in here to fill the listener up easily, and it leaves a lasting impression on you. But do not stare at the album artwork for too long, or you might be able to see time itself and its frightening sight.

Songs worthy of recognition: Wrong Direction, The Bee, Daughter of Hate, The Golden Elk, We Accursed

Rating: 9,5/10 Grains of Sand

http://www.amorphis.net/
https://twitter.com/amorphis

More reviews of Amorphis
Circle

Arch Enemy - Will To Power (2017)

It seems like most fans of Arch Enemy has taken the vocalist change from the close to legendary Angela Gossow to former The Agonist singer Alissa White-Gluz pretty good so far. The first album with her in charge, "War Eternal", was a nice start, displaying some good energy and interesting ideas. But it is with this album, their 11th one entitled "Will To Power", where the new era of Arch Enemy will show whether they will sink or float, if they continue with these interesting new ideas, or just goes back to old habits.

Well, the band actually goes both ways, but unfortunately, it is the newer ideas that are kind of hidden in the shadows, and even if they are new to the band itself, they are far from original in the grand scheme of things. The most "experimental" bit of "Will To Power" is that we get to hear a good amount of Alissa's clean vocals, which is really surprising. It certainly gives the album more variety, and it works to some extent, but at times, it ends up being a big knock off of Alissa's time in The Agonist, which really does not suit Arch Enemy very well. It might be a direct effect of Alissa being more of a factor in the song writing, but they could definitely have done this differently.

Otherwise, it is just basic Arch Enemy music we get in "Will To Power", melodic death metal where the guitars of Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis are in the center, with some strong female vocals of course. This will definitely please the hard core fans, but I cannot help but feeling that they are just going in neutral mode, not putting in the effort to take the band to the next level. I mean, there is so much talent in this group, guys that are killing it in their side projects, such as Spiritual Beggars, The Night Flight Orchestra, and Conquering Dystopia, but when they turn their focus to Arch Enemy, they seem to not care all too much.

This is obviously a shame, because I do appreciate the performances here. Michael and Jeff does spit out some great riffs and solos here and there, Alissa nails both the harsh and clean vocals, and the drums, by long time member Daniel Erlandsson, got that same hard hitting feeling that we would expect from this band, but all of these performances are used in songs that lacks punch and ingenuity, and the few songs that do feel different are so for the wrong reasons. The intro "Set Flame To The Night" is fantastic, but it is just a one minute intro, so it does not really add anything, which also goes for the cover of the GBH song "City Baby Attacked By Rats" (although it being fantastic is kind of wrong, it is at most okay).

It is actually kind of ironic that one of the best songs of the record is a rip off of the very song that defines the Arch Enemy formula, "Nemesis". The lead single "The World Is Yours" has all of the familiar tricks, a speedy intro, an incredible catchy main riff and chorus, and an epic finisher that includes a magnificent solo. Once again, a great song, but because it is so similar to "Nemesis", it just ticks me off quite a lot, and summarizes "Will To Power" in general pretty accurately, an album that tries to be something great, but ends up being an uninspired meh of an album. Speaking of ticking me off, "Murder Scene" does so too, being one of the more energetic songs of the record, but having the guitar work that fits more with In Flames. I love In Flames, so I definitely like the song, but it is weird that Arch Enemy came up with this one, because besides from being Swedish and a melo death band, the two bands have nothing in common.

So technically, I cannot call "Will To Power" a bad album, because it has some moments where the band tries to bring something new to the table, but it all goes unnoticed for material that is more safe in its approach. The guitar work is really nice, and the other performances are professional, but that is probably the only brilliant aspects of the album, the songs are mediocre, the lyrics are either cheesy or forgettable, and the overall tone of the album is nothing special at all. That second wind the band got from "War Eternal" did not last very long, now did it?

Songs worthy of recognition: The World Is Yours, The Race, Dreams of Retribution

Rating: 5,5/10 Murder Scenes

http://www.archenemy.net/en/
https://twitter.com/archenemymetal

More reviews of Arch Enemy
War Eternal

Wintersun - The Forest Seasons (2017)

Wherever Wintersun goes, controversy will follow, that is one of the main laws of metal, standing besides other well known laws as "With long hair comes great responsibility" and "Thou shall always help someone who falls in a mosh pit". No matter how big or small the news of the band is, the controversy is always there, and it comes in shapes that we cannot even comprehend even. The delay of their albums is one thing (it is actually expected nowadays), but then we have such weird stories like they did a crowdfunding campaign to build a freaking sauna to their recording studio. I know that Finns love their saunas, but this is ridiculous.

And now that the band has finally released its third record, there is even more controversy to it. Because this is not "Time II" the long awaited follow up to the infamous "Time I" (or the melodic death metal version of "Chinese Democracy"). Instead, we get a 4 song album about the seasons called "The Forest Seasons". I honestly do not know if Jari and the rest of the band are A grade procrastinators, or if they are one of the biggest trolls in the metal universe, doing everything to stir the pot into a wild tornado.

All right, let's get into the album. "The Forest Seasons" is split into 4 tracks, obviously representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each track is at least 12 minutes long, clocking together in at around 54 minutes, so you still get a lot of music for your money, even if the setlist looks to be in EP size. I honestly expected more for the wait, and the fact that the bonuses the funders get are various instrumental versions of this album and previous Wintersun albums does not really make it better, but I do think it is admirable that the band focused fully around the music, and not adding unnecessary shit, like a couple of covers or a few live songs.

The music is what could be expected from the band, very progressive and technical melodic death metal. It is extremely impressive when it comes to the pure technical work, all instruments cooperating in almost perfect harmony to create some luscious piece of art. Jari has always been great at arranging all of the different pieces that makes a band, completing a sound picture that is grand and epic. While the mixing is not entirely perfect (I would love to hear more of the guitars), it does its job, and with this kind of talent, it still shines brightly.

Talent can only take you so far though, as the music must be at the same level too, and quite frankly, it is the most disappointing part of this record. Not only do we only get four songs, I would actually say that only two of them are really memorable. Both "Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring)" and "The Forest That Weeps (Summer)" are fine tracks, but they are not cohesive throughout their individual playing times, creating more confusion than necessary. The other two songs however, are perhaps some of Wintersun's finest work to date.

"Eternal Darkness (Autumn)" describes itself pretty good actually, being the most horror themed song of the bunch, with more blast beats and more black metal influences. It certainly is a spectacle that tells its hauntingly beautiful story really well. Still, it pales in comparison to the final track, "Loneliness (Winter)", a truly epic finisher with some of the finest vocal performances from Jari, both clean and harsh. Man, the emotions that the band produces here are just tremendous, and the goose bumps are inescapable when the epic nature reaches its maximum height. Simply put, this is how to end a grand epic of an album.

So in the end, what are my true feelings of this album? Now, I am a little disappointed that this is not "Time II", but new music is new music, so I can take it (besides, other bands has taken way longer to get to their second part, like Vintersorg who recently released "Till Fjälls Del II", 19 years after the first part). I am however more disappointed that the funders did not get more out of their money. A four piece album that has two fantastic songs and two unfocused ones is not really enough. Does this make "The Forest Seasons" a bad album though? Absolutely not, it is a nice album for what it tries to accomplish, and I respect the work that has been put into it, but Wintersun has gotten such a reputation around themselves that every release is expected to be a master piece, a larger than life effort that will be talked for decades, something they might never match, no matter how good albums they will put out. It is unfair to them, yes, but it is unfortunately a reputation the band has built themselves over the years. Therefore, it is hard to look at a new Wintersun release without the backlash, and I tried my best to do so. My final opinion is that this is a good album with flaws and a contender for song of the year.

Enjoy the sauna guys, may it bring you lots of inspiration so that "Time II" will finally be a reality.

Songs worthy of recognition: Loneliness (Winter), Eternal Darkness (Autumn)

Rating: 7/10 Weeping Forests

twitter.com/Wintersun
www.facebook.com/wintersun/

Novembers Doom - Hamartia (2017)

I am not the biggest doom fan out there, but it is a genre I have taken to me more and more in recent years, and when a doom record is done right, it can be really freaking good. But for me to enjoy a doom record, I need some melody put into it, or a lot of emotions that comes through in wave after wave, making me feel the despair deep within me,and that is something that I think is really hard to accomplish. Somehow though, Novembers Doom seem to know their shit, because they keep releasing great stuff time and time again.

In 2014, they ended up on my top 20 list with the album "Bled White", an album that had a lot of speed for a doom record, but was still gloomy as hell, while also incorporating some great melodies. It just hit all the notes just right for me, so the expectations for "Hamartia" was obviously high, and wouldn't you know, they lived up to the hype, delivering another stellar record.

"Hamartia" is a slightly different record for the band, yet very familiar. We do not get as much of the death part of their music, and the clean vocals takes a greater role, but the sound is still undoubtedly Novembers Doom, as always filled to the brim with raw emotions that will leave no one untouched. Most of these emotions are created by the vocalist and only remaining original member Paul Kuhr, mixing his harsh and clean vocals perfectly to set the mood he wants, giving the songs extra depth and weight.

It is a pretty lengthy album, but the 57 minutes goes by fairly fast actually, not only because the quality here is so high, but because the songs are in just the right sized chunks, except for the last song "Borderline", the only track that goes over the 6 minute mark. Even with fairly little time per song (for a doom band at least), Novembers Doom manages to pack in a lot in each track, details that truly elevates the music, whether it be flawless execution from the rhythm section, or just a great build up. It also helps making "Hamartia" very diverse, never becoming stale and boring.

As stated before though, the fewer amount of death metal elements here might put off some fans, but the moments that are in here are pure awesome sauce. The opening track "Devils Light" has a great engaging intro, and a haunting chorus that will surely give you the chills, and "Apostasy" has some great speedy instrumentation by guitarists Marchese and Roberts. These songs are fantastic when put together with the calmer song as a contrast, like the title track and "Ghost". We can also add the epic "Miasma" and the curve ball known as "Zephyr", where bassist Michael Feldman steals a few tricks from early Muse, as great tracks that helps making "Hamartia" really special.

In the end, this is just an astounding effort that Novembers Doom is presenting us with, a heavy album in both spirit and soul, mixing death with beauty in an amazing manor. The ending of the album could have been a little more polished, but there is enough high quality music in "Hamartia" to make it a contender at the end of the year. The band continues to evolve while staying true to their unique melodic death doom sound., and the way that they bring out the emotions is just so god damn good. Just go listen to it straight away, and let the emotions take over.

Songs worthy of recognition: Apostasy, Devils Light, Hamartia, Zephyr

Rating: 9/10 Ghosts

www.novembersdoom.com/
twitter.com/NovembersDoom

Persefone - Aathma (2017)

It is always fun to hear bands from some of the most random places of the Earth, places that you would think does not have any real metal bands at all. Persefone is from Andorra, a small European country that is about the same size as the Californian city of San Jose, squeezed in between France and Spain. It is not the ideal place for a band to emerge from, but some how, Persefone has not only established themselves as a band, but also as a tour de force that is taking the progressive melodic death metal to new heights.

"Aathma" is not too unlike its predecessor "Spiritual Migration", expressing the same feelings and themes, but the sound here still feels entirely new and refreshing, like they added some Cynic element to their already broad repertoire (probably because Paul Masvidal of Cynic guests on two songs, but it is showing in other songs too). It is an uplifting atmosphere that still has a lot of darkness and despair to it, like some energetic soundtrack to the apocalypse. These guys knows how to twist and turn their skills into captivating and emotional melodies, and still making them sound good.

I find "Aathma" not to be as catchy as the band's last album, and that it takes a lot more time to fully appreciate it, but the more you listen to "Aathma", the more everything fits into place, one piece at the time. This album is a complete creation that weaves its way through your ear drums with precise movements, taking no side step along the way. Every member helps making every song consistent, making it really hard to pin point a weakness anywhere. The symbiosis of Miguel Espinosa's clean and Marc Martins Pia's harsh vocals are spot on, the duo guitars by Carlos Lozano Quintanilla and Filipe Baldaia creates great stories, and Sergi Verdeguer's drum work are simply exquisite. Every part of the band performs with finesse, taking their time to make sure that everything comes out as they should.

What I like most about this band is that they have the awareness of knowing when to go heavy or when to go softer, creating a solid mix that makes Yin and Yang look uneven. It is a thin line to walk on, but Persefone does so with ease, blending the two different sides seamlessly into an album that is consistency materialized, where every song just builds the tension towards the four parted title track that takes it all to its edge. This 20 minute ending epic is an impressive piece of musicality that pushes the band to its limits, expressing all of their emotions into a bombastic finale that is the sure highlight of the album.

The consistency though is sort of a double edged sword though, because while I love the album as a whole piece, it is really hard to remember it all without mixing up some of the songs and parts with each other, making it immensely dense, more so than it really needs to be. The only really memorable parts of the album are the title track and the two songs in which Paul Masvidal appears on (especially the fantastic "Living Waves"), the rest is simply a part of one big entity. At the other hand though, this makes me wanna go back to the album more, to search for the magic again and experiencing it over and over again, which is a very satisfying feeling, even if the album clocks in at just over an hour.

I think that is the ultimate reason to why "Aathma" is such an fantastic album, its life span is seemingly endless, you could potentially listen to this album a hundred times without getting tired of it. And while it is far from a perfect record, it is still a clear evidence that Persefone is a force to be reckoned with in the future. So take your time, sit back, and just let the album run about five times or more, then it will reveal more and more of its blissful soul, like a blooming flower in the opening days of spring.

Songs worthy of recognition: Aathma (part I-IV), Living Waves, Stillness Is Timeless

Rating: 8,5/10 Prison Skins

www.persefone.com/
twitter.com/persefoneband

Mechina - As Embers Turn To Dust (2017)

Another year, another Mechina album on the 1st of January, a tradition that has gone on for 5 straight years now. Usually, when a band spits out albums in such a frenetic pace, it starts to wear out after a while, sounding sloppy for every oncoming release. Somehow, Mechina has not fallen into this trap yet, because even if all of their albums are fairly similar in sound and style, they still hold an incredibly high quality to their music, with no visible cracks so far in its foundation.

I think the main reason for the band's continued success is their drive and focus, basically ignoring any tours or shows to make every new release as good as possible. The concept helps a lot too, a concept that has been ongoing since 2011 and has only reached the halfway point with the release of "As Embers Turn To Dust". It is hard to take the whole concept in, but it seems like it tells us about the colonization process for one of their previous albums... I mean one planet, probably "Acheron" since this album has a lot of similar features. Some Vanguards leads these humans to a new planet, where the cyborg Vanguards ultimately starts eliminating all organic life on the planet, creating a fully mechanized era on the new planet. Granted, I could be awfully wrong here, so it might be better if you check out their Wiki page to get some more sense into all of this.

The music is clear cut at least, and it is as epic and heavy as ever. The band thunders on with their unique mix of industrial, death, melodic, and sci-fi metal, carrying the album through time and space. It should come as no surprise that not much has changed in the sound itself, but I notice that we have more songs that sticks with you instantly. The opener "Godspeed, Vanguards" is a good proof of that, containing an epic aura that is created by a grand arrangement and David Holch's apocalyptic voice. That voice of his is awesome at creating the right emotions, like the despair he has in "The Tellurian Pathos" is a hair riser of the highest level, and his harsher vocals in "Creation Level Event" has that frantic madness that simply works in this kind of song. It has been a main concern in the past that the songs does not stand out, so I am glad to see that is not the case with this album.

The performances on this album is great as usual, and we once again get a healthy dose of Mel Rose here, bringing some extra beauty to the music. I especially love her performance in "The Synesthesia Signal", where her fragile voice is in the middle of this chaotic madness, creating an incredibly tense song. I still wish though that the guitar could step forward more often, since it is very rare that I find riffs that grabs a hold of me. Oh well, it is how the band has always done it, and it is just a minor complaint for me (and probably a more major complaint for someone else).

Even with this impressive song catalog, "As Embers Turn To Dust" has one thing that is kind of off putting, and it is that this album has several long instrumental parts that builds atmosphere, nothing new to the band in any way, but they are bigger than before. Still, I do not think they take away an awful lot from the experience, but it does make it harder for me to give a complete opinion of the album, because while it works as beautiful transitions, the momentum suffers from it.

So, halfway into this epic multi album saga, where do I put "As Embers Turn To Dust"? The band keeps on evolving in several ways, especially in both song writing and production, but is it enough to make it last through the rest of this fresh year? Probably not, but it is still a great achievement to put out new music every year, without losing too much of the quality in both music and story. Mechina never ceases to amaze, and while it will be hard to acquire any new fans from this record, it is still a welcome new year's tradition that I hope will continue on for at least one more year. Godspeed, Mechina.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Synesthesia Signal, "Godspeed, Vanguards", The Tellurian Pathos

Rating: 8/10 Impact Proxies

www.mechinamusic.com/
mechinamusic.bandcamp.com/

More reviews of Mechina
Progenitor
Acheron
Xenon
Empyrean

In Flames - Battles (2016)

In Flames' transformation from being one of the pioneers in the Swedish melodic death metal scene to a more mainstream metal band is more or less complete now with the release of "Battles", the Swede's 12th studio effort. Now, why was it not already complete? Because they have shown some of their roots in their previous efforts. Maybe not to a great extent, but enough to recognize the band and its past. The last two albums, "Songs of A Playground Fading" and "Siren Charms", may differ massively in pure quality, but both have some small grains of the old In Flames in them. "Battles" does not.

Even without the hints of death metal, "Battles" is not pure trash, a album that should be instantly thrown away as a eye (and ear) sore. Sure, it is not the best side I have seen from the band, but they have created a solid entity that follows the red line with ease. Most of the focus here are on the choruses, where all of them being really catchy without being annoying. Just take the first single "The End" for example, a epic chorus that has been stuck in my mind ever since the first time I heard it. It even have a children's choir (something the band uses a couple more times in the album) that oddly fits, but it is not something I would want to see as a common thing in the band's sound.

While the album excels in its choruses, it fails miserably in what might be the most important thing in In Flames' sound, the twin guitars. The production is really flat, giving you the illusion that the band only utilize one guitarist, which ultimately makes the music feel empty. The only time where the guitars actually sounds good is in the solos, and the solos are great as always (thank god), but it is not enough. I wanna hear Björn Gelotte and Niklas Engelin's crunchy and melodic riffs, but "Battles" won't allow me.

I also get the feeling that the setting in which this album was recorded (Hollywood, California) had some influence to its sound. No, none of the songs in "Battles" is straight up film music, but it is a more glamorous sound picture that the band is presenting us. It is something that will divide the fan base even further than before, which is kind of an amazing feat since it is already divided quite a bit.

Even with this softer sound, In Flames made sure to pack "Battles" with several killer songs, with great melody and strong punches. Songs like "Save Me", "In My Room", and "Trough My Eyes" is straight up knock out punches that will leave bruises on your skin, remembering what happened when you encountered them the first time. "Through My Eyes" especially stands out by being the heaviest song, using a very tough attitude, some very groovy riffs, and another ultra epic chorus where Anders Fridén actually delivers some stellar clean(ish) vocals, an already proven weakness for the front man. Another stand out is "Wallflower", a more progressive song that is the longest of the record (just over seven minutes). There is a lot of instrumental bits here and a very calm mood that is not like the band at all, but it works really well, ending up as one of my favourites from this album.

But then we have the duds that should not be here at all, and they are close to making me mad (not in a "Siren Charms" level though). "Here Until Forever" is some weird metal core crap that I associate more with Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, or any other similar band. It just does not suit the band well at all, and especially not Anders. No other song is as bad as "Here Until Forever", but "Like Sand", "Before I Fall" and "Drained" are just boring, and the over use of the children's choir in "The Truth" is very close to cringe worthy. Yeah, "Battles" have more good sides than bad, but it is still obvious that this is far from the best album the band has made.

Despite the poor production, the softer sound, and slight quality inconsistencies, "Battles" is actually not that bad of an album. The melodies are there, and so are the choruses, carrying the album towards the finish line in determined fashion. I might consider myself as one of the more stubborn In Flames fans out there, because while this albums shows so many flaws, it still has enough resonance in me to give me my much needed kick out of it. For me, "Battles" is an okay album, but I am sure that most of you will at the very least dislike it, especially if you do not like the modern version of the band. Still, this is a better and much stable album than "Siren Charms" will ever be, so give it a chance if you dare, do not be afraid to take up the battle that this album brings.

Songs worthy of recognition: Through My Eyes, The End, Wallflower

Rating: 6/10 Truths

www.inflames.com/
twitter.com/inflames_swe

More reviews of In Flames
Siren Charms
I, The Mask

Subliminal Fear - Escape From Leviathan (2016)

In my search for a substitute for the now disbanded Sybreed, I stumbled upon Subliminal Fear, a melodic death metal band from Italy that have gone through some changes during their 15 year long career. Their first two albums, "Uncoloured World Dying" from 2007 and "One More Breath" from 2012, could almost be classified as thrash metal, relying on fast paces, frenetic riffing, and a lot of elements that are close to cliche in the genre, ultimately ending in mediocre outings.

Fast forward to 2016, and not only had half of the band changed, but the sound was completely transformed as well. Their third album "Escape From Leviathan" is more of a cyber metal album, relying a lot on futuristic sounds and ideas. If you listened to the band's first two albums first, you would have a really hard time figuring out that this was Subliminal Fear, and it is a change that is, at least to me, welcome.

While I should state that the sound on "Escape From Leviathan" is far from original, it is still a good step forward for the band, revived as something that certainly will raise more eyes around the globe. The production helps in this process as well, sounding much cleaner and stronger than on its two predecessors. It definitely feels like the band has taken all of their routine into this record, and diminished every flaw available. The flow is extremely smooth, and the two vocalists Carmine Cristallo and Matteo De Bellis are doing a tremendous job in the classic "good cop, bad cop" approach, creating a intriguing dynamic.

Even with this luxurious exterior, the band still needs killer songs to further widen their fan base, and to my disappointment, they fail here. Not saying that the songs out right suck, most of them are just bland and hard to remember. The whole album holds a similar tempo throughout its 50 minute run time, so the choruses must do extra work to make the songs stick out, but they cannot handle the pressure. It is a bad sign that the catchiest song of them all is a cover of Talk Talk's "Living In Another World", and while it is a good cover, you would not want this as the album's highlight.

Fortunately, a couple of songs does raise the standard of the album, even if they do it in a more anonymous manor. "Nexus" has a great flow to it and an intriguing build up that may not have the epic climax you were searching for, but it still works. "Dark Star Renaissance" was the song that certainly tied together my comparison of this band and Sybreed, because this is pure cyber metal. A great futuristic and epic sound that gives you a sneak peak of the potential that this band has. But my favourite is "Evilution", not only because it is the heaviest of the bunch, but because it has a drive that is really awesome, giving you the feeling that you are in some apocalyptic world in the future were everything is coming down. Jesus, that is both terrifying and accelerating.

While "Escape From Leviathan" could be seen as a complete revolution, maybe even a sign of a band that is not sure of where they are heading, it is still a cool album that could be a fresh start for Subliminal Fear. Sure, it is unpolished and rough around the edges, in the need of better song writing here and there, but the Italians are on the right path, and if they just take their sweet time to perfect their sound, they might get the result that they want. I will look back at "Escape From Leviathan" as a neat little record, and I hope that in 10 years, I will also see it as the album that truly launched the career of Subliminal Fear. Only time will tell.

Songs worthy of recognition: Evilution, Nexus, Dark Star Renaissance

Rating: 7/10 Self-Proclaimed Gods

Babymetal - Metal Resistance (2016)

Japan is a weird ass country, and I really love them for being it. It is a land with crazy game shows, huge sumo wrestlers, stead fast traditions, and passionate people. Japan knows how to entertain and deliver weird ass stuff, which at last has reached into the metal world. From this wonderful land comes Babymetal, whom blasted into the scene in 2010, and consists of three little girls called Su-metal, Yuimetal, and Moametal, plus a backing band. 4 years later, they released their self titled debut, a album that gave them their big international breakthrough as well. A crazy project that seems to have no end in sight to how big it can become.

This weird mix of J-pop and blast beats is certainly unique, I'll give you that, but it is also about as mind fucking as following a anime series. In one side, we have this backing band that literally slays everything in its path. These guys can play almost everything, from Dream Theater and Korn, to Scar Symmetry and Fleshgod Apocalypse, the band delivers a range that is extremely impressive. But on the other side, we have three girls who sings like they are still in pre-school (even if they do sing good). It takes a while to get used to it, but it will still feel awkward. And if you happen to see this band live, you will also witness a choreographed dance routine. Hopefully they throw in some headbanging here and there.

I previously mentioned the backing band's extreme range, and that range is heavily displayed in this album. Every song in here is its own creation, none being like the other. The albums opens up in pure DragonForce style in "Road of Resistance" (mostly because the two guitarists from the band, Herman Li and Sam Totman, helps out on the track), with insane speed, crazy solos, and a classic oh-oh-o-oh part. Besides from power metal, we also have industrial ("Awadama Fever"), death ("Sis.Anger"), atmospheric ("From Dusk Till Dawn"), progressive ("Tales of Destinies"), and even folk metal (Meta Taro). While it is cool that they can be like a musical chameleon, it ultimately feels like they do not have a own sound, they just copy other stuff. The album is extremely divided, making it really hard to get a sense of cohesion.

This means that it is crucial that this album must have kick ass songs, and it is here the girls are used to the band's advantage. This trio of charming little girls sings in a way that makes the hooks sweeter than sugar, and stickier than gum. Just take the lead single "Karate" for example, we have this stupid "se-ya se-se-se-seya" section that is extremely catchy in an equally annoying way. Fortunately, it has a chorus that is catchy in a better way, not forcing itself into your skull. It is those sugar sweet parts that makes me hate this band, because it just does not fit in with the rest of the stuff. I still think the girls use their voices in the best way possible in most parts, but I would love it if they completely got rid of those sections.

We also have two pure ballads in this album, the first one being "No Rain, No Rainbow", which sounds like it could have come straight from a Disney film (I was about to write Mulan, but remembered that it takes place in China). Since I am not 8 years old, I did not care for this song at all. The other one is "The One", and that is the only song in the entire record that is fully sung in English. Okay that the pronunciation is slightly off, but it is not bad, and the song itself works as a epic closer of the album, playing in almost classic Dream Theater style. However, this is when I notice the lyrics for the first time (since I know very little Japanese), and it is straight up about love, and all that cheesy shit. This makes me wonder what the rest of the songs are about, but frankly, I do not wanna know, ignorance is bliss here.

I love when an album has diversity, but this is pure overkill. Babymetal goes from one genre to another to search for an identity, but cannot seem to find it. "Metal Resistance" is an okay album with a couple of good songs (none as good as last album's highlight, "Megitsune", though), but it stands clear that this is more of an experiment than a full fledged band. For god's sake, the girls have even admitted that they have never even heard of metal before getting thrown into this monster, it is all for the show and for the shock value. This is basically Slipknot, only with three little girls fronting instead of Corey Taylor, and it certainly has a place in this world, and that place is called Japan. It is crazy, ridiculous, mind boggling, and (at times) fun. All I can really say is Domo Arigato for the show, but I would rather take something less cutesy, thank you very much.

Songs worthy of recognition: From Dusk Till Dawn, Road of Resistance, Yava!

Rating: 6/10 Awadama Fevers

Amon Amarth - Jomsviking (2016)

It seems like more and more bands are doing concept records these days. Dream Theater, Blaze Bayley, Between The Buried And Me, Gloryhammer, and Vanden Plas are just some of the bands that has done a concept album in either this year or last year. And now, we can add another band to this prestigious list, the Swedish death metal giants Amon Amarth, whom for their tenth full length album is experimenting with a full story. I am not surprised at all that the guys wanted to give it a shot, they do have some nice lyrical writing skills, and they do have a lot of knowledge of the Norse mythology, so creating a story within that realm seems reasonable.

"Jomsviking" is a album about... well... a Jomsviking. What's a Jomsviking you ask? It is probably best described as a viking mercenary, fighting in battle for whom ever offers the biggest paycheck. In this album, we get to follow this Jomsviking's full journey, from when he gets banished from his community, becoming a Jomsviking, and follow his quest to return and win back his lost love. Yes, we got a love story in here too folks, a love story in a death metal record, now that is something I did not expect to see in my life.

Just like with the last album, "Deceiver of The Gods", Andy Sneap is the man behind the production, and it is just as you would expect. It is sleek, tough, and loud, which I do think works well with the band's sound. And the band performs as one would expect as well, Hegg delivers his patented viking growls, Mikkonen and Söderberg brings out several sweet guitar riffs and solos, and then we have Tobias Gustafsson, who takes care of the drum duties in this album after Fredrik Andersson's departure, and he does a nice job in maintaining the band's sound.

But what I think really makes or breaks an Amon Amarth album is if it has any killer songs, and fortunately, "Jomsviking" does have a share of them. "The Way of Vikings" has some strong lyrics of two jomsvikings (that happens to be best friends) fights against each other, the opener "First Kill" is classic Amon Amarth that sets the tone to the album perfectly, "Raise Your Horns" could be a potential live favourite with its groovy, sort of Mastodon-esque riffing and its catchy chorus. We also have "At Dawn's First Light", that might lean more towards the NWoBHM direction, but it has a mood and tension that makes it stand out, and "Back On Northern Shores" ends the album with some beautiful riffing and a lot of heavy emotions, giving "Jomsviking" a worthy finish.

The best one though, by a landslide, is "A Dream That Cannot Be", and that is not only because it has a guest appearance from the metal queen Doro Pesch, but also because it adds a new dimension to this album. Doro's vocals felt quite weird at first, but it grew on me, and she portraits the female character in a strong way. The chorus here is also the most epic one in the album, and the riffing is mostly simple, but determined, which is really effective. As from the story perspective, it is one of the main moments as well, giving a little twist to it, but I will let you find that out for yourself, so I do not spoil all too much.

My only real complaint with "Jomsviking" is that it is a little bit too clean. Sure, the band has been more melodic for almost every album since their almost black metal debut in "Once Sent From The Golden Hall", but "Jomsviking" has very little death metal in it. In fact, if Johan Hegg would have been replaced by a clean vocalist, I would almost consider this as a melodic/power/NWoBHM metal hybrid of an album. It is still Amon Amarth to the core, but there is no denying that this is their softest work up to date.

For a first swing at a concept album, Amon Amarth did succeed quite well with "Jomsviking", creating a interesting story that fits well with the band's image. Even if this is a fairly soft album, I do think it holds up really well to the rest of the band's magnificent discography. It has the melodies, the riffs, the choruses, yes, everything that defines Amon Amarth. I do get it if some fans would dislike the album, but personally, I do think it is another strong effort from Sweden's finest, and it probably will land on my "best of" list at the end of the year. Another viking raid completed with great success, this time, in the way of the Jomsviking.

Songs worthy of recognition: A Dream That Cannot Be, First Kill, The Way of Vikings, Back At Northern Shores

Rating: 8,5/10 Jomsvikings

https://www.amonamarth.com/
https://twitter.com/amonamarthband

More reviews of Amon Amarth
Once Sent From The Golden Hall
The Avenger
The Crusher
Versus The World
Fate of Norns
With Oden On Our Side
Twilight of The Thundergod
Surtur Rising
Deceiver of The Gods

Berserker

Mechina - Progenitor (2016)

So we have now breached into 2016, and you all know what that means right? Yes, another release by the industrial death metal band, and Forsaken At The Gates favourites, Mechina. Their new year's tradition stays intact for the 4th consecutive year with the release of "Progenitor", and just as you know that the new album will hit at the 1st of January, you know what you will expect from the album itself.

Just like its previous outings, Mechina spoils us with crushing blast beats, epic arrangements, and a flow that goes through the entire album. It is a album that should not surprise anyone that have heard of the band before, and many has seen this as a down side to Mechina, that they do the same thing over and over again. However, I do feel that every new album does contain something that makes it stand out, either it be the Earthly tone of "Acheron" or the heavy onslaught of "Xenon". While I do feel that "Progenitor" might not have a distinctive feature that sets it apart from the crowd, it has something that still makes it really enjoyable, and that is consistent quality.

The vocals leads the charge once more, performed by David Holch (whom to my excitement uses his clean vocals again) and Mel Rose. This broad range of vocals really helps to make "Progenitor" really diverse in its sound, and it works really well with all these blasting beats that the band spits out like a machine gun.

Another thing that is typical for Mechina is their flow from song to song. "Progenitor" is a album that is best experienced in its entirety, because the band does not simply create songs that stacks upon one another to fill out the space, they create songs that has a purpose, a common destiny to create a stunning album that will be enjoyed by many.

Individually though, most of the songs have some sort of a amnesiatic (is it even a word?) effect, you forget them as soon as they are over. Unfortunately, it has been a flaw that has followed the band throughout their career, but it could be because they want to create a complete picture instead. With that said, there are still some songs that are really good and memorable, like the mesmerising "Cryoshock", the grand "Ashes of Old Earth", and the apocalyptic "Planetfall". But the one that strikes me the most is "Starscape", not only for its heavy impact and powerful deliverance, but also its great lyrics, like the following lines.

When given the chance
To evolve or advance
We retreat to the past 
Praying for ghosts to guide our hand
Our lives far too short
Our minds far too cold
Our past buried in stone 
Our world absent of hope

So yes, I do realize that this is just another Mechina release, but to be honest, I did not really expect anything less from the band. "Progenitor" holds the exact same standard that its predecessors does, which is a really good standard. It is another high octane journey through their universe, a travel that intrigues and excites. I am a little disappointed that the 18 minute single from last summer, "The World We Lost", is not in here, but then again, it would probably kill the flow of the album, disturbing its balance, and making it worse than what it deserves to be. A fantastic album that will be hard for the band to match when they give out their next release, which I assume will be ready for the beginning of 2017. No matter what, I will definitely be waiting for it.

Songs worthy of recognition: Starscape, Ashes of Old Earth, Planetfall

Rating: 8/10 Cryoshocks

Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising (2011)

If the song "Twilight of The Thunder God" got my eyes up for Amon Amarth, it was the following album, the 2010 offering "Surtur Rising", that got me hooked. This album continued on the same success recipe that its predecessor perfected. By mixing melody and brutality, and adding some really catchy choruses, the vikings had the right idea to make both its critics and fans happy.

For those of you wondering, Surtur (or in his Swedish name, Surt) is a jötunn, a mythological race of giants that lives in Jötunheimr, one of the nine Norse cosmology worlds. When Ragnarök occurs, he will be one of the leaders against the asagods, wielding a burning sword that shines brighter than the sun. I do not know about you, but it sounds like Surtur is one bad ass giant, and a great character to portray for a metal album.

And as usual, Amon Amrth does just that well. Their lyrics holds the quality you would expect from the band, ranging over several events in the Norse mythology, from Loke's treachery to the battle grounds during Ragnarök. All of this is splendidly told by the band, and well sung by Johan Hegg. If I ever would take a class on Norse mythology, I would love any of these guys to be my teacher.

Just like in "Twilight of The Thunder God", it is the excellent riffing that makes "Surtur Rising" such a great force. Just listen to the opening track "War of The Gods". Here, Amon Amarth unleashes their whole arsenal of riffs, the grinders, the melodic, the catchy, you name it. And to top it all off, they deliver one of the tastiest solos I have heard from the band. The tasty action continues in the groovy "Töck's Taunt - Loke's Trachery Part II", the follow up to the first part that was released in "With Oden On Our Side", and with "Slaves of Fear" that has some incredibly catchy riffs that are very easy humming along to. And I should not forget "For Victory Or Death", a beautiful creation and yet another track with awesome riffing.

The melodies certainly makes the album, but it is actually two extremely heavy tracks that highlights it and separates it from "Twilight of The Thunder God". The first one is "Destroyer of The Universe, a huge steamroller that runs over you with aggression and more aggression. A grim song that brings out orgasmic emotions from the listener. The other heavyweight is "A Beast Am I", probably the most brutal song I have heard from the band since their early days. The speed plus the crazy riffs and drum beats makes this song a big, ugly monster that cannot be contained. The surprise calm ending is a weird, but nice touch that works as a good transition to the last song of the album, "Doom Over Dead Man"

"Surtur Rising" is certainly another high calibre release from the Swedes, but it does lack some momentum in some songs to take it among "With Oden On Our Side" and "Twilight of The Thunder God" and their perfection. I will always remember this album as the one that got me into the band and secured my love for them, but after hearing out on their entire discography, I will not rank it as my all time favourite. None the less, an amazing album that deserves the praise.

Songs worthy of recognition: Destroyer of The Universe, War of The Gods, For Victory Or Death, A Beast Am I

Rating: 9,5/10 Slaves of Fear

https://www.amonamarth.com/
https://twitter.com/amonamarthband

More reviews of Amon Amarth
Once Sent From The Golden Hall
The Avenger
The Crusher
Versus The World
Fate of Norns
With Oden On Our Side
Twilight of The Thundergod
Deceiver of The Gods
Jomsviking

Berserker

Children of Bodom - I Worship Chaos (2015)

After wandering in darkness for the last couple of albums, Children of Bodom finally seemed to be back on track with their release of "Halo of Blood" two years ago. A great, melodic assault that was easily the best from the band since "Hate Crew Deathroll". This certainly got my hopes up that the follow up would follow in the same foot steps, creating a perfect blend between the old and new Bodom.

The thing that made "Halo of Blood" so successful was that the riffs was no longer the main focal point. Instead, the band focused on a heavy attack. Going into the new album, entitled "I Worship Chaos", I was hoping they would use the same tactics again. They did, but to a much smaller extent. "I Worship Chaos" is more of the newer CoB than the older, a more melodic album where the structures are fairly simple and the riffs tries to steal the attention. This ultimately hurt the song writing in my opinion.

It also seems like the band has become more egoistic in the last two years, or one would think that when they release a album called "I Worship Chaos" and it contains songs as "I Hurt" and "My Bodom (I Am The Only One)". Besides from that, it is the Bodom we all know and love. The aggression is there, the technicality as well, they just miss the killer songs.  "Morrigan" is a typical single release that is easy for the fan to enjoy, but harder to love, and "I Hurt" has a good bite, but it will probably be forgotten in the long run.

The highest quality comes particularly in three songs. The title track and "Widdershins" both display some high speeds and nice technicality. They also have a cool solo to complement their sound. But my clear favourite is "Prayer For The Afflicted", a dark, gloomy, and slow song that shows a different Bodom than what we are used to. I really like this one because the mood and instrumentation goes incredibly well together, creating a overall impression that lifts the whole album.

Something that does not lift the album though is the three covers that comes with the digipack version of the album. I have never considered CoB as a great cover band, and these covers do not change my opinion one bit. Both the covers of  "Mistress of Taboo" by Plasmatics and "Black Winter Day" by Amorphis are acceptable, but then we come to "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, and I loose my shit. Because every time the band covers a song that has normal vocals, Alexi sings horribly, like he is trying to hold back just so you can recognize the song they are covering. I think they could have done something cool here, made the song their own, but failed miserably. If you want a good "Danger Zone" cover, search for the one made by Psychostick instead.

I think "I Worship Chaos" suffers from the high expectations that "Halo of Blood" brought in. It is not a awful album, but it is not spectacular either. It has some small highlights here and there, but the quality of the craft does not meet up to the cover of the artwork (which I must say might be one of my favourites from the band this far). The band can do better, but they certainly can do much, much worse.

Songs worthy of recognition: Prayer For The Afflicted, I Worship Chaos, Widdershins

Rating: 6,5/10 Horns

www.cobhc.com/
twitter.com/cobhc/

More reviews of Children of Bodom
Halo of Blood

Hexed

Amon Amarth - Twilight of The Thunder God (2008)

Following up a ground breaking masterpiece is not an easy task. Trying to reach the same, cosmic heights that you have already reached and meet the expectations from fans and critics, it is quite daunting. But if you have the skills, and the right momentum, it could be a walk in the park, especially if you are in a tight, well forged group that seems to have one single goal, divide and conquer.

Yeah, there is absolutely no doubt that "Twilight of The Thunder God", the follow up to the amazing "With Oden On Our Side", is just as good as its predecessor, taking all of the things that made it so incredible and implement it into 10 astounding songs. The Swedes was really at the top of their game back then, just crushing their opposition with the mighty Mjölner at their disposal (and some instruments of course).

My first encounter with this album was the same as so many other great songs and albums, through video games. The title track was released as DLC for one of the Guitar Hero games, and once I saw the chart and heard the song, I was stunned. I had never heard such a mash up between brutality and hair raising epicness, it was literally unreal for a teenager like me. I still love the song to death, but not as much as I used to, mostly because I think there are better Amon Amarth songs out there, but also because I have listened to it so much that it has wore out on me. Still, it is one of the best songs in a album that contains no weakness.

All of the songs are so vibrant, displaying strong personalities, from the heavy groove in "Guardians of Asgaard" and sadness in "The Hero", to the Earth shattering brutality in "Where Is Your God?". It is just mind boggling that a band can fit so many emotions and feelings into a death metal album. I really cannot comprehend it all, and I freaking love it.

The band has also taken care of giving every song a big, catchy, epic chorus so that everyone can join Johan Hegg and make quite a mighty viking choir. And when the singing portion of the song is not meant to be catchy, Olavi Mikkonen makes the riffs being so instead, which is obviously displayed in songs like "Live For The Kill" and "Varyags of Miklagaard", two songs were the riffing is just unbelievably memorable.

A thing I have never noticed until I read about it in the album booklet is that this album has guest artists. It does not take anything away from the band and its performance, but it is a little surprising that these guests does not make too big of an impression to be recognized in the album. Anyway, the guests are Roope Latvala (ex. Children of Bodom, ex. Sinergy) in the title track, Lars Göran Petrov (Entombed A.D., ex. Entombed) in "Guardians of Asgaard", and Apocalyptica in "Live For The Kill". Now that I know of them, I can certainly hear them, especially Apocalyptica and their violins, but it does not change my view over the songs nor the album in general.

So how do you follow up a masterpiece? By doing another masterpiece of course! "Twilight of The Thunder God" is among my top albums of all time thanks to its extremely high standard, catchy riffs and tunes, and perfect band chemistry. And to think of that the band made this only two years after the release of "With Oden On Our Side" is just incredible, you really have to have something truly special to come up with two such perfect albums in this short amount of time. I will tell you this, Amon Amarth is certainly special, because there is no other band like them, not now, and possibly not never.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Hero, Twilight of The Thunder God, Guardians of Asgaard, Where Is Your God?, Live For The Kill

Rating: 10/10 Tattered Banners

https://www.amonamarth.com/
https://twitter.com/amonamarthband

More reviews of Amon Amarth
Once Sent From The Golden Hall
The Avenger
The Crusher
Versus The World
Fate of Norns
With Oden On Our Side
Surtur Rising
Deceiver of The Gods
Jomsviking

Berserker

Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (2015)

One of the nicer surprises in 2013 was made by Soilwork, a interesting double album called "The Living Infinite". While it did not make it into my top 20 of that year, it was still a strong effort from the band that led me to believe that they would regain some momentum after several mediocre albums. And it seems like they have utilized that new found flame well and kept it going with this, the band's 10th studio album "The Ride Majestic", a album that spins further with the ideas and influences that "The Living Infinite" had.

I definitely applaud Soilwork for continuing on the same track since I really enjoyed their last album, but I am afraid that the more I listen to "The Ride Majestic", the more it feels like a album filled with ideas that did not make it into "The Living Infinite". Not that the music in here is THAT much worse than what it was in the predecessor, but it still feels a little pale when you compare them together.

No matter what, there is still some good music to be found here, and the guys them self does a splendid job in performing it. I have always loved Björn "Speed" Strid's vocals, both harsh and clean, because he has a really broad range that gives the band some extra dimensions (just listen to "Petrichor By Sulphur" and you will hear what he is capable of). And while the rest of the band does not have as much originality as their singer, they still do their job really well, executing some great melodies and nice riff work.

I do miss the really high tops in this album, songs like "Parasite Blues", "Spectrum of Eternity" and "Rise Above The Sentiment" that gives an album a great edge to it. But at the same time, it is fairly nice that "The Ride Majestic" has a smooth, even line up of good, effective songs that binds well together. There are still some stand outs though, like the soft and catchy "Death In General", and both of the title tracks (Yes, there are two of them, "The Ride Majestic" and "The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)". I would have liked a really heavy tune into this mix as well, but I guess I have to settle with "All Along Echoing Paths" who compromises with a soothing chorus and "Shining Lights" that has small new wave thrash influences in it, sort of like Trivium.

With a more even performance and a continuation on a interesting take of their sound, Soilwork has really nailed it with "The Ride Majestic". I still think "The Living Infinite" is slightly better mostly thanks to its high top, but this album is still a nice melodic death metal album that should make the fans smile, but will probably not generate a greater number of them. Soilwork seems really confident in themselves and their newly found direction, and they should be, because it is a sound that fits them well. Hopefully they do not get all too comfortable, they need some risk taking so they can keep their momentum up, and the ratings as well.

Songs worthy of recognition: Death In General, The Ride Majestic, Petrichor By Sulphur

Rating: 7,5/10 Phantoms

https://www.soilwork.org/
https://twitter.com/_soilwork

More reviews of Soilwork
The Living Infinite


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