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

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In This Moment - Ritual (2017)

My personal relationship with In This Moment has always been rocky, swaying back and forth between me really liking this band and me being pretty sick of this band. To sum it up, it is complicated. I do give the band a lot of credit though, because it is a pretty unique band in several aspects, from the image to the music itself, which is more than I can say about other bands that get some mainstream attention. It is not always pretty, but the band makes sure you will remember it.

So going into "Ritual", the band's 6th studio effort, I expected more of the same, experimental music that is sticky, while also having something to say. And while I got some of it, I do not think that I got enough of it. This is definitely an In This Moment album, maybe a little less in your face as the last couple of albums though (which in itself is a good thing), but the music is unmistakeably them. Heavy rhythms, gothic vibes, and Maria Brink leading the charge of this army from hell with her magnificent voice, it has all you can demand from them, so how does it come that I feel this album is not complete?

Well for starters, "Ritual" is an album that simply does not hold up throughout its run time. The second half in particular feels very bland and forgettable, blending into each other really easily. And while the first half is miles better, it still has some duds too, like the lead single "Oh Lord", a very slow and sluggish song that is the very definition of boring. It tries to do some Iron Maiden styled "whoaing" as well, but it just does not work in this slow tempo.

The band has not lost its element of surprise still, but they are surprising me in other ways this time. In "Black Wedding", we suddenly get an appearance from the Metal God himself, Rob Halford. The song itself is fun and groovy, a really interesting duet that works way better than expected. However, I cannot look past the obvious theft in the chorus from the Billy Idol classic "White Wedding Pt. 1", that is just tacky bro. The band do however present a real cover right after with the Phil Collins classic "In The Air Tonight", and that one is surprisingly really freaking good. The band puts in a haunting element to this song that really makes it their own, and Maria does another emotional performance here to sell it all. However, this one is also kinda ruined , because they completely destroyed the best part of the original, the sudden drum solo. It is so awesome in the original because it is so unexpected and loud, which it is not in the cover. Then again, no one can truly copy Phil Collins and his drum style.

It ultimately comes down to the same thing though, that this album has very little memorable stuff in it. I would not say it is safe, because the band is not safe. Who else would throw in a dub step beat to create a heavy groove (well, besides Korn) and tries to stand up for women in metal as much as this band? The conclusion is that In This Moment have not lost their touch, it is still the same band with the same vision and passion, and I highly respect them for that. When it comes to "Ritual" though, it is a forgettable album. An In This Moment album should bring out emotions in both music and listener, but this one just does not do it. For fans of the band, this will most likely be very enjoyable to you, but for the neutral guy, it might be something to look into, but you could just as well skip it too.

Songs worthy of recognition: Black Wedding, In The Air Tonight, Roots

Rating: 6/10 Witching Hours

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Motörhead - Hammered (2002)

There is no real secret that Motörhead is at their best when they just go full on caveman mode when it comes to emotions. Sure, they can write emotional stuff, but it is the songs about booze, sex, and drugs that we know them by, and that we love them for. The same goes for their musical approach, when it is at its simplest, it is usually at its best. We are ultimately quite lucky that this band was not too much into experimenting with their formula.

However, there are albums that they have done that are more moody, that either tries something different or simply reflects what the band is going through at the moment. While I cannot really pin point what was going on with the band during the time they recorded "Hammered" (maybe they were, as the title suggests, drunker than usual?), the music tells a story that something was a little off, something was not quite right.

Not to say that "Hammered" is a bad album, but it is one of the stranger ones in the band's discography. A lot of songs in here are really underwhelming, either trying to be more groovy than heavy, or not going on full speed. It almost feels like the band is trying to hold back, like they might even be a little tired after the steam roller they created previously, and that they took this opportunity to relax a little more.

Now, this is ultimately a Motörhead record, so we obviously do get some true heavy metal here, it just is not in the quantity that we are used to. "Brave New World", "Voices From The War", and "Kill The World" all bring some intensity, and they all are fairly enjoyable songs, but once again, they feel like they are holding back a little, not going full throttle. Actually, we do not get a true mauler until the very end of the album, with the dark "No Remorse" and the crazy "Red Raw". The latter one is definitely much needed, but why is it back here? Please put it earlier in the album so that raw anger can be released before it becomes too much to handle.

It certainly feels like "Hammered" is more of a standard hard rock record, with all of the PG decisions that have been made here and there, and a lot of these tunes are questionable. Like, why does "Down The Line" has such a dull chorus that do not make we want to sing it? Why do we have keyboards in "Mine All Mine" that make it sound like a dated Van Halen song? Why is there a close to two minute spoken word part called "Serial Killer" inserted in this album? And why, oh why, is such a cool title as "Shut Your Mouth" given such a boring structure, one that not even a nice Phil Campbell solo can save?

Speaking of the performance, I cannot tell if the band phoned this one in or not, because they are not given any real chances to shine. There are times in this record where Lemmy cannot hit the right notes with his vocals, something that I have not heard so obviously in a Motörhead record before. And Mikkey Dee, who usually is killing it, does more or less a great job here, but he is not given the material to let out his talents. It feels like Phil is the only one who tries to spice it up with some cool solos, but unfortunately the riffs drown it out, hiding his performances too.

So yeah, this is a very, VERY underwhelming record. It has some nice songs here and there, but close to everything in this record is simply forgettable. I do not really hate any of the music here, but I cannot find it in me to care about it either, because there are so much better material from this band out there. Ultimately, it is a pretty harmless record that clocks in just under 46 minutes, a reasonable length. Fans of the band should give it a shot, maybe there are some songs you can get out from it, but in the grand scheme of things, "Hammered" does not drop the hammer, it could not even pick it up from the start.

Songs worthy of recognition: Voices From The War, Walk A Crooked Mile, Red Raw

Rating: 5,5/10 Serial Killers

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Brothers of Metal - Prophecy of Ragnarök (2017)

With macho metal legends Manowar singing on the last verse, it is time to look over the horizon and see if there are any other bands out there who can take over their crown as the most over the top, out of this world metal act of our age. There are certainly several candidates out there that has already lived out quite a career, but I might have found the worthy successors here in Sweden, a little band with the subtle name Brothers of Metal.

Just like Manowar, their sound is built upon epic power metal with grandiose choirs, sing along choruses, and confidence that almost cannot be measured. The only thing that really separates the two bands is that Brothers of Metal lays their lyrical foundation in Norse mythology, which seems really fitting since their town of origin is Birka, a very important city during the Swedish viking era. It is possible that they are not actually from there since the town is pretty small today, but the band live out their characters so much that I can overlook it.

Another thing I have to question is why this band is called Brothers of Metal when one of their singers is obviously a female. I am not complaining here, because Ylva Eriksson does a great job together with Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson and Mats Nilsson on the singing department, but I feel like this is gonna trigger some feminists out there. Oh well, this band does ultimately seem like a brotherhood, with a total of 8 members (three of them being lute guitar players!) cooperating in a great way. With so many minds in play, it can't be easy to create something cool without butting heads (just ask Slipknot about that).

Musically, it is pretty straight forward, with very few twists and turns. The music is most of the time catchy as hell, and they ride the Norse theme really well, even if sometimes they go out of their musical characters, which can be a hit or miss. A hit is definitely in the title track that has an intro that is more fitting in a Castlevania game, but it does pump up the intensity really well. One time it missed though is actually in one of my favourite songs, "The Mead Song". It is a great fun song about drinking, but a lot of the time it feels like they stole a lot of inspiration from the pirate metal band Alestorm (especially in that weird jig towards the end). Not too fitting, but it is fun, so it slides by.

And that is probably the best way I can describe "Prophecy of Ragnarök", it is a fun as hell album that is a little unfocused at times. The band needs some time to develop a stable sound that personifies them, but the foundation is certainly there, and the band knows how to create some great tunes and some good chuckles too. Not only do we have epic creations like "Son of Odin", "Defenders of Valhalla", and "Gods of War", we also have some more atmospheric songs like "Yggdrasil", and some blood pumping songs like "Siblings of Metal" and "Sleipnir" to bring some much needed variety. Yes, the album does get pretty corny from time to time, but it is nothing that you would not expect from an album like this. After all, you are here for the sing alongs, the over the top passion, and possibly the mead too. A very promising debut from the Brothers (+ sister) of Metal.

Songs worthy of recognition: Siblings of Metal, Prophecy of Ragnarök, The Mead Song, Fire Blood And Steel

Rating: 8/10 Sleipnirs

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Stone Sour - Hydrograd (2017)

Some time ago, Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger (or as I like to call him, the distant brother of Nicolas Cage), called out fellow hard rockers Stone Sour for being a light version of themselves, but not being able to write a hit song. Of course, this sparked a beef between the bands, especially the lead singers Chad and Corey Taylor, and while the beef itself is something I could not care less about, I just laughed my ass off of the original comment. First off, Nickelback sucks, and if there was a light version of the band, they would not last very long. Second, Stone Sour is nothing like them, they are heavier, and have more context behind their craft. Third, they do know how to write hit songs, just not for the everyman crowd, with some evidence being "30/30-150", "Through Glass", and "Do Me A Favor".

Ultimately, I think the music should do the talking, and with both bands releasing new material pretty close to each other, it is safe to say that Stone Sour won with a huge margin. It should not come as a surprise, but the new Nickelback album is more of the same, very simple, but hollow, songs that just does not leave any impact at all, and with one, maybe two songs that show some decent musicality, but those are always buried underneath a pile of unoriginal shit and pointless ballads.

Now, Stone Sour has not struck pure gold either with their 6th album "Hydrograd", but it is an album that has a lot of good music in it. While it mostly is not something new we are hearing from the band, it is still good quality to the craft that is presented, and a surprisingly steady flow of it as well. Even though it is not another concept album, like the two parter "House of Gold & Bones", it still has a lot of interesting stuff to say and mention (like in "Fabuless", where both Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones are referenced).

We do have a newcomer in the band, Christian Martucci who replaces Jim Root as the lead guitarist, and he does a really nice job actually, delivering some great riffs and solos (like the "La Grange" like solo in "Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)"). But as always, it is Corey who steals the show with his vocals, whether he channels a lighter Slipknot version of himself, or shows off his softer side, he delivers just as good no matter what.

However, it does not seem like the band has learned anything from their last two outings, because just like both "House of Gold & Bones" albums, "Hydrograd" is just too big, containing way too many songs. The album is just over an hour, and if the band would have trimmed it down to around 40-45 minutes, we would have a really awesome hard rock album. Now, it just drags out and does not seem to end anytime soon, over staying its welcome. Some time, Stone Sour need to realize that they play hard rock, not progressive rock.

At the end of the day though, I do enjoy "Hydrograd" a lot, and there are several songs in here that are great. Such songs as "Song #3", "Fabuless", "Whiplash Pants", "Thank God It's Over", and "Taipei Person/Allah Tea" are clear proofs that Stone Sour is not a Nickelback light, they are their own thing and they are pretty damn good at it. Now, if they only could learn how to constrict their material to bite size portions, the albums would be even better.

Songs worthy of recognition: Fabuless, Taipei Person/Allah Tea, Thank God It's Over, Whiplash Pants

Rating: 7,5/10 Friday Knights

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Motörhead - We Are Motörhead (2000)

When Motörhead entered the 21st century, it definitely felt like they thought that Y2K had happened, and rebooted the entire mankind, because the band apparently felt like they should remind everybody who they were, with naming their 15th effort "We Are Motörhead", and filling said album with songs that brings you back to the good old days, when Motörhead was freaking awesome... oh wait, they never stopped being awesome.

Nonetheless, "We Are Motörhead" does remind me a lot of the early era of the band, with straight up rock 'n' roll/metal hybrids that simply kick ass, and while the band has technically never stopped making those kinds of songs, they filled this album to the brim with them. As soon as you start the album, you get hit in the face with one of the fastest motherfuckers you have ever heard in "See Me Burning", where Mikkey Dee just goes fully bananas on the drums, while both Lemmy and Phil tries to keep up with some frenetic riffing. A great kick start to an album, just like in the band's early days.

The album continues with some good variety in the groovy "Stay Out of Jail" and the slow and heavy "Slow Dance". Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Motörhead throws out a cover of "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. I got so many questions thanks to this song. Why this song? Why in this part of the album? Just... WHY? This is a song that has been covered multiple times, both before and after, and this version does not offer anything new or exciting, it is just a stale cover that kills the momentum of the album. It just does not make any sense to put it in here.

Fortunately, the band gets back to business after that, and just puts out more kick ass tunes. Both "Out To Lunch" and "Wake The Dead" are cool songs, but then we get a curve ball in the shape of the ballad "One More Fucking Time", that surprisingly works well with the rest of the album. It slows things down to a pretty cozy mood, and definitely makes the album more dynamic. It is still one of the weaker songs though, which do say something about the high standard of the record.

The final three songs are also great fun, bringing the album home in the same way it started, with pure speed on the title track. I absolutely love this song because it more or less summarizes the band perfectly, what they are about and what their mission is. I know, this song is more or less a pure carbon copy of "Ace of Spades", both in riffs and in structure, but it is still so god damn intoxicating, and the lyrics are just simply brilliant, stating that the band brings both rock 'n' roll and UFOs, that they are born to kick ass and that they have no class, that they save our souls and mend all broken hearts. Jesus Christ, this is just brilliant.

More or less everything with "We Are Motörhead" is awesome. The tracklist (besides the Sex Pistols cover) is fantastic, the performance is marvelous, the length is just right, and the cover art is so bad ass, might even be my favourite from the band. There is no secret here, the band has always been like this, it is more or less all about the songs that makes or breaks a Motörhead album. The last one, "Snake Bite Love", did not really hit, but this one does, and it rocks the house to the very core. They are Motörhead, and they kick fucking ass.

Songs worthy of recognition: We Are Motörhead, See Me Burning, Stay Out of Jail, (Wearing Your) Heart On Your Sleeve

Rating: 9/10 Slow Dances

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SikTh - The Future In Whose Eyes? (2017)

I honestly do not wanna say this, but my first experience with djent pioneers SikTh was not with any of their original work, but with singer Mikee Goodman's side project Primal Rock Rebellion (which he runs together with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith). Yeah I know, the bands are quite different in styles, but the unique singing style of Mikee left a really big impression on me, his weird but hypnotizing groovy vocals were something I have never heard of before, and it made me very interested in what SikTh truly had to offer.

That encounter was around 5 years ago, and "The Future In Whose Eyes?" is the first new release of SikTh in 11 years (with a 4 year long break up as the main reason for the wait), which really does not leave me with any real expectations. I have listened to the band's first two albums now, and they are some great aggressive djent metal, but I also know that you simply cannot expect a similar result after such a long wait, and even a change in personnel.

And while the sound is not all too far off the previous efforts, "The Future In Whose Eyes?" feels a little more safe in its approach, not as heavy hitting. We do get some neat odd time signatures here and there, but it is all under control, never going fully off the rails.Now, I am not saying that this album does not have crazy moments, it does, but they are fairly few, and they do not stand out all that much too, except maybe "Ride The Illusion" where Mikee really gets his mental on.

But there is no question that this album do contains quality to it, because I think it has a consistency that is quite impressive. All of the songs feel like they belong together, all being groovy and technical, almost quirky in some way too. The groove that this band presents is really intoxicating when done right, and it does not get groovier than in "Riddles of Humanity", where both vocalists (Mikee and newcomer Joe Rosser) go back and forth, creating a rhythm that swayes wildly back and forth.

The rest of the band does a great job too in making this album as good as possible. Graham Pinney and Dan Weller produces a good amount of cool riffs here and there, James Leach goes really hard on his bass, and Dan Foordis just what you are looking for as a drummer in a math metal band, technical as hell. I think it is a good thing that they have taken their time to make this album ever since reforming the band, just to get up to speed with each other and rebuilding that chemistry. The wait was certainly worth while.

I think a lot of fans of SikTh will be very pleased with "The Future In Whose Eyes?", because even if it is not the most stand out album out there (maybe even the "worst" SikTh album thus far?), it still has enough goodness to go around for everyone. The album flows really well from one song to another, even with three spoken word parts that I do not truly understand their purpose in all of this. It is a pretty cool album that digs its own path, looking towards the future with hope in its eyes. Let us hope that the next SikTh album do not arrive in 2028, but instead a little sooner.

Songs worthy of recognition: Riddles of Humanity, Vivid, No Wishbones

Rating: 7/10 Cracks of Light

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