tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65463900782330656392024-03-12T17:06:29.529-07:00Forsaken At The Gates - Heavy Metal Reviewersharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.comBlogger697125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-39676832369014740332020-01-31T15:09:00.000-08:002020-01-31T15:09:26.156-08:00The 30 best albums of the decade (2010-2019)So the end has finally arrived for Forsaken At The Gates, a full nine year journey through the depths of metal music has reached its final destination. While there have been some rough patches throughout the years, I would be lying if I said that I regretted taking it on me to make this blog happen, to spew out my opinion on the wretched anger filled hell hole we all know as "The Internet". It has mostly been a fun ride, and I would like to thank each and everyone of you who visited this small Blogger site, no matter if it is just once, or if it has been repeated visits. As stated before, I might be back in video form some time this year, but I still have to work out some of the kinks if that is going to happen, so I am making no promises (but if it does happen, I will inform you through this site and my twitter @ForsakenReviews).<br />
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As the final act, I will now reveal my top 30 albums of this last decade that we just left in the dust. It has been tough ranking 10 years of amazing metal music, but it was insanely satisfying going back to all of these albums, listen to them again, and reassess my opinions on them to see if they have stood the test of time, which some have, and some did not. For this list, there are only three rules. Only official studio releases, they have to be released from 1st January of 2010 to 31st December of 2019, and only one album per band/artist may enter the list. Let us start off by calling out some of the albums that did NOT make the list, some being top records of my previous top of the year lists, and some probably being in the top for others.<br />
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<b>Behemoth - The Satanist (2014)</b><br />
Everyone seem to rave over "The Satanist" to be a once in a lifetime record that Nergal and his men has created, and while I do enjoy this record a lot, I just cannot connect to it. It is definitely the band's greatest achievement, but this music is simply not my cup of tea.<br />
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<b>Carcass - Surgical Steel (2013)</b><br />
The entire decade was filled with excellent comeback records, and the ones that started the craze was Carcass, unloading an excellent record after a 9 year hiatus and 17 years since their last record. "Surgical Steel" is pin point precision death metal that certainly made a ton of people happy. I applaud the band for their efforts, but this is not the type of music I gravitate towards, still enjoyed it though.<br />
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<b>Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)</b><br />
I feel like a lot of people absolutely adores this record, but to be perfectly honest, I do not even think this is the strongest Enslaved record of this decade. Maybe I need to listen to this one more to get it, but my heart belongs to "In Times" and has done so since its release in 2015. That one did not make the list, so this album will not either.<br />
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<b>Fear Factory - Genexus (2015)</b><br />
So this album was my number 1 in 2015, and looking back at it, I can only scratch my head wondering what 2015 me was thinking. "Genexus" is still a highly enjoyable record with few lows and a lot of catchy robotic grooves, but it stood perfectly clear to me upon revisit that this is not the masterpiece I once saw it as.<br />
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<b>In Flames - Sounds of A Playground Fading (2011)</b><br />
This is probably the record I have listened to the most in the 2010s, which is no surprise since I am a sucker for In Flames, both old and (mostly) new. I still stand by that this is one of the best In Flames record ever made, with an impressive array of catchy tunes and memorable riffs, so this one was really hard for me to cut.<br />
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<b>Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls (2015)</b><br />
So not only did I cut the number 1 album of 2015, now the runner up gets the axe. I still love "The Book of Souls" and I still think it is the strongest Maiden record since "Seventh Son...", but I do see the flaws a little better now than I did back then. Some songs are pure fillers, and the length is an issue, yet Maiden is still Maiden, and they are still awesome.<br />
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<b>Power Trip - Nightmare Logic (2017)</b><br />
"Nightmare Logic" swept the metalverse as an old school turned new school thrash metal record that I called a 2017 version of "Reign In Blood". It did not stick with me as well as most other people, but it is still a damn fine record that deserves all of the recognition.<br />
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<b>Rush - Clockwork Angels (2012)</b><br />
Finally, a big shout out to the recently passed drummer of Rush, Neil Peart. While I am not the biggest Rush fan out there, and I have not nearly listened to all of their releases, I still hugely respect what Neil has done to the progressive music scene, and his final work with Rush is a underrated beauty of proggy goodness. May you rest in peace.<br />
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Enough of the albums that did not make the cut, here is the top 30.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">30. Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise of The Chaos Wizards (2015)</span></b><br />
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When fantasy themed power metal could not look any more cliché and stale, this Scottish groups barges in to the bar, screaming "Hold my hammer!", and goes on a mission to make three of the freshest power metal releases in decades. Gloryhammer is truly a sight to behold, taking us to epic journeys through the kingdom of Fife (also known as Dundee), while the glorious king Angus and his army takes on Zargothrax and his evil empire. It is cheesy, yes, but the band is so much fun to listen to that you can easily ignore some of the more lactose intensive parts. While the other two records are fine pieces of music, the band did hit the nail with their hammer in "Space 1992...", blending immense power with hooks mere mortals would kill for, all landing in one hell of an epic tale. Also, it has "Universe On Fire", probably the best power disco song ever made. That alone gives this album a place on this list.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Tales From The Kingdom of Fife (2013), Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">29. Cain's Offering - Stormcrow (2015)</span></b><br />
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Some more power metal for you all, this time of the more symphonic kind. Jani Liimatainen's post-Sonata Arctica project has now fallen into obscurity thanks to other jobs (including The Dark Element and Insomnium), but Jani managed to squeeze out one album before his schedule became busy, and it is a beauty. Together with excellent musicians such as Timo Kotipelto and Jens Johansson from Stratovarius, Jani delivered a splendid mix of catchy, epic Finnish power metal with heartfelt lyrics and marvelous musicianship. It is truly a work of art that has stood the test of time, showing that Jani might have been the true mastermind behind Sonata Arctica, as evident by the work the band has released since his departure.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">28. Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism (2014)</span></b><br />
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This is just one of many cool bands that I have discovered over the decade, and to find out that these Australians has been around since the 80's with very little recognition to show for is just strange to me. The band certainly came back with a vengeance in the 10's, delivering 4 really nice records. To me, "Esoteric Symbolism" stands at the top not only because it was the album that opened up my eyes to this band, but also because it displays the band's skill in a fantastic manner, bringing a heavier edge to progressive metal that certainly stands out amongst the crowd. No matter how many times I listen through this album or just individual tracks such as "Parallels/Dual Reality" and "The Divulgence Act", I always end up Teramazed.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: AnhedoniA (2012), Her Halo (2015), Are We Soldiers (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">27. Moonspell - Extinct (2015)</span></b><br />
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Here we have an album that is full on satisfying. It is not the heaviest record, nor the most complex, but Moonspell's excellent execution in both song writing and performance is more than enough to make "Extinct" a pleasant experience of gothic metal. It just might also have one of the strongest album openings of the decade, with the trio of "Breathe (Until We Are No More), "Extinct", and "Medusalem" forming the most solid of foundations for the rest of the album to build upon. The rest of the album is no slog either, keeping the momentum going to the very end with excellent craftsmanship.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Alpha Noir/Omega White (2012), 1755 (2017)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">26. Redemption - Long Night's Journey Into Day (2018)</span></b><br />
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So Redemption is a band I have to do some more background check on in the future, but if "Long Night's Journey Into Day" is telling me something, it is that this band is for real. Everything that you want from a progressive masterpiece is here. Odd time signatures, emotional song writing, technical skills, grand choruses, and of course, long songs are all found on this brilliant 1 hour and 15 minute long album. The addition of Tom Englund from Evergrey, replacing Ray Alder from Fates Warning, is not bad either, giving the music even more emotional weight to it. It is a long journey that is worthwhile taking any time.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: This Mortal Coil (2011), The Art of Loss (2016)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">25. Mastodon - Once More 'round The Sun (2014)</span></b><br />
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Mastodon had a pretty good decade, even if none of the three albums did reach the same heights as either "Crack The Skye" or "Leviathan", yet they still managed to swipe a win in 2014 with "Once More 'round The Sun", showing just how god damn consistently awesome this group is. What makes this album so great is that it displays a ton of creativity and technicality, while still having a relative simplicity in its structure to make each song as easily digestable as possible. It is Mastodon's grooviest album to date, and tracks like "Halloween" and "The Motherload" are insanely hard to just sit still to while listening (a good twerk is necessary for the latter example). One thing is for sure, every time we make another lap around our star, I am hoping for a new Mastodon album to take shape, because you will never be bored when these madmen are on the loose.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: The Hunter (2011), Emperor of Sand (2017)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">24. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising (2011)</span></b><br />
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It has been a very solid decade for Amon Amarth, yet choosing their best album was actually quite easy for me. While I do highly enjoy all the other three records they have put out, "Surtur Rising" stands as a giant amongst mortals, ready to crush them all. This album is a personal favourite of mine, impressing with great variety and many, many memorable moments, like the magnificent solo in "War of The Gods", the crushing heaviness of "A Beast Am I", the brilliant riffing of "For Victory Or Death", and the epic chorus of "Destroyer of The Universe". There is a lot of goodies on this album that you can easily digest any time, any where. A mighty record from a mighty band.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Deceiver of The Gods (2013), Jomsviking (2016), Berserker (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">23. Novembers Doom - Hamartia (2017)</span></b><br />
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If any doom metal band is going to reach out to me, it needs something different to their music besides the basic slow, long riffs and gloomy tone. This is why Novembers Doom is one of few doom bands I actively follow, because they bring a lot of heaviness to their music and their lyrical themes, while also adding some kind of twisted beauty to it all. They have been solid throughout the decade, but "Hamartia" is just something special, a deep dive into the darkest depths of melodic death doom metal that is hauntingly beautiful to behold. So when this one plays, be sure that I will be the one who smiles.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Aphotic (2011), Bled White (2014), Nephilim Grove (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">22. Amorphis - Queen of Time (2018)</span></b><br />
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Amorphis has always been one of those bands that I have acknowledged as great, but has never really made an album that blew me completely away, until last year when they released "Queen of Time" and also managed to win the list of that year. Maybe I got a little too carried away back then, because while this album is still awesome as all hell, it is now only the fourth best 2018 album on this list. It has lost some of its shine, but it is still a wonderful experience to listen to this record and its multifaceted way of taking on melodic death metal. The biggest achievement for "Queen of Time" though is that it managed to convert me into a full time lover of Amorphis, and for that, I will be forever grateful.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: The Beginning of Times (2011), Circle (2013), Under The Red Cloud (2015)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">21. Persefone - Aathma (2017)</span></b><br />
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Andorra has metal, and it is god damn awesome. Yes, that tiny ass country that is squeezed in between France and Spain has groomed one of the most promising acts in the progressive death metal scene in recent memory, and Persefone seems to just getting started. It was tough to choose between "Spiritual Migration" and "Aathma", but the ladder one takes the W thanks to some more polished production and a magnificent guest appearance from Cynic's Paul Masvidal. This band is just insanely talented, and I cannot wait to see what they will come up with in the future, because I got a feeling that they might unveil an even better outing or two in the next ten years.<br />
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<b>Other album in the 10s: Spiritual Migration (2013)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">20. Sunburst - Fragments of Creation (2016)</span></b><br />
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It seems like it is easy for a band from Greece to garner success, just get a guitarist named Gus and you are set to go. Gus Drax and the rest of Sunburst literally bursted out to the scene in 2016 with their debut full length effort "Fragments of Creation", an explosive barrel of power metal goodness that you cannot get enough of. Making a humble start in "Out of This World", the band gets a grip on you, shakes you to the core, and does not let you go until they have played their last note. It is a refreshing piece of mastery in a genre that rarely see any change ups from the regular formula. Cannot wait to hear more from these guys.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">19. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name (2018)</span></b><br />
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The more I think of Rivers of Nihil and their new release from last year, the more impressed I become over their unique style of saxophone infused melodic death metal. The whole album is a masterful display of how inventive we still can be with metal today, how there are still territories that have yet to be explored. It is bands like Rivers of Nihil that keeps the evolution of metal going, never settling into a basic format, challenging themselves to make stunning, inspirational music. "Where Owls Know My Name" is truly a landmark album that will be remembered for generations, and it is one of the biggest proofs that the inclusion of saxophone makes anything better.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: The Conscious Seed of Light (2013), Monarchy (2015)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">18. Alter Bridge - Fortress (2013)</span></b><br />
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Hard rock had a rough decade, mostly relying on old tricks and old bands, starting to feel like boomer music to the younger generations. There is still some hard rock out there that still succeeds out there, like Volbeat and Alter Bridge. While I have always been 50/50 on Volbeat and their place in the music world, AB have been a constant quality place to revisit, and their fourth full length effort "Fortress" is just as the title say, a sturdy fortress of great heavy hard rock where song writing is on point, Mark Tremonti's riffs hits hard, and Myles Kennedy's voice pierces through any barrier with ease. This is as solid as you can get, a record that is built to last through the ages.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: AB III (2010), The Last Hero (2016), Walk The Sky (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">17. Overkill - Ironbound (2010)</span></b><br />
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One of the hardest decisions I had to do while making this list was which Overkill album I should include, "Ironbound" or "The Electric Age"? Both are excellent pieces of thrash metal mastery, bringing tons of intensive riffs that dig deep into you skull. I ultimately went with "Ironbound" because it had just a couple more highlights on it that just could not go unnoticed. How can you not love tracks like the title track, "Bring Me The Night", "The Green And Black", "In Vain" or my personal favourite, the insanely groovy "Give A Little". This album was also the start of a new golden age for the band, shooting them into the front of the thrash pack, and they have stayed there since, thanks to the other four albums that has come since "Ironbound". Thrash consistency at its finest.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: The Electric Age (2012), White Devil Armory (2014), The Grinding Wheel (2017), The Wings of War (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">16. Lör - In Forgotten Sleep (2017)</span></b><br />
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Talk about a stunning debut record, and to believe that I almost missed out on it. The epic nature of "In Forgotten Sleep" was obvious from first listen, but I needed more time to really understand the scope of it all, to see just how grand this record was. Not only does Lör treat us with a unique style of progressive folk metal that we have never witnessed before, they execute it with such precision that it leaves you with a dropped jaw that demands quite the force to get it back to its natural position. All these crazy rhythms, sudden tempo changes, and epic vocal performances makes this a truly special record, and Lör is certainly a band to look out for in the future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">15. Haken - Affinity (2016)</span></b><br />
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I can already hear you screaming "Why isn't "The Mountain" the best Haken record?". While I love that album too, I just could not get into it as much as "Affinity". To me, "Affinity" has perfect knowledge of what it wants to do, and does so close to perfection, creating a retro styled album that still fits well in the 2010s. This album flows really nicely, every song being in its right spot to make the experience as pleasant as possible. There is also a little thing called "The Architect" in here that seals the deal for me, a close to 16 minute monstrosity that is hands down my favourite progressive metal song of this decade, maybe even ever. The fact that this song still gives me goosebumps every time I put it on is crazy, it just should not be possible. If you have not heard it, go put it on now before you continue reading. DO IT!<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Aquarius (2010), Visions (2011), The Mountain (2013), Vector (2018)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">14. Ghost - Infestissumam (2013)</span></b><br />
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Think it is safe to say that no other band have made a greater impact world wide this decade than Ghost, a mysterious Swedish doom rock band that was the brain child of one Tobias Forge. The success of the band is undeniable, and so is the fact that there is a ton of quality in the music as well. I guess most people would chose "Meliora" as their favourite, but "Infestissumam" stands to me as an incredibly even record with little to no weaknesses throughout its run time. Sure, the heaviness is toned down for a more pop like feel, but the message of the band still comes across, if not even stronger. Besides, there are still some brilliant darker moments in here, like "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen", "Per Aspera Ad Inferi", and "Year Zero". While the whole mystery aspect of the band is now gone, the music still lives on strong, and "Infestissumam" is the biggest proof of its brilliance.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Opus Eponymous (2010), Meliora (2015), Prequelle (2018)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">13. Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart (2018)</span></b><br />
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Normally, I fall asleep when bands try to lower the tempo, going for a more somber mood with longer riffs and mellow sections. Oceans of Slumber managed to keep me awake though, and they did so by putting me in some kind of hypnotic state. "The Banished Heart" is a dark, but oh so beautiful album that does not rush things, makes sure that every little note is in its right place. What makes this album go to the next level is singer Cammie Gilbert, an insanely talented vocalist that squeezes out every little bit of emotion she can get out from her vocal chords to elevate everything, whether it be by screaming ("At Dawn"), going low ("The Decay of Disregard"), or high (the title track). There are tons of killer moments in here that makes your skin crawl from how mighty it feels, and more of this is hopefully to come in the future.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Aetherial (2013), Winter (2016)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">12. Soen - Lotus (2019)</span></b><br />
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The best Opeth record of the decade does not go to Opeth, but to a band that has a couple of former Opeth members. Soen has been really solid throughout the decade, but they took it to another level with "Lotus", pulling out all the tricks to make this album as delicious as possible. In every nook and cranny, there is a tasty riff, a cool drum pattern, a catchy chorus, and basically anything else that makes progressive music so awesome. It is a smorgasbord of technical skill that has been compiled to fantastic tunes, a display of five guys cooperating with each other in close to perfect symbiosis. What more do I need to say, it is progressive metal candy at its best.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Cognitive (2012), Tellurian (2014), Lykaia (2017)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">11. Judicator - At The Expense of Humanity (2015)</span></b><br />
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Now this is a record I did not appreciate enough when it came out, and I appreciated it quite a bit still. "At The Expense of Humanity" opened me up to Judicator and their Americanized version of the Blind Guardian formula, but it was not until much later that I understood the lyrical weight of the record, a concept taken from singer John Yelland's own life about him losing his brother to cancer, and how he and the rest of the family handles this tragedy. The music is awesome in its own right, blending some cool progressive elements to the blazing speed, but it would not be the emotional masterpiece it is today without the lyrics, and we are immensely grateful to John for sharing his story and feelings with us.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: King of Rome (2012), Sleepy Plessow (2013), The Last Emperor (2018)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">10. Fallujah - Dreamless (2016)</span></b><br />
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I absolutely love records that sends me off to some distant dimension where nothing exist except the endless tones of hypnotizing metal. Fallujah made the best album of that kind this decade with "Dreamless", a record that puts you in some sort of dream state, sweeps you away with beautiful riffs, crushing blast beats, deep growls, all creating an atmosphere that mere words cannot describe. It is one of those albums that once you start it, you have to finish it, without any piss breaks or song skips, all of it in one fellow swoop. That in itself is a sign of a great piece of metal music, and it also helps that most of the songs are great in their own right. More of this please, and less of last year's disappointment "Undying Light".<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: The Harvest Wombs (2011), The Flesh Prevails (2014), Undying Light (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">9. Insomnium - Winter's Gate (2016)</span></b><br />
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Insomnium has really grown to become a juggernaut in the melodic death metal scene in the last decade, unleashing quality album after quality album, so choosing one for this list should have been difficult, yet it was pretty simple when you think about it. While I dabbled with the idea of taking "Shadows of The Dying Sun" or the recently released "Heart Like A Grave", none of them could match up to the grand epic known as "Winter's Gate". One singular song divided into 7 parts, creating a 40 minute experience that is incredibly hard to match. It is not the first time anyone tried the one song album gimmick, but Insomnium might have perfected it with this release.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: One For Sorrow (2011), Shadows of The Dying Sun (2014), Heart Like A Grave (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">8. Wilderun - Veil of Imagination (2019)</span></b><br />
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How much creativity can you cram into a single record without making it sound like a brick wall? That is seemingly the question Wilderun asked themselves before making "Veil of Imagination", and they certainly managed to fit in a whole lot. This record is overflowing with imagination juice, so many melodies, riffs, beats, rhythms, growls, and a whole lot more musical terms. It should not work, all of this should end up with a dense as hell chunk of lead, yet it flows perfectly, being smooth as silk in its execution, leaving you thirsting for more despite having been exposed to over an hour of symphonic progressive death metal. It is just an incredible record from an insanely talented band.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Olden Tales & Deathly Trails (2012), Sleep At The Edge of The Earth (2015)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">7. Unleash The Archers - Apex (2017)</span></b><br />
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There is no other power metal album from this decade that has delivered more power (and metal for that matter) than "Apex", a tour de force that melts brains and hearts with its powerful intensity. Unleash The Archers really shocked me with their flawless ability to just go all in with the music, combining the relentless juggernaut mentality that every power metal band should strive for with one of the strongest metal voices, no matter the gender, in Brittney Slayes. How can you not be in awe of songs like the powerful "Awakening", the epic "Ten Thousand Against One", and the melodic "The Coward's Way". Man, this album is what power metal is all about, an unstoppable force that not even an immovable object could slow down.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Demons of The AstroWaste (2011), Time Stands Still (2015)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6. Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)</span></b><br />
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Those of you who have visited this blog before know my love of Devin and his maniacal skills of seamlessly transfer his mind from genre to genre, so that he would be in this top 30 was given, and surprisingly enough, so was the album. "Empath" is most easily described as all of Devin on a singular disc, since you get the epic nature that his DTP could create, the soothing sounds his more ambient projects went for, and of course, the dense brutality that we love from Strapping Young Lad. The man is insane, but he somehow manages to channel that insanity into brilliant music that I just cannot stop loving. This album has literally everything that you could ever expect from HevyDevy, even Ziltoid himself can be found in the booklet artwork. Well it does miss a cheeseburger, but that is maybe good news for all you vegimaterians out there. EFFERVESCENT QUALITY!!!<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Deconstruction (2011), Ghost (2011), Epicloud (2012), Casualties of Cool (2014), Z² (2014), Transcendence (2016)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Michael Romeo - War of The Worlds, Pt. 1 (2018)</span></b><br />
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So no Symphony X album managed to crack its way into this list despite a solid decade (both "Iconoclast" and "Underworld" are excellent records), but the guitarist of the group decided to release his first solo record in 24 years, and what a decision that was. Michael Romeo completely floored me with "War of The Worlds, Pt. 1", letting loose all of his riffs and solos that he has surely saved throughout the years, and they are all awesome. There are two things that impress me even more than Romeo's playing, one being the variety the album offers, with straight up bangers, epic ballads, and even a god damn dubstep track that does not suck. The other impressive part is singer Rick Castellano, who lifts the album even higher with his god sent vocals, like if Russell Allen found a way to turn back his age to the mid 20's. Now, give me the second part and HOOK IT TO MY VEINS!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (2012)</span></b><br />
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Is there anyone out there that genuinely dislikes Gojira? In my lifetime, I have not found a single person that out right have said that these guys suck, and no wonder, they are so amazing that their "worst" album "Magma" still has a lot of brilliance to it. Before that experimental weirdness hit the shelves, the French group released a massive bang called "L'Enfant Sauvage", a technical masterpiece of polyrhymtic beats, ultra heavy riffs, and environmental friendly lyrics. This is a massive record that pummels you time and time again until you fall down black and blue, yet you rise up when the referee screams 9 and get ready for another round of beating. It really hurt me to not put it in the podium, because it is so freaking good, but there were three albums that made an even bigger impact on me this decade.<br />
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<b>Other album in the 10s: Magma (2016)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Astronoid - Air (2016)</span></b><br />
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The most defining trait of the 10's might be that we saw the boundaries of metal pushing farther than we have ever seen, even to territories where we can't tell if it is metal or not. This whole Shoegaze, blackgaze, whatevergaze craze is certainly not for everyone, but it has opened up the floodgates for some incredible music. Astronoid's debut album "Air" is a rare sight nowadays, an album that does not sound like anything we have heard before, mixing these uplifting guitars and angelic vocals with fast paced, aggressive drums. The end result is a positive album, yet heavy in its undertones, creating a feeling I have never felt before, a sense of brutal joy. This is a magical album through and through, a wonderful experience I keep coming back to time and time again.<br />
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<b>Other album in the 10s: S/T (2019)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Pain of Salvation - In The Passing Light of Day (2017)</span></b><br />
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There have been ton of emotional albums this decade, all trying to tug the heart strings in one way or another. Out of them all, there is no album that moved me more than "In The Passing Light of Day", a record that tells the very personal tale of how singer Daniel Gildenlöw dealt with a flesh eating bacteria that threatened to end his life. This album does not only see Pain of Salvation get back to their heavier roots after two softer efforts in the "Road Salt" albums, but the lyrics is heavy as hell, forcing you to live through the pain, hopelessness, and despair that Daniel felt throughout this process. Daniel has written a record that comes straight from his heart, and it feels with every note played and every syllable sung. It demands its listener, it will not get to you at first, but give it time, because it grows on you a hell of a lot. An incredible effort all around.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Road Salt One (2010), Road Salt Two (2011)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)</span></b><br />
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So I went back and forth with who should be number 1 or 2 here, but after a lot of thought and beers, I could not deny the album that I most likely have listened to the most throughout the decade. BTBAM is an incredible band, probably one of the leaders of progressive metal right now, always coming up with inventive concepts and music that it is close to ridiculous. Yet, after releasing two amazing albums in "Colors" and "The Great Misdirect", they managed to raise the bar yet another time with this record.<br />
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Following the EP "The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues" that was released a year prior, "The Parallax II: Future Sequence" continues the expansive concept of two prospects and their journeys through space, dreams, planets, and more. It is an insane story that would take me hours to write down, it is just better for you to listen through this 1 hour 12 and a half minute album (and the first Parallax album AND "The Great Misdirect") while reading the lyrics to better understand it. Like that was not enough, the music accompanies the lyrics brilliantly, using tons of different styles, instruments, and rhythms to make this one of the most diverse records I have ever come across in my entire life. Every time I revisit this album, there is something new to latch on to, some cool beat or part that gets its moment to shine (together with the xylophone on "Extremophile Elite", the ultimate highlight of the record). This album is perfection to me, I have had 7+ years to get tired of it, but not once in my life have the thought of shutting down this record mid play ever occurred to me. There is no doubt here, Between The Buried And Me takes home the honor of making my favourite record of the 2010's.<br />
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<b>Other albums in the 10s: Coma Ecliptic (2015), Automata I (2018), Automata II (2018)</b><br />
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Once again, thank you for reading this, and please remember, to stay metal.<br />
Robert "Sharkruisher" Anderssonsharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-30128164729097907542019-12-30T14:30:00.001-08:002019-12-30T14:30:31.036-08:00Best of 2019: Top 20 albums & Top 50 songsSo here we are once again, at the end of a year, and at the end of a decade too. It has been quite a year for me personally. I finally got my own apartment, also got a newer car (and not an old scrapheap), and I am finally free from student loans. As far as my reviewing goes though, it has been a very rough year, and my half year break has only confirmed what I tried to deny for some time, that I just do not have the urge anymore to write these reviews. I still listened to a lot of metal over this year, but the writers block has been as big as that boulder that chases down Indiana Jones. I could have absolutely written something, but then it would just be poor quality that would be spewing out of my fingertips, and no one wants that. So see this as my final end of the year list, and the second to last post on this blog as well (a "Best of 10-19" list will come some time in January).<br />
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As far as the year in metal was, it had its ups and downs like any other year, but I feel like there were no truly genre defining records this year, or any album that pushed the boundaries like Rivers of Nihil did last year. There is still a lot of quality to be had, and it just might be my taste, but as you will see in this list, I think progressive metal had a massive year, with several high profile bands releasing great music, and some more underground acts showing off some marvelous writing. Anyway, let us start with some honorable mentions, then get to the 20 chosen ones. Enjoy.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal</span></b><br />
It is Fates Warning, yet it is not Fates Warning<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Atlas Pain - Tales of A Pathfinder</span></b><br />
Nice and solid folk melodeath<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Obsidian Tide - Pillars of Creation</span></b><br />
Interesting debut from this Israel group<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">20. Gloryhammer - Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex</span></b><br />
Let us start this list with a little... sorry, a lot of cheese. Gloryhammer is once again treating us to a cheese platter of insanely fun and goofy power metal that makes other fantasy based acts like Blind Guardian and Twilight Force look like stamp collectors. "...Terrorvortex" may not be the insane power trip as "Space 1992..." was, but it still takes us through a story that is engaging and exciting. All hail Angus McFife and his kingdom.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">19. Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas</span></b><br />
This is my first go around with this band since I am not that much into everything involving grind in its genre name, so I am probably not the best one to judge how good this album actually is (The reviews I have read are literally all over the place so maybe no one is). Nonetheless, "Death Atlas" impressed me with its stellar composition of black, death, prog, and also a little grind to make something really unique. The most impressive thing though is the vocal work by Travis Ryan, his range is fucking insane.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">18. Avandra - Descender</span></b><br />
The first of many progressive acts on this list is a little group from Puerto Rico that impressed me a lot with their calm, melancholic style that seemed to hit a lot of emotional strings on me. There is certainly a lot of Dream Theater elements in here, but there is enough of a personal touch in the music to make it their own, and the execution is all around stellar for a band that is not even a decade old. Be on the look out for these guys in the future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">17. Lacuna Coil - Black Anima</span></b><br />
Well this one is a surprise. Lacuna Coil has certainly been a mixed bag for the last couple of albums, and now they finally put it all together in "Black Anima", presenting one of the band's heaviest records to date, with excellent vocal work from both Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro to boot. Don't believe me that this band has found their way again? Just listen to "Under The Surface", and just try to not listen to the rest of the record. Trust me, you will not be able to.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">16. Allegaeon - Apoptosis</span></b><br />
Science metal at its finest, Allegaeon pummel us once again with their now trademarked style of technical death metal, filled to the brim with complex drum patterns, hooky guitar riffs, and scientific language. It is truly an experience to behold what these nerds have cooked up in their studio lab every time they publish their thesis, and it rarely disappoints to engage and astound. All hail science!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">15. Avantasia - Moonglow</span></b><br />
Tobias Sammet knows how to make excellent ensemble pieces, he has been doing it for over two decades now after all, and "Moonglow" is not that much better than any other recent release, but everything just clicks into place here. The song writing is exquisite, the cheese is at just the right level, and the guest list might be the best we have seen from an Avantasia release. Just the fact that we finally get to hear Hansi Kürsch in one of these albums makes it all worth it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">14. Idle Hands - Mana</span></b><br />
If you had said to me at the beginning of the year that I would put a gothic rock album in my top 20, I would probably have laughed at your statement and moved along. Nothing against this type of music style, but it is very rarely I find an album of this type to be engaging and groundbreaking. Idle Hands' debut LP does not feel like a debut at all, it has a seasoned character to it that you would normally see from long time veterans, but with a lot of youthful power added. A nice surprise in an otherwise mediocre landscape.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">13. Eluveitie - Ategnatos</span></b><br />
I have always enjoyed the works of Eluveitie, but there was just something with "Ategnatos" that finally made me go "man, these guys are great". It is hard to pin point exactly what makes this album stand out from the rest, but one way to generalize it is that the songs are just fantastic folky fun. Everytime I turn it on, I have a blast listening to it, which has made me coming back to it several times.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">12. Thank You Scientist - Terraformer</span></b><br />
There was a big hype train for this band back in 2016 that I completely missed out on, so I was pretty determined to not miss it again now that they would unveil their third full length effort. "Terraformer" might ultimately be a little long for my taste, but there is certainly enough quality to make it a non factor. Their unique style of jazzy progressive rock is certainly memorable enough to make you indulge yourself into its glory time and time again, losing track of time with ease.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">11. Mystik - S/T</span></b><br />
There were not many truly great debut records this year, at least none that completely shook up the metalverse. Fortunately, we have an underground scene that delivered one really nice debut, and that is the self titled album from the Swedish group Mystik. This band gave us some nice darkened speed metal that takes you back to the finest King Diamond works, while also adding a nice female touch to the vocals. A cool end result that we will hopefully see more of in the near future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">10. Rammstein - S/T</span></b><br />
I think it was quite given that our favourite Germans would unravel a competent release after not releasing any new material for a decade, but I was genuinely surprised that "Rammstein" was as solid and infectious as it was. It is not an album that will completely shock you, it is just good old German industrial heavy metal at its best, just as catchy and fun as always. The only downside to this album is the boring title and cover. You had 10 years to figure this shiesse out, and THIS is what you came up with? Goodness gracious...<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">9. Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave</span></b><br />
Insomnium is on an insane roll right now, having released three straight banger albums in "Shadows of The Dying Sun", "Winter's Gate", and "Heart Like A Grave". This album continues to cement the band's legacy as one of the big guns in the melodic death metal scene, pumping out some great, emotional music that is just a wonder to behold. Seems like these guys do not know how to make a mistake, and I am all for it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">8. Dream Theater - Distance Over Time</span></b><br />
Like many others, I thought Dream Theater had reached a point in their career where they would still make serviceable music, but no more genre defining masterpieces. Well, just when you think they are done and out, they pull you back in with one hell of a display. "Distance Over Time" has a lot of the old school DT stamp over it, an album that is filled with marvelous technical skill, without any of the snooty "look at me, I can play this hard as shit thing" attitude. After the letdown that is known as "The Astonishing", it feels insanely good that this band is back on track, making awe inspiring music again.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">7. Teramaze - Are We Soldiers</span></b><br />
Ever since "Esoteric Symbolism", I have been a huge fan of Teramaze and their special style of progressive metal. It is a group that try to push boundaries with every release, trying out new things to perfect their craft even further. "Are We Soldiers" is another step in the right direction, creating some truly epic moments throughout the record. It is still mind boggling to me that these guys have been around for over 25 years, and still has not gotten the recognition they deserve. Highly underrated band.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6. Astronoid - S/T</span></b><br />
It is extremely hard to follow up such a magical debut album as "Air", but I think Astronoid did the right thing in giving us more of the same here. Sure, this self titled sophomore effort might not show any real evolution in the band's sound, and nothing in here can really match up to the highs of "Air", but just to deliver a well constructed, quality dense product of uplifting metal is mighty impressive, showing that these guys are no one album wonders. Let us see if they can make a treble in the future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Tool - Fear Inoculum</span></b><br />
So it did not take exactly 10.000 days for this album to see the light of day, but you have to give credit to the guys that their sick obsession of perfection did eventually pay off. "Fear Inoculum" is just what a Tool album should be like, a strange journey to an unknown realm where time and space do not seem to exist, only hypnotizing patterns of string and percussion instruments are there cooperating to give an experience like no other. Was it worth the 15 year wait? I cannot answer that question because I got to know the band several years after "10.000 days", but I probably would not mind waiting that long if I knew the quality would be at this level.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Opeth - In Cauda Venenum</span></b><br />
It has taken its time, but I think Opeth has finally found just the right formula to pull off this new era they are in the middle of. While the previous three non-growl records have not been bad (and "Pale Communion" was even fantastic), they have missed that little extra that Opeth normally adds. I definitely would not say "In Cauda Venenum" is as good as "Blackwater Park" or "Ghost Reveries", but it has a nice mix of heavy moments and intricate musicianship that would make any prog fan happy. It certainly makes me interested in what Mr. Åkerfeldt and crew will construct in the future.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Soen - Lotus</span></b><br />
Since it was released in the beginning of the year, it seems like "Lotus" has been kind of forgotten amongst all other high profile prog releases this year, but I have not lost touch to this magnificent effort from the Swedish prog masters. Soen has always been excellent at what they are doing, but "Lotus" is on a whole different level, mixing marvelous song writing with brilliant techniques to blend cool, imaginative riffing with emotional atmosphere. This is truly prog metal candy at its sweetest, and I could gobble up a full bowl of it in no time.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Wilderun - Veil of Imagination</span></b><br />
A ton of people (including the entire Angry Metal Guy headquarters) raved all over Wilderun's sophomore record "Sleep At The Edge of The Earth" back in 2015, and while I enjoyed the album, I did not see why everyone went nuts over it. Well, 4 years later the unsigned (how is that even possible?) Boston group roundhouse kicked me with "Veil of Imagination", an album title that is a perfect description of the album. There is so much awesome creativity put into this 1 hour and 6 minute long epic that it is kind of hard to wrap your head around why this album was not longer. You know that you have made an awesome record when a 1+ hour run time is too short. It was insanely tough to not put it at the number 1 spot, but there was this one guy that had a say in things...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Devin Townsend - Empath</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDObKsbys20zHtP9PxkmFhCm-BH3M8pfTS2svHMapZffQalN7oEP4ovsX1RBR7AqM22h3EuqAgTXN_2SaaxR5SVcRIGF_V_FYZBncdM-lcpc5JbEOUVHSERMseKhTQl-_inMwl-KYZTJEk/s1600/Devin+Townsend+-+Empath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDObKsbys20zHtP9PxkmFhCm-BH3M8pfTS2svHMapZffQalN7oEP4ovsX1RBR7AqM22h3EuqAgTXN_2SaaxR5SVcRIGF_V_FYZBncdM-lcpc5JbEOUVHSERMseKhTQl-_inMwl-KYZTJEk/s400/Devin+Townsend+-+Empath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This should not come as a surprise for those of you who have been to my blog before that this album is at the very top. I am a huge Devin Townsend nerd, and have enjoyed every new release he has made ever since I started follow the madman from the early DTP days. Yet, I believe that "Empath" might be his biggest achievement as a musician. Throughout his career, we have seen Devin tackling a wide range of musical styles, like death metal, prog rock, ambient, punk, and comedy, so you would think that creating an album that more or less adds all of these influences into a singular record would be impossible. Well, Devin did it, and also managed to add even more to this crazy gumbo (disco for the win!), while still maintaining some type of cohesion throughout it all. "Empath" is as expansive as "Avengers: Endgame", literally everything is in here, and it certainly demands effort from its listener, but the final result has that perfect scientific mix of HevyDevy magic that is oh so irresistible, and just the fact that this record is not as dense as a black hole is a small miracle. There is no doubt about it, this man and this album is 50% insanity, 50% genius, 100% awesome.<br />
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To end this blurb, I will also present you my top 50 songs of the year, which I normally would present in its own post, but I did not want to speak about every single song this time around. As always, it is a clusterfuck tracks, including everything from Japanese power metal, a new type of NU-metal, EDM black metal (or whatever you call that BMTH track), long epics, short catchy bangers, songs from some previously unknown bands, and of course some tracks from regulars that I have talked to death over in this blog over the years such as Devin Townsend, Mechina, Teramaze, Demon Hunter, Overkill, Amon Amarth, and more.<br />
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<b>50. A New Revenge - The Distance Between</b><br />
<b>49. Steve Dadaian - On Silver Shores</b><br />
<b>48. Obsidian Tide - Seven</b><br />
<b>47. The Offering - Lovesick</b><br />
<b>46. Mechina - The Archivarius Chaos Ritual</b><br />
<b>45. Avandra feat. Richard Henshall - The Narrowing of Meaning</b><br />
<b>44. Gyze - Camellia</b><br />
<b>43. Elvenking - The Misfortune of Virtue</b><br />
<b>42. Thank You Scientist - Anchor</b><br />
<b>41. Cyhra - I Am The One</b><br />
<b>40. Lacuna Coil - Under The Surface</b><br />
<b>39. Opeth - Heart In Hand</b><br />
<b>38. Mark Morton feat. Chester Bennington - Cross Off</b><br />
<b>37. Allegaeon - The Secular Age</b><br />
<b>36. Savage Messiah - The Bitter Truth</b><br />
<b>35. Demon Hunter - The Negative</b><br />
<b>34. Arch/Matheos - Wrath of The Universe</b><br />
<b>33. Eluveitie - Ambiramus</b><br />
<b>32. Galneryus - Fighting of Eternity</b><br />
<b>31. Mother of Millions - Amber</b><br />
<b>30. Mystik - Ancient Majesty</b><br />
<b>29. Insomnium - Pale Morning Star</b><br />
<b>28. Overkill - Last Man Standing</b><br />
<b>27. Amon Amarth - Shield Wall</b><br />
<b>26. Slipknot - Critical Darling</b><br />
<b>25. Battle Beast - The Hero</b><br />
<b>24. We Are The Catalyst - Innan Allt Faller</b><br />
<b>23. Swallow The Sun - Firelights</b><br />
<b>22. Leprous - Alleviate</b><br />
<b>21. HammerFall - And Yet I Smile</b><br />
<b>20. Vanden Plas - Fall From The Skies</b><br />
<b>19. Idle Hands - Give Me To The Night</b><br />
<b>18. Dream Theater - Pale Blue Dot</b><br />
<b>17. Gloryhammer - Legendary Enchanted Jetpack</b><br />
<b>16. Atlas Pain - Shahrazãd</b><br />
<b>15. Periphery - Reptile</b><br />
<b>14. Bring Me The Horizon feat. Grimes - Nihilist Blues</b><br />
<b>13. In Flames - I, The Mask</b><br />
<b>12. Within Temptation - Mad World</b><br />
<b>11. Babymetal feat. Alissa White-Gluz - Distortion</b><br />
<b>10. Source - Sinking</b><br />
<b>9. Astronoid - I Wish I Was There While The Sun Set</b><br />
<b>8. Soilwork - Arrival</b><br />
<b>7. Wilderun - The Unimaginable Zero Summer</b><br />
<b>6. Tool - 7empest</b><br />
<b>5. Devin Townsend - Hear Me</b><br />
<b>4. Soen - Covenant</b><br />
<b>3. Teramaze - From Saviour To Assassin</b><br />
<b>2. Avantasia feat. Hansi Kürsch and Jørn Lande - The Raven Child</b><br />
<b>1. Rammstein - Deutschland</b><br />
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A happy new year to everyone, and I will see you some time in January 2020 for my top list of the decade that we are leaving behind.<br />
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Stay metal!<br />
Robert "Sharkruisher" Anderssonsharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-22741132794256254172019-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:002019-10-04T14:47:24.501-07:00So about this abscense...Hi there<br />
<br />
You might have noticed that I have not posted a review for over a month or so, actually been completely quite for that time as well. I feel like I need to explain myself here to why this is.<br />
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So ever since 2019 rolled in to our lives, my urge for writing these reviews have been iffy at best. No, I am not losing interest in metal in general, I just felt that I was stuck in a rut with these reviews, stating the same opinions, writing the same sentences and phrases, and getting stuck way more often than I would like to admit. Simply put, piecing together these reviews was more like work than a simple hobby. I was hoping this was just normal writers block, that some sort of ketchup effect would happen eventually, except it never did, not even during the summer (which is the time of the year that gives me the most opportunity to listen to music). I finally reached a point where I just said to myself "take a break, just enjoy whatever is coming out during this time, and re-evaluate your situation later".<br />
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While I have not really reached a conclusion of the future of this blog and my opinion stating yet, it feels more and more likely that Forsaken At The Gates is nearing its end. I am actually considering a move to other platforms, such as YouTube and Twitch, but those ideas are still in the planning state, and might not even happen at all.<br />
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This is what is going to happen though. I will release my usual top 20 albums and top 50 songs of the year at the end of this year, but do not expect any new normal sized reviews coming out until then. Maybe a bunch of "Rapid Fire Reviews" might arrive, but no promises are made. I am also considering making a massive "Best of the 10's" list of both albums and songs, which I think would be a nice send off to this blog, which by the way will celebrate its 7th birthday this Sunday.<br />
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So while we wait for that, here are some quick thoughts on recent big releases that I have listened to.<br />
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<b>HammerFall - Dominion</b><br />
Solid as usual, my childhood heroes rarely disappoints. 7/10<br />
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<b>Tool - Fear Inoculum</b><br />
Despite 13 years of abscense, Tool is as mysterious and magnificent as ever. 9/10<br />
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<b>Sonata Arctica - Talviyö</b><br />
Boring. 5,5/10<br />
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<b>DragonForce - Extreme Power Metal</b><br />
Ridiculuos, but fun as hell. That Celine Dion cover is glorious! 7/10<br />
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<b>Opeth - In Cauda Venenum</b><br />
Rivaling "Pale Communion" as the best late Opeth record. 9 /10<br />
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A big thanks to all of you who have visited the blog, whether it be once or more, and seen what I had to say. If nothing else, see you at the end of the year.<br />
<br />
Robert "Sharkruisher" Anderssonsharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-5399527459854242332019-08-17T02:40:00.000-07:002019-08-17T02:40:49.328-07:00Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJmLzkwug_Q8EEBSIij63sPkPRfACNgF7H1HA_ndnWPJHGCMpk5u92_tW6wEigH5pl3_YeTejIMH4qrSyzoooxEqEF9JKsAF5htlJXUjxaItVAljQX3zM80QieAC82V2CMzYb1kXr-Sw4/s1600/Slipknot+-+We+Are+Not+Your+Kind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJmLzkwug_Q8EEBSIij63sPkPRfACNgF7H1HA_ndnWPJHGCMpk5u92_tW6wEigH5pl3_YeTejIMH4qrSyzoooxEqEF9JKsAF5htlJXUjxaItVAljQX3zM80QieAC82V2CMzYb1kXr-Sw4/s320/Slipknot+-+We+Are+Not+Your+Kind.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A new Slipknot release is now seen as a spectacle, a chance for every metal head, fan of the band or not, to raise their voices a little higher than usual over their opinions. The Iowa group has certainly reached a level very few bands can reach, and with so many minds working simultaneously in the band, it must be difficult to keep things grounded and not go completely haywire. Well, let us see if the insanity has anything worthwhile to say this time around, or if it is just a jumbled mess of masks, jumpsuits, and artsy stuff.<br />
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At first glance, it seems like "We Are Not Your Kind" is your average Slipknot release, a predictable follow up to the uneven ".5: The Gray Chapter". However, unlike its predecessor that had a good initial impact only to fade further away for every subsequent listen, this album is most definitely a grower, where you find new cool little nuggets every time you take that disc for a spin. And while we of course get most of the Slipknot tropes in here, such as heavy grooves, radio friendly choruses, and a lot of anger, there is actually some new bits in here that excites.<br />
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One of these things can be found in "Critical Darling", an extremely groovy track that has a great build up to a very melodic chorus, almost like it was stolen from Lacuna Coil, leaving an end product that is one of the better Slipknot songs in some time. "Orphan" is also in that league, taking back the intense speed from the band's early days and add a splash of those marvelous "Vol. 3..." choruses, while the single "Unsainted" is following the Slipknot single formula perfectly, this time adding church choirs to spice things up a bit. The highlights of this album are truly stellar, showcasing a hungry band that is once again pissed off at everyone and everything.<br />
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There are still more experimental moments in this album that flexes the band's more atmospheric side. "Spiders" act like it is in a horror movie, creeping up slowly with all of its eight legs, while "My Pain" is more like a somber lullaby sung by Pennywise. We also venture a little into Stone Sour territory again in both "Not Long For This World" and "A Liar's Funeral", which just ends with mixed result, as does the various instrumental interludes that are sprinkled throughout the album. I get that they are trying to create an atmosphere, but I want music man, just get to it already.<br />
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Then we have the odd decision of not including the first single "All Out Life" at all in this album, which is a crying shame because that track is one of the most furious tracks the band has done since the "Iowa" days. Speaking in "Spotify Metal Talks", Shawn "Clown" Crahan explains that he wanted the track to be its own entity, and that the fans would still find the song and listen to it regardless if it was in the album or not, ultimately giving way for another song that otherwise would have not made the cut. Fair enough, but I still think this album would have been even better if "All Out Life" was in instead of one of the calmer songs (not to mention that the album title is spawned from this track). By the way, Shawn called "We Are Not Your Kind" a masterpiece roughly 10 times during that whole talk, making hims sound a little pretentious by the end.<br />
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So "We Are Not Your Kind" might not ultimately match up with any of the first three Slipknot records, but it definitely beats down "All Hope Is Gone" and ".5: The Gray Chapter" by quite a margin. It still has its problems here and there, but when this album gets going, it gets fucking going, showing that Slipknot still has enough energy in them to rally the maggots into some brutally groovy heavy metal that when it is at its best, it is impossible to resist. Well, this review probably do not matter since most of you who are reading this already have a firm opinion of the band, but if you happen to be open of giving this band another chance, I suggest you do so, and add "All Out Life" into the setlist as well.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Critical Darling, Unsainted, Red Flag, Orphan</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Spiders</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.slipknot1.com/">http://www.slipknot1.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/slipknot">https://twitter.com/slipknot</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Slipknot</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/10/slipknot-5-gray-chapter-2014.html">.5: The Gray Chapter</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-75797185553118619512019-08-06T12:13:00.002-07:002019-08-06T12:13:57.387-07:00Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (2005)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbYehxQ-xn5mviqKXb2Pe1W38gX11VfE_7yykx52Rsqza1r2vf4oo5HoOx8_sZx8XfIHTKum_uqTQSZAjcRmWwuvW3B8H2e0of03kAmdcFbsbTDeJCHY5gYg5BxB_B2u_I91ybXj8KeX1/s1600/Gojira+-+From+Mars+To+Sirius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbYehxQ-xn5mviqKXb2Pe1W38gX11VfE_7yykx52Rsqza1r2vf4oo5HoOx8_sZx8XfIHTKum_uqTQSZAjcRmWwuvW3B8H2e0of03kAmdcFbsbTDeJCHY5gYg5BxB_B2u_I91ybXj8KeX1/s320/Gojira+-+From+Mars+To+Sirius.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
While the first two Gojira records created buzz, it was not until the third record "From Mars To Sirius" in which the band hit their stride and became real famous within the metal community, taking their craft to a whole new planetary level. It is with this album where Gojira finds that perfect balance of groove, atmosphere, and brutality, fusing together to make a true juggernaut of metal music. Let us do like Pinocchio and get inside the whale to find out what makes this album the pinnacle of Gojira.<br />
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So this is a concept record, depicting a race who tries to resurrect a dead ocean planet so it can be habitable again. This obviously has a lot of connections to what we are doing to our world today, an environmental message of what our future might be like if we do not change our way of living. It is kind of a tough subject, because while it is important, it is really easy to be too on the nose, being obnoxiously preachy about it. Fortunately, the French group does weave in their message really neatly into their story, while still being crystal clear over what they are trying to tell us.<br />
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To go together with this environmental theme, Gojira serves us with their patented style of complex progressive death metal, but this time it acts like an onion, where you find layer after layer after layer of awesome music. Every instrument helps in the building process of each song, adding some incredible depth that we did not hear in the first two record. It also helps that the production is the best one yet, highlighting each member just as much as they need to really make each track stand out. It is true, clean music poetry.<br />
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The biggest improvement from the last record is that "From Mars To Sirius" is just so god damn diverse in its delivery, not only nailing those dark, ultra heavy moments, but also manages to shine in the more ethereal moments like in "Where Dragons Dwell", "Unicorn", and "Flying Whales". It is still the heavier moments that do steal the show. "Backbone" crushes your eardrums before the following track "From The Sky" does a blood chilling scream of the title. Then we have the appropriately named "The Heaviest Matter of The Universe" that technically might not be the heaviest track of the record, but everything here comes together so insanely good that it leaves the heaviest impact on you. Let us also not forget the closer "Global Warming", where Christian Andreu and Joe Duplantier flex all of their finger muscles with this technical guitar lick that is played through most of the songs, which is just under 8 minutes long. Closes off the record in a horrific, yet cool, way.<br />
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Really, there is very little to complain about here. Some moments might be dragging on a little too much, and the 1+ hour run time is a bit on the long side, but there is no question that "From Mars To Sirius" is still a masterful record of progressive excellence, taking the listener through a journey of a life time. Gojira finally find their winning formula that they still use to this day. Yes, this album is amazing, and it does not even matter if it does sound like Korn at times even (looking at you "World To Come").<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: From The Sky, Ocean Planet, The Heaviest Mater of The Universe, Flying Whales</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 9/10 Backbones</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.gojira-music.com/">www.gojira-music.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/GojiraMusic">twitter.com/GojiraMusic</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Gojira</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/06/gojira-terra-incognita-2001.html">Terra Incognita</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/06/gojira-magma-2016.html">Magma</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-15102938901746290762019-07-28T15:44:00.001-07:002019-07-28T15:45:04.860-07:00Sabaton - The Great War (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2OIjWz77fBgnqiY1eClZnmmy220V7DmzTlBmrsbKP3yKxLM6OsepaT8csJfTCU_FZ4-eapmRrkQb8ao75OOa9tDTMOOp1K_XJ0mvA6iYCE4hBt8V2lkOs_OzU18jHzHOil68Xp-3aPA6/s1600/Sabaton+-+The+Great+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2OIjWz77fBgnqiY1eClZnmmy220V7DmzTlBmrsbKP3yKxLM6OsepaT8csJfTCU_FZ4-eapmRrkQb8ao75OOa9tDTMOOp1K_XJ0mvA6iYCE4hBt8V2lkOs_OzU18jHzHOil68Xp-3aPA6/s320/Sabaton+-+The+Great+War.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Thanks to the second World War and all of its horrors, the first edition (also known as The Great War) is kind of forgotten in today's age. It may seem like primitive warfare with very little happening, but at the time, this war saw humanity invent all kinds of new ways of killing each other, whether it be on the ground, in the skies, or through biochemical means. It is an event that now, just over 100 years later, is depicted once again, this time through the sound of metal war veterans Sabaton, an opportunity to further immortalize this important event in human history.<br />
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The Swedes have gone more in the concept direction in later records, telling war stories in a certain category, but this is the first time the band takes a specific war and fills a record with stories from it, and it is a strategy that I like a lot. The band's strength has always been in the lyrical department, having a knack to telling these tales in a colorful way that peaks your interest, so focusing it all to one specific point in time instead of several different periods gives it more of a story book feeling, having a smoother flow to what is happening.<br />
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And as always, the band has this massive energy to them that is really infectious. Everything from the pummeling drums of Hannes Van Dahl to the grand vocals of Joakim Brodén is larger than life, which helps them immensely when they step on the live stage. Tracks like "Great War", "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", "The Attack of The Dead Men", and a couple of others were made for playing live, being catchy and epic as all hell. There is no question that this album will suck you in thanks to the lyrics, the energy, and the passionate performances, just like most other Sabaton records.<br />
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The problems are still the same though, mostly that "The Great War" is not very versatile in its execution. The band does try to spice up some things, like the insanely groovy "The Red Baron" features the keyboards (also performed by Brodén) a lot, "Fields of Verdun" is more classic power metal than what we are used to see from Sabaton (more like Stratovariaton there), and "The End of The War To End All War" is as epic as an ending can be, but it is still not enough to make "The Great War" significally stand out from its brethren. This also makes the album pretty tiring, even if it only clocks in at 38 minutes. Sabaton is still best in small doses, and this record further exemplifies that.<br />
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Ultimately, "The Great War" is just another Sabaton record, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I believe Sabaton only makes new records because of 2 reasons. 1. they want new songs to play live, and 2. they want to tell new stories. We listen to these records for the tales the band tells, so we can learn more about the violent historic nature of humanity, and it also helps that the music is still pretty good, even if it is very much predictable. So yes, there is not much new on the Western Sabaton front, but it is still entertaining enough to get you hooked.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: The Attack of The Dead Men, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, The Red Baron, Great War</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Devil Dogs</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.sabaton.net/">www.sabaton.net/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/sabaton">twitter.com/sabaton</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Sabaton</b><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/05/sabaton-heroes-2014_15.html"><b>Heroes</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/08/sabaton-last-stand-2016.html">The Last Stand</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-57757001851154982112019-07-22T02:25:00.003-07:002019-07-22T02:25:21.118-07:00Turilli/Lione Rhapsody - Zero Gravity (Rebirth And Evolution) (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4trBmnHLgMbDBWOtTz2vdx4H8uCo6cBNXDYuKQsCOqIm3qrNzOFc3YjmJm6ingsZKvMXXtb829ALDMWonNM4vAgp1atOwyzIvAyivCwVQAAd93DtJzV-J9-V3eqN9x-A4E7qsgJHxfaZR/s1600/TurilliLione+Rhapsody+-+Zero+Gravity+%2528Rebirth+And+Evolution%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4trBmnHLgMbDBWOtTz2vdx4H8uCo6cBNXDYuKQsCOqIm3qrNzOFc3YjmJm6ingsZKvMXXtb829ALDMWonNM4vAgp1atOwyzIvAyivCwVQAAd93DtJzV-J9-V3eqN9x-A4E7qsgJHxfaZR/s320/TurilliLione+Rhapsody+-+Zero+Gravity+%2528Rebirth+And+Evolution%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My relationship with the ever changing entity known as Rhapsody has always been complicated. At one hand, I appreciate the grand unique spectacle that the band usually give us, but I also feel like they cross over the cheesy line more often than not, making every listen extremely frustrating. It does not help either that the band is different every time they pop up on the news feed, whether it be a new name, a new line up, or a combination of both. So here we have another branch on the Rhapsody tree, with founder Luca Turilli leaving his own Rhapsody on the sidelines for now, to once again collaborate with former Rhapsody (and current Angra) singer Fabio Lione in a project called, what else, Turilli/Lione Rhapsody. Just had to stick in that Rhapsody at the end, didn't ya?<br />
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To be honest, I do not blame their branding decision here, because this is as Rhapsody as it can become, all of that glorious epic symphonic cheese metal in an all you can eat buffet. It is grander than an ancient gladiator fight at the Coliseum in Rome, and it is more dramatic than the biggest of drama queens. Needless to say, if you have any interest in anything of Turilli's and Lione's previous Rhapsody work, this will most likely suit you nicely.<br />
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It is still teetering dangerously on that thin line between brilliance and cheese, but the duo fortunately ends up successful more often than not. There is this overwhelming confidence going through this record that wins me over time and time again, a multi layered sound scape of fantastic musicality that is just wonderful to behold. A track like "Decoding The Multiverse" is a prime example of this, a song that should have been over the top with its ridiculous premise, symphonic overload, and an over acting Lione, but it is all performed so expertly that it churns out pure quality instead of Gouda.<br />
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The whole first half of the record is overall top notch stuff. Opener "Phoenix Rising" sets the bar nicely with its Middle Eastern spices and catchy chorus, which is then followed up by "D.N.A. - Demon And Angel", where Lione is doing some excellent duet work with Amaranthe's Elize Ryd. Turilli gets his moments too, like the apocalyptic "Fast Radio Burst", and in the solo of the title track.<br />
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So it all seemed well and good, and my hopes of finally starting to love a Rhapsody album started to peak out, only to go right back to its hideout at the midway point. The second half has some questionable choices that makes this record slightly front heavy, like why are they suddenly changing between English and Italian? Just a weird choice that does nothing to benefit the album as a whole. There is also more classical influences in here, which is not utilized to its fullest potential unfortunately, it just becomes overly dramatic for my taste. "I Am" and "Multidimensional" saves this second half from being complete confusion, but it does not help my view of any Rhapsody project.<br />
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Despite that disappointing ending, "Zero Gravity (Rebirth And Evolution)" is still one of the more powerful Rhapsody records I have heard in some time, showing off the brilliance that both Luca Turilli and Fabio Lione can do when they bash their collective minds together. It makes you miss the good old days, when there was only one Rhapsody out there and not three. Bravissimo to the both of you.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Fast Radio Burst, D.N.A. - Demon And Angel, Decoding The Multiverse, Multidimensional</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Origins</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://tlrhapsody.com/">tlrhapsody.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ltrhapsody">twitter.com/ltrhapsody</a>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-68704478573394255032019-07-16T14:43:00.001-07:002019-07-16T14:43:48.744-07:00Equity - Financial Metal. (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Metal never ceases to amaze me, showing that you can take some of the most mundane and sterile things in existence, and still make it relatively cool through some riffs, beats, and growls. Enter Equity, a thrash death band/solo project that is all about one thing, and one thing only, finance. The entire gimmick of Equity is taking everything that is about economy, accounting, stock markets, or anything close to that, and turn it into metal. This is just complete insanity, and I am not really sure if this is just a gimmick, if it is a joke, or if this 100% serious, because I literally know nothing else about the band. Seriously, this album just popped up out of nowhere, there are no members tied to it, and there is no link to the band what so ever. No YouTube, no Facebook, no Bandcamp, no Twitter, nothing at all, and this is only confirmed by the Metal-archives (if there is no info there, then there just is no info available). Only reason I found this is thanks to the podcast <a href="https://theheavymetalhangover.podbean.com/">Heavy Metal Hangover</a>, who featured it (and made silly jokes about the band throughout the episode).<br />
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Okay, enough about Equity out ghosting Ghost, let us talk about the music. As previously stated, this is a death metal record with some thrash thrown into the mix, and it is... fine. Yeah, this is far from mind blowing stuff, most of the music in here has been done before, and there is no real surprise to be had at all. With that said, the band does stick to its sound pretty well and delivers some solid metal all around. Riffs are chunky, drums hits hard, bass is deep, and the growls are textbook stuff. Do have to give some extra credit to the guitars, who at times do manage to cram out some nice solos.<br />
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The thing that do make Equity shine is obviously the lyrical content. We hear Equity speak about Brexit, the Panama papers, debt, taxes, stocks, disposable income, liability and more. This group talk like true suit wearers from Wall Street, talking in terms that I kind of understand, but do not really understand, and it is just hilarious that it is all growled. Makes you imagine how it would sound like if you hear your economic advisor speak to you like that when you meet him at the bank.<br />
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Other than that, there is unfortunately not much more positive I can say about "Financial Metal.". Well, that is half a lie, I do think it is funny that the instrumental track "Brexodus" is the longest track of the record, sort of stating that Brexit is taking forever, but it backfires because the song itself is not interesting enough to warrant the 9 minute run time. Besides from that instrument wanking, there just is not much from this record that truly stands out music wise. "Blue Chip Liability" and "Buy Low Sell Die" has some great solos, and "Figure It Out" has this cool start stop strategy that works, but everything else is pretty much similar to one another. I really wished that they had included the bonus track "Disposable Income" in the real setlist, because it would have brought some much needed speed into this record.<br />
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So revisiting my calculations, Equity is a fun, but limited, listen. The whole gimmick certainly gets you hooked, and it is worth a listen or two, but "Financial Metal." as a whole has a short life span, not lasting all too long in the minds of those who seek innovative metal. The question now is what will happen to Equity. Was this a one off thing? Will we ever get to know who created this band? Are the members actual accountants playing metal for a hobby? No matter if these questions gets answered or not, Equity is an experience, and just more proof that anything is possible with metal. It may not be worthy of a full time investment, but I suggest you keep a look out for this group in the future, just to see if their stock starts to rise.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Blue Chip Liability, Buy Low Sell Die, Figure It Out</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 6,5/10 Panama Papers</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Equity/3540455337">www.metal-archives.com/bands/Equity/3540455337</a>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-35691929931253528432019-07-13T15:11:00.002-07:002019-07-13T15:11:55.900-07:00Gojira - The Link (2003)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpjBGXdtrK4AlHbE4RG4i9Yct9NdhfizXjU4J-EcPf2n1RVjw5dvCdRmwXil1NvMCH7uq517i9UO8Cn5EjUBbnRH9H50azbAhtoFnxVRbMn1K-C_abqrO1cULaG6-L3Xd0Yrb8FCy-_Rt/s1600/Gojira+-+The+Link.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpjBGXdtrK4AlHbE4RG4i9Yct9NdhfizXjU4J-EcPf2n1RVjw5dvCdRmwXil1NvMCH7uq517i9UO8Cn5EjUBbnRH9H50azbAhtoFnxVRbMn1K-C_abqrO1cULaG6-L3Xd0Yrb8FCy-_Rt/s320/Gojira+-+The+Link.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If "Terra Incognita" was Gojira's equivalent to crawling, then the sophomore effort entitled "The Link" is displaying a band who is taking their first, unbalanced steps to become a full grown entity. It is a record that takes every lesson the band learned through its predecessor, both good and bad, and improved upon (so no more double trips to Belgium). Still, with such complex patterns and rhythms at hand, the evolution was still slow, so let us see how far the band has come with the release of this album.<br />
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The biggest difference is obviously the production, which is much slicker this time around, allowing more freedom for all the beats and riffs to roam and show themselves how strong they are. This does mean that the band do not get the opportunity to create another dark and eerie record like the last one, but they do take full advantage of what they have, giving "The Link" a life of its own. It is still a little stiff in its performance, but it does its job well enough.<br />
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The (sorta) improved production also helps in making each track stand out more, and we got ourselves a hand full of impressive treats. "Remembrance" makes quite an entrance with its fast paced groovy rhythm that has a nice mix of crazy double bass and tribe like riffs that puts you in a headbanging voodoo trance. That middle part especially is the first taste of true Gojira magic, but not the last, because "Indians" shifts tempo with impressive precision, "Wisdom Comes" crushes with no mercy, and "Embrace The World" does a little of everything right.<br />
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Every member of the band also goes in the right direction. Mario's drumming is tighter, Joe and Christian's guitars show off more techniques, Jean-Michel's bass is more vibrant, and Joe expands his vocal range further. It is a complete team effort that makes "The Link" a natural progression for the band, and while it has its blemishes with a trio of instrumentals (with the best one being the closer "Dawn", which got some cool parts, but is far too long and repetitive), several sluggish parts, and a stagnant production, it still manages to entertain enough to get the listener to the very end. The highlights are high, and the lows are not on an embarrassing level, so "The Link" is definitely not the weakest of its kind.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Remembrance, Indians, Embrace The World</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7/10 Inward Movements</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.gojira-music.com/">www.gojira-music.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/GojiraMusic">twitter.com/GojiraMusic</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Gojira</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/06/gojira-terra-incognita-2001.html">Terra Incognita</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/06/gojira-magma-2016.html">Magma</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-70493412686644269162019-07-08T14:39:00.002-07:002019-07-08T14:42:59.141-07:00Teramaze - Are We Soldiers (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjn_8vbdLezcMal48jI1rs6N5-OoDHelt9ASvgygUhD-OfqtR8dhWJllEcY2VK-RrFzfOBm6JNOR6e8Sr1G9B_TZ0oF3ekvLDzwvKU6t5GvLSREisB2lF212HrZrgI9xX4iDwFS4W5Nhv/s1600/Teramaze+-+Are+We+Soldiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjn_8vbdLezcMal48jI1rs6N5-OoDHelt9ASvgygUhD-OfqtR8dhWJllEcY2VK-RrFzfOBm6JNOR6e8Sr1G9B_TZ0oF3ekvLDzwvKU6t5GvLSREisB2lF212HrZrgI9xX4iDwFS4W5Nhv/s320/Teramaze+-+Are+We+Soldiers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Australian group Teramaze is a band that I instantly fell in love with when I first heard them on the 2014 effort "Esoteric Symbolism", and the follow up "Her Halo" was not too shabby either. They have a heavier and more futuristic take on the classic progressive metal formula that really speaks to me, and it also helps that the men behind the music are pretty skilled as well. It has been a while though since the last album (4 years to be exact), so do they still have that magic touch, or are they on the decline?<br />
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The sixth full length effort is entitled "Are We Soldiers", and it gives us a lot of metal for the money, one hour and nine minutes of it. I am usually not against a prog band going over the hour mark, but this is a dense album with a lot of quality, but also some unnecessary moments. The closer "Depopulate" is the perfect example of this, starting off strong with determination and a catchy pronunciation of the title, but the back half of this song that goes for just under 12 minutes is completely different, and does not add anything significant really. Why not split up this song into two? Would make much more sense. Also do not like the title track, an obvious single track that does not have any impact in its delivery.<br />
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At first, the density made me kind of numb about the record, not feeling too excited about it, but the more I listened, the more I started to love it. Teramaze has this copyrighted style that is incredibly infectious, adding small thrash hints into their music to give it more depth. The band is also great at packaging these songs so that you never feel bored, either by the mesmerizing guitar symbiosis of Dean Wells and newcomer Chris Zoupa, the excellent keyboard melodies of Jonah Weingarten, or the passionate vocal performance of Brett Rerekura. It is an all out team effort at an high level.<br />
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It is ultimately the song craft that is the strength of "Are We Soldiers", a mix of melodic and heavy songs that all show off their individual power. Pacing is especially strong in this record, with songs like "Control Conquer Collide" (or as I like to call it, triple C), "Orwellian Times" and "Fact Resistant Human" take their time to settle in, not rushing getting to the point, leading to some highly enjoyable moments. Then there are the more intense songs like "Weight of Humanity" and "Fight Or Flight" that offers something special to this record. My favourite of the bunch though is "From Saviour To Assassin", an awesome high paced track with great riffing, epic chorus, and a second half that gives you chills all the way through. It is songs like this one that only Teramaze can do, and a major reason to why I love these guys.<br />
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"Are We Soldiers" is another stellar performance from the Aussies, a record filled with progressive goodness that will last for quite some time. The band keeps their wheels rolling with their signature sound and lyrics about the social issues the world is facing today, giving us an album that is both catchy, interesting, and thought provoking. It may be a little on the long side, and some of the songs might not stack up to its peers, but "Are We Soldiers" is still a solid gem that you should dedicate some time into. Simply put, this album is Teramazing.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: From Saviour To Assassin, Fight Or Flight, Control Conquer Collide, Weight of Humanity</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8,5/10 M.O.N.S.T.E.R.S.</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://teramaze.com.au/">http://teramaze.com.au/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/teramazemusic">https://twitter.com/teramazemusic</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Teramaze</b><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/04/teramaze-esoteric-symbolism-2014.html"><b>Esoteric Symbolism</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/11/teramaze-her-halo-2015.html">Her Halo</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-76049129452834765672019-07-05T11:50:00.000-07:002019-07-05T11:50:20.858-07:00From Worst To First: Black SabbathOut of all the discography reviews I have done over the years, I am probably the least happy over the one I did on Black Sabbath. Not only did this one take an ungodly time to complete (sure, there are 19 albums to get through, but I was still slow as hell on this one), but I feel like I never gave most of these albums their due. After all, this is the band that started it all, the group that every other metal band who has ever existed has to thank to get this thing called metal rolling, so it is just silly with me being so hap hazard with this particular series (especially the ending, god damn). Well, hopefully I regain some respect back with this ranking, and while most of my thoughts and feelings for these albums are mostly the same, it still gave me a chance to revisit and rethink over what every record tries to do, and what they ultimately accomplish. So strap yourselves in, and watch me rank all 19 studio records of Black Sabbath.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">19. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/05/black-sabbath-never-say-die-1978.html">Never Say Die!</a></span></b><br />
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The end of the original Black Sabbath was far from pretty, and nothing exemplifies that better than "Never Say Die!", the last record Ozzy, Tony, Bill, and Geezer did together. If "Technical Ecstacy" was a full on experiment, this one was just the product of a band that was more than ready to dissolve, with no direction what so ever, and songs that just leaves you clueless. Most of these songs are very much forgettable, or even out right dumb. What is even stranger is that this record, one of the worst ones in the band's entire existence, might have one of the best opening one-two punches of any Sabbath record. If the rest of the record had the same infectious qualities as the title track and "Johnny Blade", maybe the gang would have been together for at least another year or so.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>18. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/11/black-sabbath-forbidden-1995.html">Forbidden</a></b></span><br />
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I will always be a defender of Tony Martin and his time in Sabbath, he is a great singer who never really got the recognition he deserved, never seemed to step out of Ozzy's and Dio's shadow. With that said, I just cannot defend his (and long time seemingly Sabbath's) last effort "Forbidden". This album is boring in every sense of the word, not improving at all on the sound the band had established during this era, instead leaning on mediocre radio rock with bland riffs and questionable vocal performances. "I Won't Cry For You" and "Rusty Angels" are acceptable, the rest are not. Also, you wanna know what is the most interesting part of this record? Ice-T's cameo in "The Illusion of Power". Now that is a crossover.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">17. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/08/black-sabbath-seventh-star-1986.html">Seventh Star</a></span></b><br />
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I still hate the fact that we have to judge "Seventh Star" as a Black Sabbath record, because this is obviously not a Black Sabbath record. It was originally planned to be a solo album by Iommi (for gods sake, he even fronts the cover art alone), but he was persuaded to release it under the Sabbath moniker. So if you ever wanted a Sabbath record with a generic 80's rock sound that has hints of Yngwie Malmsteen and The Scorpions, then congratulations, you got it... you sick bastard. It still got some nicely crafted guitar work at least, and it shows that Iommi has more under his song writing belt than one might think, but this is as forgettable as it goes. Next please.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">16. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/07/black-sabbath-born-again-1983.html">Born Again</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87TA7LGePPMdqm3Vwis_oXGcw_JXpi-VoZWDSkcZAlxskprAXdbjaPybBQxiWli64RwPitH1Q2r9JcEq6_MUvpAQQAISmoVb0jTThyphenhyphenESLG3O4M565xVhXNsvoBapX-H6_dzYzjNKwAp8p/s1600/black_sabbath_born_again_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87TA7LGePPMdqm3Vwis_oXGcw_JXpi-VoZWDSkcZAlxskprAXdbjaPybBQxiWli64RwPitH1Q2r9JcEq6_MUvpAQQAISmoVb0jTThyphenhyphenESLG3O4M565xVhXNsvoBapX-H6_dzYzjNKwAp8p/s200/black_sabbath_born_again_front.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The Ian Gillan era of Black Sabbath was short, but was it sweet? Well, let us call it strange instead, because "Born Again" was exactly that, strange. It is a dark and eerie album that is sort of reminiscent of the band's early work, but because they had Ian on the vocals, it kind of got this glammy vibe to it that got you out of the moment. Do not get me wrong, Ian is a fantastic vocalist, and I love his work on Deep Purple, but he just did not fit in with Sabbath. It did not help either that "Born Again" was a murky enigma of an album, with unclear production and uneven setlist. It has its moments, and there is a section of the fan base that absolutely loves this record, I am just not one of them.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">15. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/11/black-sabbath-cross-purposes-1994.html">Cross Purposes</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOpD5HpxS0sSe9F9cQBaXPHm3eRt4aZpbmBEKAnl8o0wn7nsiKW6Lqw_5x69BaT5BIlorcunMgcpimUiR29_Mjv3qmpEYqlGuJ32v6AMHste58R68m1nzTVkl1L8YOAqAooC3-JoiQk84/s1600/black+sabbath+-+cross+purposes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOpD5HpxS0sSe9F9cQBaXPHm3eRt4aZpbmBEKAnl8o0wn7nsiKW6Lqw_5x69BaT5BIlorcunMgcpimUiR29_Mjv3qmpEYqlGuJ32v6AMHste58R68m1nzTVkl1L8YOAqAooC3-JoiQk84/s200/black+sabbath+-+cross+purposes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
So I wrote in my old review that "Cross Purposes" had some grunge vibes to it, which made me think "what the hell was I smoking while writing that? Sabbath going grunge? No freaking way". Well, I quickly listened to this album to jog my memory, and sure enough, there is grunge in here ("Virtual Death" could just as well have been an Alice In Chains song). Besides that, there is not all that much that differentiate this album from previous Tony Martin era albums. It is still fairly dark and fairly heavy, but the song writing in here is way more inconsistent, which instantly makes it inferior to the three records before it. It is a strange one, let us just leave it at that.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>14. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/04/black-sabbath-technical-ecstasy-1976.html">Technical Ecstacy</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-PklLKNZMK7aV6zDBq5p-wAbrBDnj0l8hV6kFG3U8an1yzgzvly8yPuLzAwTVoxQe5OSx8lqNIAwnf7hNhg2PHmB5FfqVYr13tpeBj_HiVYmQZPdfaa1I2bOSxyxiaEQrz2-Btp8Y9yx/s1600/Black-Sabbath-Technical-Ecstasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-PklLKNZMK7aV6zDBq5p-wAbrBDnj0l8hV6kFG3U8an1yzgzvly8yPuLzAwTVoxQe5OSx8lqNIAwnf7hNhg2PHmB5FfqVYr13tpeBj_HiVYmQZPdfaa1I2bOSxyxiaEQrz2-Btp8Y9yx/s200/Black-Sabbath-Technical-Ecstasy.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
This is a weird record on so many levels. From the artwork, to the songs, "Technical Ecstacy" makes you wonder if you accidentally ingested said drug before pressing play. There are so many strange elements to this record that should not really work, but somehow it pulls it off quite well with some interesting techniques and fun melodies. Just the Beatles inspired ballad "It's Alright" where Tony plays the piano and sings makes you go "what the hell?", but you can't deny the excellent craft that is behind it. Sure, this is not a metal record what so ever, it is barely a rock record, but it has a charm to it that peaks your interest.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">13. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/06/black-sabbath-13-2013.html">13</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU09HMsvsxCfZIqmpwSl9jMrMK5rEb9pnr5uvCBifiAZ7jdJswlxuG-VAh8QPngZl2Za-bFr14HHE2xmHuuVAAUFramobnjHJMQqALR9S8U2G2hkgU7_obTb7lJ7pDt1MmQsHXfdbya1up/s1600/black-sabbath-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="630" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU09HMsvsxCfZIqmpwSl9jMrMK5rEb9pnr5uvCBifiAZ7jdJswlxuG-VAh8QPngZl2Za-bFr14HHE2xmHuuVAAUFramobnjHJMQqALR9S8U2G2hkgU7_obTb7lJ7pDt1MmQsHXfdbya1up/s200/black-sabbath-13.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is the only Sabbath record released that I was knowingly aware of during my life time, and looking back at that time, I was definitely bit by the hype bug, enjoying this record more than I should have had. That's not to say that "13" is a bin filled with garbage, it still has some nice energy to it (how Rick Rubin managed to squeeze it out of those oldies I will never know), and it is cool to see the band going back to their roots. Still, this is a spotty record, with some great highlights ("Methademic", "Loner", "God Is Dead?"), and some lows ("Damaged Soul", "Dear Father"), but at this stage of the band, we did not really need much more. This is a fairly solid record, and a worthy final effort for the band.<br />
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Also, I swear to god I did not purposely put it on this spot just because of the name, it just happened lol.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">12. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/09/black-sabbath-eternal-idol-1987.html">The Eternal Idol</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSD4G63icEnqoymKQ_2ORWtuCSF1ANfQHvb5R8eff1gAjwt42MjSLFvqyzMbtQB9cISXI4koQ_yfDmco8fX8UC_XCK6gAFBQZfKFOrdu_cnV2S5kHEQZqWEWW46XXdeGuF6BKpQjFC68K4/s1600/Black_Sabbath_The_Eternal_Idol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSD4G63icEnqoymKQ_2ORWtuCSF1ANfQHvb5R8eff1gAjwt42MjSLFvqyzMbtQB9cISXI4koQ_yfDmco8fX8UC_XCK6gAFBQZfKFOrdu_cnV2S5kHEQZqWEWW46XXdeGuF6BKpQjFC68K4/s200/Black_Sabbath_The_Eternal_Idol.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The Tony Martin era of Sabbath started out with one thing in mind, reestablish the brand of the band. "The Eternal Idol" did just that, giving the band a new identity to evolve on for the future. The album itself is solid, but not much more. It has several cool moments, like the ominous opener "The Shining", the groovy "Hard Life To Love", the fast paced "Lost Forever", and the nostalgic title track. It is not an album that grabs your attention all that much, but it does its work well enough to leave you with some hope for what's to come. It is a start for a band reborn, and it is a good one for sure.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">11. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/03/black-sabbath-black-sabbath-vol-4-1972.html">Black Sabbath Vol. 4</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbnA1mcBfntqE0BJ4lwaK2e1Kw4iiofk2qQ2Z9pXH8nZNp0nImyHXlK5NaW9reHMr-cls66H39-S6xxwIZKsT4lgU2-1X4-f4iyBPRIZN2Rzq60ynY2MCJz6Vvic24eLVFhg3CkXD-Qnd/s1600/Black_Sabbath-Vol_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbnA1mcBfntqE0BJ4lwaK2e1Kw4iiofk2qQ2Z9pXH8nZNp0nImyHXlK5NaW9reHMr-cls66H39-S6xxwIZKsT4lgU2-1X4-f4iyBPRIZN2Rzq60ynY2MCJz6Vvic24eLVFhg3CkXD-Qnd/s200/Black_Sabbath-Vol_4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Out of the first six records, "Vol. 4" is the one that has never clicked for me. It has some amazing tracks like "Supernaut" and "Tomorrow's Dream", and it is daring of the band to try their hand at a traditional ballad in "Changes", but overall it just does not have the star power that the other early records has. It is more inconsistent in its quality, and it also feels like sort of a transitional album, knowing that the first three records are different from the two coming after this one. It is the typical middle child of the original Sabbath era, an album that is perfectly fine and has its moments, but is also easily forgotten.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">10. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/02/black-sabbath-st-1970.html">S/T</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFH2k_bp4vMkhGlyhQkqmVzfUTjPlQYwGT1Nu8XxamBqu7Xa-ibS_C9n_2TWJe9Q6f1LDb_cAg4A8CezTpUKhrShciivn8aQJTl5D5U_8YcVZx_Y6KdZguCHF4YUZkril1cnIHPzztGwE/s1600/Black_Sabbath_debut_album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFH2k_bp4vMkhGlyhQkqmVzfUTjPlQYwGT1Nu8XxamBqu7Xa-ibS_C9n_2TWJe9Q6f1LDb_cAg4A8CezTpUKhrShciivn8aQJTl5D5U_8YcVZx_Y6KdZguCHF4YUZkril1cnIHPzztGwE/s200/Black_Sabbath_debut_album.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The album that started it all, the grand daddy of the bunch, the old geezer that will aimlessly tell its life story to all of its children. Okay, that was silly, but there is no denying that "Black Sabbath" is an interesting debut that shook the world in 1970, sending a shock wave that spawned a mad, musical earthquake that has not settled yet. Some songs are definitely dated, but tracks like the title track, "The Wizard", and "N.I.B." still hold up today, almost 50 years later. It may not be a perfect record, but the historical impact this album had on generations to come is something no one can take away from it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">9. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/10/black-sabbath-headless-cross-1989.html">Headless Cross</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0nZ7znW3exK54Ak2wes3_Fs-XdYWHmtP1uaKGHYndihpohZ1y6UNt2gOimZgbkPrcPxUZFkeLl2cvZomG9pzJikCDnmxSUASf2hNiBHVtbT4qUDW1bLLzErs0OHDijMIEqpz14fS-9cZ/s1600/Black-Sabbath-Headless-Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0nZ7znW3exK54Ak2wes3_Fs-XdYWHmtP1uaKGHYndihpohZ1y6UNt2gOimZgbkPrcPxUZFkeLl2cvZomG9pzJikCDnmxSUASf2hNiBHVtbT4qUDW1bLLzErs0OHDijMIEqpz14fS-9cZ/s200/Black-Sabbath-Headless-Cross.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
As far as progression goes from the predecessor "The Eternal Idol", "Headless Cross" did not exactly do much different, but the band did amplify the sound enough to make this a natural follow up. It gave the people some more taste of the new singer Tony Martin, and he delivers with power and confidence, seemingly determined to prove the doubters wrong, with the rest of the band helping him out with some stellar performances all around. For the era being, "Headless Cross" is a nice little album, although I do remember enjoying this album more when I first listened to it, and while I still think "Headless Cross" is a solid contribution to the band's discography, it does not stack up to the absolute best of the best.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">8. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/06/black-sabbath-mob-rules-1981.html">Mob Rules</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrom43ERSFiZop6rVkO2KDi4hC6odgct-M45YkCBAISkgBd_Aj77ms0efHU2217uzWXSSUE4FV7fcd0S4stpSzJyyz2xt5IozRKXrXA-eYJ6KjZC6gzjnAGKPtcn-ReFP198ylaSeg0Np/s1600/SabbathMob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrom43ERSFiZop6rVkO2KDi4hC6odgct-M45YkCBAISkgBd_Aj77ms0efHU2217uzWXSSUE4FV7fcd0S4stpSzJyyz2xt5IozRKXrXA-eYJ6KjZC6gzjnAGKPtcn-ReFP198ylaSeg0Np/s200/SabbathMob.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Following on the wave of the predecessor, "Mob Rules" is another stellar Dio effort that packs quite a punch. From the slow epic "The Sign of The Southern Cross" and the high accelerating "Falling Off The Edge of The World", to the almost thrashy title track, this album has enough awesome moments to spare, showing just how good this group could be. Sadly, this album is a little too uneven for me to fully appreciate it, mixing the previously mentioned classics with completely different tracks, losing the identity of the album in the process. Still, there is enough good bits to make it through the record, and having Dio and Iommi at the wheel helps a lot too. The mob does indeed rule.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">7. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/02/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-1971.html">Master of Reality</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLsrRN5yaajQgYYWCIMm2F1Np9RIOm5MHLuI470u4lWwLqeZiMHwk41Rc9MsBuD4P38DmGknl-aoDqA3PC2b2jCOrxn-OijSsM_BtACvj5jip1qIUN0mKoLg7gjnWV-ZZd6cvC4m0wS-n/s1600/black-sabbath-master-of-reality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1431" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLsrRN5yaajQgYYWCIMm2F1Np9RIOm5MHLuI470u4lWwLqeZiMHwk41Rc9MsBuD4P38DmGknl-aoDqA3PC2b2jCOrxn-OijSsM_BtACvj5jip1qIUN0mKoLg7gjnWV-ZZd6cvC4m0wS-n/s200/black-sabbath-master-of-reality.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
There is not much that can go against "Master of Reality" and its A side, including the terrific trio of "Sweet Leaf", "After Forever", and "Children of The Grave". It is a first half that is as banging as any other part of the Sabbath discography, letting everyone shine in all their glory. This does make "Master of Reality" quite front heavy since the B side is not as strong, but there is enough quality on the other side of the LP to make this album another stellar inclusion in Sabbath lore, keeping the fire burning as hot as ever during that early stage of the band's career. Also, Toni's coughing in "Sweet Leaf" might be one of my favourite Sabbath moments of all time, it's so good.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/10/black-sabbath-dehumanizer-1992.html">Dehumanizer</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVGEtkkuWltJtJZw34L-Hk20tzlSjf4o5CgjCinMMBe1AI6_nHhA0nEafYTJgTmh-h_ONr1CSxoWRGaNqJnjoQHz3AuD7Vat09gyBFIVt2oWrrCguTHN_7nj0STJjIlUsPm7wMAragiz1/s1600/black_sabbath_dehumanizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVGEtkkuWltJtJZw34L-Hk20tzlSjf4o5CgjCinMMBe1AI6_nHhA0nEafYTJgTmh-h_ONr1CSxoWRGaNqJnjoQHz3AuD7Vat09gyBFIVt2oWrrCguTHN_7nj0STJjIlUsPm7wMAragiz1/s200/black_sabbath_dehumanizer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
"Dehumanizer" will always be "that one forgotten Dio album" in the Sabbath discography, and even if it had more of a side project feel to it being squeezed between the Tony Martin albums, it still has enough quality to it to make an impact. Dio by himself makes the album pop, but it is the futuristic feel of the record that truly makes it one to remember. Songs like "I", "Letters From Earth", "Master of Insanity", "Buried Alive" and "Sins of The Father" are classic Dio bangers that makes everyone happy. This one gets the highly coveted "my own personal favourite" award, so while it might not be one of the best ones, it is still a cool album that I keep coming back to.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/10/black-sabbath-tyr-1990.html">Tyr</a></span></b><br />
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Yeeeeeeeah, looking back at my review of "Tyr", I might have been a bit generous with the score, and that I also found this to be the second best Sabbath record is quite laughable. You know what though? "Tyr" is still a brilliant album, and is easily the best one among the 90's records, hammering you with a Mjölner made of expertly crafted songs and slick production. It is an epic onslaught of a band that was finally back at full speed again, showing off some mighty and creative tricks that they had not shown in years. If you are one of those unfortunate souls who dismiss the Sabbath records of this era, then you are sadly missing out on a gem that is not getting enough credit, one that is played regularly at the halls of Valhalla.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/03/black-sabbath-sabbath-bloody-sabbath.html">Sabbath Bloody Sabbath</a></span></b><br />
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There is no denying that "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is an excellent album, one that has a solid track list of memorable songs. It is very easy to sing along to tracks like "Looking For Today, "Killing Yourself To Live", and the title track, while "Sabbra Cadabra" makes you wanna boogie in a voodoo like trance. It seem to have a strong reputation among the metal crowd, and while I am ultimately not THAT enthusiastic of this record, it is still one of the more solid ones Sabbath has put forth, with no pot holes to drive over to bumpen your experience.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/04/black-sabbath-sabotage-1975.html">Sabotage</a></span></b><br />
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The cover of this record probably scared away a ton of people from giving it an honest chance, but it fortunately does not reflect the sound of the record. "Sabotage" might have been the most progressive effort of the band thus far, highlighting some long ass songs like "Megalomania" and "The Writ", while also improving on what worked in the predecessor "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". The end result is a classy experience of interesting twists and turns that never makes the album dull, offering you new little bits and pieces every time you run through it. Cool album with highly questionable fashion choices (those god damn red pants are an eye sore).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/02/black-sabbath-paranoid-1970.html">Paranoid</a></span></b><br />
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This is probably the only album since the discography review that has actually grown on me, weirdly enough. I long felt like "Paranoid" had the "The Number of The Beast" syndrome, with the best songs ("War Pigs", "Paranoid", "Iron Man") being so much better than the rest of the record. Nowadays, I have learned to appreciate tracks like "Planet Caravan", "Hand of Doom", and "Fairies Wear Boots" much more, which has increased my appreciation of the whole album immensely. It is an all time classic that everyone should hear and experience, an assault of excellent early heavy metal. However, "Rat Salad" can still take a hike, will never understand why that instrumental track is contributing to this album.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/05/black-sabbath-heaven-and-hell-1980.html">Heaven And Hell</a></span></b><br />
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Whenever someone mentions Black Sabbath, I will always look back to that original line-up, to those 8 albums they did together, everything after that is just a remix of the band that started it all. Still, there is no denying that adding Dio after Ozzy's departure was the best thing the band could have ever done. Not only did they get one of the best singers and song writers of that time, they also got some new, fresh blood that could revive the band, and he did that and more with "Heaven And Hell", an album that is a complete master class of how brilliant these musicians were.<br />
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It sets the tone instantly with the speedy "Neon Knights", and shows its range just as quickly with the second track, the calmer and moodful "Children of The Sea". The amazing tracks just keeps on coming after that, like the epic title track, the groovy "Wishing Well", the aggressive "Die Young", and the closer "Lonely Is The Word". This is a record I keep coming back to time and time again, because it just delivers on all fronts, displaying music made by devils, for angels. Pure excellence from start to finish.<br />
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And as a bonus, here are my ten favourite tacks from the band, in alphabetical order<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Children of The Grave</span></b><br />
This song has such good riffs that it do not even need a chorus<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Heaven And Hell</span></b><br />
Pure Dio magic<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Iron Man</span></b><br />
You can almost not get any more iconic than this<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Megalomania</span></b><br />
A groovy joyride of high level insanity<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">N.I.B.</span></b><br />
The riffs! OH MY GOD THE RIFFS!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Paranoid</span></b><br />
The genius in the simplicity is unreal here<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Supernaut</span></b><br />
Ward and his drums takes the charge in this groovy gem<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Mob Rules</span></b><br />
Stop listening to fools, and listen to this instead<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Sabbath Stones</span></b><br />
If you are only going to listen to one 90's Sabbath track, listen to this one<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">War Pigs</span></b><br />
The sound versatility in this song is ridiculous<br />
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So what are your thoughts? Is this ranking correct or would yours be different? Let me know in the comment section below, or leave a tweet (@ForsakenGates).<br />
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<b>Stay metal</b><br />
<b>Sharkruisher</b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-25427460143050807542019-06-17T12:54:00.001-07:002019-06-17T12:54:04.410-07:00Rapid Fire Reviews: Episode 5Rapid Fire Reviews is a series where I give some quick takes on some albums I recently listened to and did not have enough thoughts on to make a full scale review, but still garnered enough interest from me to give them acknowledgment. In this episode, we look at some prog, some more prog, and even more prog... and also some other band.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Aeon Zen - Inveritas</span></b><br />
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This group managed to sneak into my top 20 of 2014 with their last album "Ephemera", so naturally I was interested in what they would do with their fifth full length effort "Inveritas". The result? A much lighter and more organic record that still had the band's technical touch, so not much is lost. "Inveritas" is a great, varied product of some talented minds, displaying some excellent progressive metal that has tastes of Dream Theater, Scar Symmetry, and Symphony X. I do miss some of the djent influences that we saw on "Ephemera", and I am not fully sold on Andi Kravljaca and his new vocal style, but "Inveritas" is still a nice, competent record that prog lovers should check out. If for nothing else, just listen to it for the out of nowhere line in "Disconnected" (classic wtf moment).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Rebel Theories</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Avandra - Descender</span></b><br />
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You can seemingly find small prog gems anywhere you look, and fortunately for Avandra, I caught a glimpes of them, a band from Puerto Rico who released their sophomore effort "Descender" earlier this year. This album is filled to the brim with some beautiful stuff, a harmonious aura of excellence that creates several magical moments, like the exhilarating mid part of "The Narrowing of Meaning" and the angelic ending to "Beyond The Threshold, Pt. 1 (Helios Awakens)". There is this soft Cynic vibe to this group that works exquisitely, certainly making them stand out amongst other bands. Although there is some dead meat on this album, there is still enough fresh flesh to feast on for days. Definitely worthy of a look or two... or three.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Derelict Minds</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mother of Millions - Artifacts</span></b><br />
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On to another atmospheric prog metal group, the Greek outing Mother of Millions and their third record "Artifacts". This band must certainly has Leprous as one of their main inspirational bands, because this record has a lot of that blend of harmonies and spaced out sound scapes that the Norwegians are known for. The only thing different here is that Mother of Millions are consistently mellow, rarely raising the volume or the tempo for anything, which is both a strength and a weakness. It may not be the most dynamic album out there, but the clear cut vision of the band is definitely showing, and it leads to some fantastic melodies. It does leave me wanting more though with only a run time of 40 minutes, but it also means that I can spin the records more often, so it still works out for this promising group of musicians.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Rites</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Savage Messiah - Demons</span></b><br />
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It sucks to see talented bands fiddle around with a sound that has no real direction, and Savage Messiah is unfortunately a prime example. They have all of the elements to be successful, a great vocalist, good riffs, and solid production value, but the band seems indecisive in if they want to be a thrash metal band, or more of a melodic heavy metal band, so they settled somewhere in the middle. "Demons" is a step forward from some of their previous works, having better song writing and more memorable songs ("The Bitter Truth" is a banger), but this 50/50 approach is rearing its ugly head again, sort of pulling the band apart, making them unable to unleash their full strength. My hopes on the band completing this symbiosis to something that works are still there, but it will have to wait at least one more album for it to come to fruition.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 6,5/10 Parachutes</span></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-62555216432901926552019-06-09T15:06:00.002-07:002019-06-09T15:09:01.087-07:00Gloryhammer - Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are few bands out there that are as entertaining as the British power metal lords Gloryhammer. Their parody take on the genre is on a completely different level, spewing out music that takes everything cringy about the genre, amps it all up to 11, ultimately creating some good, epic shit. To understand how bat shit crazy this band and albums is, you just need to hear that Angus McFife is once again trying to defend his kingdom against the evil sorcerer Zargothrax and his forces, the rest pretty much speaks for itself.<br />
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As expected, "Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex" (it just rolls on your tongue, doesn't it?) is another epic display of our heroes and their grand battles. To defeat Zargothrax once again, they have to go to "The Land of The Unicorns", use the almighty "Power of The Laser Dragon Fire", gather together the "Hootsforce", and last but not least, wield the awesome power of the "Legendary Enchanted Jetpack". Jesus Christ, this song titles are just plain awesome, and it certainly let your imagination go buck wild, like how the hell can a jetpack be more enchanted? Science is after all the ultimate form of magic, isn't it?<br />
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The songs are just as fun as the titles speak of, giving us enough epic orchestral power metal to last for years to come. There are just so many instances in this album where you find yourself screaming along the music while making big gestures, embarrassing yourself in front of unsuspected people who might be watching, but you do not care because the music is awesome. This is all possible thanks to the complete commitment of the band in their music, going 110% all of the time. Especially vocalist Thomas Laszlo Winkler delivers a big time performance, really hammering in the music into your skull with disgusting efficiency.<br />
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As far as progress goes from their last album (the 2015 album "Space 1992: Rise of The Chaos Wizards"), there is not much that have changed. The band stay true to their style, and that is honestly all we could ask for, even if there is moments that are just incredibly silly. The chorus to "Gloryhammer" is just drowning in cheese, but it still gets you hooked in some weird way, even with lines like "<i>My steel will blow you away, fighting mega battles every day</i>". Speaking of laughable lyrics, "Hootsforce" opens up lovingly with "<i>Fight for the king, for the hammer and the ring</i>", which for some reason makes me burst out in laughter every god damn time. It is such a stupid line (and the rest of the chorus is not much better), but the disco beat that accompanies it wins me over. God damn it, the force is strong with these guys.<br />
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While "Legends..." is certain to be one of the most entertaining records of 2019, it still feels like a letdown, mostly because "1992..." was such a brilliant record (the fact that it has "Universe On Fire" makes it an instant winner). I also think that the ending track "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny" just takes it a little too far, both in length and in cheese factor. It is not as disappointing of a finish as "Game of Thrones" was (or so I have heard, never watched the show myself), but it could have certainly been done better.<br />
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"Legends..." serves well as a great follow up to "1992...", delivering more of everything, for better and worse. In a way, it is kind of like "Avengers: Endgame", a great product by itself, but its flaws makes it clearly inferior to its older brother. Still, if you have enjoyed the group's previous adventures, or if you are an average power metal junkie, then this album is definitely right up your alley. All hail the mighty Hootsmen of Dundee, and their king Sir Angus McFife.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Legendary Enchanted Jetpack, The Land of Unicorns, Power of The Laser Dragon Fire, Gloryhammer</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://gloryhammer.com/">gloryhammer.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/gloryhammer">twitter.com/gloryhammer</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Gloryhammer</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/10/gloryhammer-space-1992-rise-of-chaos.html">Space 1992: Rise of The Chaos Wizards</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-5303300116856237202019-06-02T13:50:00.002-07:002019-06-02T13:50:58.025-07:00Gojira - Terra Incognita (2001)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With the famous movie monster Godzilla being all of the rage again, with a new movie out right now, it feels more than fitting to start cover a band who is named after the King of Monsters, the French death metal group Gojira. The band may have become their own type of monster in the metal world, but at the beginning of their career, they were small, broke, and had no clue on how to release a record. No, seriously, to create their debut record "Terra Incognita", they went to Belgium twice (one trip for recording, one for mixing), then just sent all printed copies to their own home, from where they would be distributed to magazines, radio stations, and other parties who could spread the word. Oh yeah, they also did this without a record deal at hand. Love the commitment, but that was not smart in any way.<br />
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What did we get from this hassle though? Well, "Terra Incognita" (latin for unknown land) is certainly a curious death metal record that the people in 2001 probably never saw coming. It is a strange and dark journey into the psyche of a mentally disturbed human, one where we encounter countless riffs, blasts, screams, and beats that can easily scramble your brain into a mush. From today's perspective, this album is definitely Gojira to the core, it has that special technique to it that only this band can produce. You got these chugging riffs from Christian Andreu and Joe Duplantier that seem very alien like, on the verge of not being from this very Earth, and it is fascinating to behold. Add the intricate drum patterns by Joe's brother Mario, and the pounding bass of Jean-Michel Labadie, and you got some unique metal at your disposal.<br />
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There is something primal about this record that makes it quite intriguing. A lot of dark, ambient noises help in setting the mood, creating an unsettling atmosphere that crawls underneath your skin. It does muddle up the sound though quite a bit, and at points it is at an disadvantage, but still works most of the way. Songs like "Rise", "Space Time", and "Lizard Skin" are just wonderfully disturbing. The brutality is there as well, especially in the opener "Clone" where the drums are going buck wild, and the guitars are majestic in their heavy approach, both in the faster and slower parts. Other nice bone crushing songs include "Fire Is Everything", "Deliverance", and "Blow Me Away You - Niverse".<br />
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While there is a lot of good stuff in "Terra Incognita", there is also a lot of unnecessary padding. This album goes over the hour mark, and it angers me because it only does so thanks to all the fillers in here. One perfect example of this padding is the closer "In The Forest", a perfectly good track that ends around the 5 minute mark, only to transition into a strange instrumental that adds squat (and if you had the original version of the album, you had to wait 3 and a half minutes to hear this "hidden track"). I understand that these interludes are there to enhance the atmosphere, but to me they are just in the way for the real music, no matter if they were written for a relative or not ("04" was a birthday present to the Duplantier brother's mother, what an odd gift to say the least).<br />
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It feels wrong to say that I enjoyed my experience with "Terra Incognita", because its purpose is to make you uneasy, to bring out your inner demons, and I think it succeeds fairly well. It is a dark, strange record that still showed everyone what a force Gojira could become, with a unique sound and style that no one has heard before. This album has some issues for sure, but it has enough juicy nuggets to get you hooked into the band. Definitely worth a double trip to Belgium.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Clone, Space Time, Fire Is Everything</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="goog_1774536316"></span><span id="goog_1774536317"></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7/10 Lizard Skins</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.gojira-music.com/">www.gojira-music.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/GojiraMusic">twitter.com/GojiraMusic</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Gojira</b><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/06/gojira-magma-2016.html"><b>Magma</b></a>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-84947889441300479012019-05-30T13:12:00.001-07:002019-05-30T13:12:44.515-07:00Rapid Fire Reviews: Episode 4Rapid Fire Reviews is a series where I give some quick takes on some albums I recently listened to and did not have enough thoughts on to make a full scale review, but still garnered enough interest from me to give them acknowledgment. In this episode, we look into a classic band who makes a comeback, a rookie band, and a trio of bands in between.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Atlas Pain - Tales of A Pathfinder</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLwwl7t3O5pxVCm2tvbHdYdA70b9zp3aE4xzd_hy8b7AysIs0KP1YYo9obmINAnEbPuN3J2zhe8rqm05A6Wq2pGUXlNU3EiItvn5Z7bzb0LGBObH7RsD_a19nFf8sl3L7NN-kuW_s4ZZh/s1600/Atlas+Pain+-+Tales+of+A+Pathfinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLwwl7t3O5pxVCm2tvbHdYdA70b9zp3aE4xzd_hy8b7AysIs0KP1YYo9obmINAnEbPuN3J2zhe8rqm05A6Wq2pGUXlNU3EiItvn5Z7bzb0LGBObH7RsD_a19nFf8sl3L7NN-kuW_s4ZZh/s200/Atlas+Pain+-+Tales+of+A+Pathfinder.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Here is a band that is most certainly not being affected by the sophomore slump curse that so many talk about. Atlas Pain follow up their excellent debut "What The Oak Left" from two years ago with an even better effort in "Tales of A Pathfinder", a solid folk metal record with some nice, epic elements to it. These Italians is telling a captivating story through their music, weaving through their melodies in excellent fashion to keep you hooked throughout the run time. The band still has some way to go though to create fully complete records, but they are definitely on the right path if they continue down this road.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Homelands</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bloodbound - Rise of The Dragon Empire</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUcEVOi_8BwjIQVNzi1N2D0xG0Dc3okRpLlI5GIRDYlcEfA6pal7VE2DzzOiG_mAPd96Bd99OA9WK1OFZVQlDeXMIpruPpt2mNURqIhVgCO-xYzRkwC3UD7UGjFG3QiOaMlUjDUk3Pxi1/s1600/Bloodbound+-+Rise+of+The+Dragon+Empire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUcEVOi_8BwjIQVNzi1N2D0xG0Dc3okRpLlI5GIRDYlcEfA6pal7VE2DzzOiG_mAPd96Bd99OA9WK1OFZVQlDeXMIpruPpt2mNURqIhVgCO-xYzRkwC3UD7UGjFG3QiOaMlUjDUk3Pxi1/s200/Bloodbound+-+Rise+of+The+Dragon+Empire.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Some power metal bands are living and dying by the clichés of the genre, and the Swedes in Bloodbound are definitely one of them. They just love to sing about dragons, knights, kings, and other fantasy inspired things. Fortunately for us, they do back up these cheesy clichés with some solid song crafting, really bringing the power in power metal. It does seem though that Bloodbound has been listening to fellow countrymen Sabaton a lot recently, because I am hearing a lot of the signature bombastic style of those war historians, and as a guy who is not fully into them, it does turn me slightly off. All in all though, it is still a fun power metal record that certainly warrants a spin or two. Also, is that Red Skull fighting a dragon on the cover?<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7/10 Magical Eyes</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Danko Jones - A Rock Supreme</span></b><br />
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I have always admired the Canadians in Danko Jones for always delivering fun rock and roll, and "A Rock Supreme" is certainly nothing different. Although, it is pretty clear now that they have a formula, and that they follow it through thick and thin, often taking the safer route. Not to say that this album is a copy and paste from the band's previous efforts, it certainly has its own unique moments, but it feels like the same old song and dance again when you take it all in, that the group is singing about getting the girl or just wanna party, and they do so with infectious rhythms and catchy choruses, while throwing in some slower songs here and there. "A Rock Supreme" has its moments, and is still a fun ride, but it is still a predictable one that will not get you very excited.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 6,5/10 Lipstick Cities</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mystik - S/T</span></b><br />
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Finally we have a contender for "Debut record of the year", a Swedish blackened speed metal band that turns the clock back to the mid 80's and unleashes a furious rage that is just awesome to behold. Mystik is not doing anything ground breaking, they just play fast, hard, and dark. It also helps that they have a knack for creating really catchy and groovy songs that sticks with you like sap from a tree. They put all the pieces into the right places to make this self titled debut truly special, combining the evil nature of Mercyful Fate with those classic speed metal elements. Go check them out if you have not already, and drench yourself in this glorious riff fest.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8,5/10 Hellish Forces</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Possessed - Revelations of Oblivion</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-iAelrxu_QAHoQJd7QeiLg7tlNvtqt81NcMwnWyklCFeDjnlIGoNNpBG2TNMUPtYUkiIqGlsPNMcyM-rgwcYCPhyphenhyphenbM5oizAwd4MjjMvriWGPIpsxHgzW4h86Dl85b4jXaWwlDa8mHu6p/s1600/Possessed+-+Revelations+of+Oblivion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-iAelrxu_QAHoQJd7QeiLg7tlNvtqt81NcMwnWyklCFeDjnlIGoNNpBG2TNMUPtYUkiIqGlsPNMcyM-rgwcYCPhyphenhyphenbM5oizAwd4MjjMvriWGPIpsxHgzW4h86Dl85b4jXaWwlDa8mHu6p/s200/Possessed+-+Revelations+of+Oblivion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Okay, so I am not that much into pure old school death metal, but when a band as Possessed gets so much attention as they do, it ultimately leaves me no choice than to check out their first album in 33 years. Frankly, I expected "Revelations of Oblivion" to be an over hyped wall of sound, but to my surprise, it actually had some legs to stand on to warrant the praise. This album is an angry assault of death thrash that works just as good today as it did back then, having an primal evil to it that few bands can match up to. It is still a little too much meat and potatoes for my taste to fully appreciate, but as far as comeback records go, this is certainly one of the more energetic ones out there.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Shadowcults</span></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-56616954337623699562019-05-25T09:08:00.001-07:002019-05-25T09:08:06.747-07:00Rammstein - S/T (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtSdsSOwiuprLZUlePk3ud9XvjV0uQweljHwM-Goxpd6y7Zq2WtyXYYlSXuG4mIrNSLkCDGVb74RczbhuNDYEeRe9tXUBFDKxRoQH_38g3qGWmNFfTlxl-Gir6kMtuTRPGBMZjNx7eAaR/s1600/Rammstein+-+ST.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtSdsSOwiuprLZUlePk3ud9XvjV0uQweljHwM-Goxpd6y7Zq2WtyXYYlSXuG4mIrNSLkCDGVb74RczbhuNDYEeRe9tXUBFDKxRoQH_38g3qGWmNFfTlxl-Gir6kMtuTRPGBMZjNx7eAaR/s320/Rammstein+-+ST.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I could not believe it myself when I saw it, but it really has been ten full years since we saw any new music from Rammstein. Sure, it was not exactly yesterday since we last heard news from our favourite industrial group from Germany, but time has just flown by in an extra ordinary pace. The gap between albums does show one thing, that this is a band that is more than willing to take their time, only making a record when the time is right. It is a band that clearly defines the meaning of harmony, as they have not made a single member change in their 25 years of existence, and can also go off to different projects without losing touch, something that definitely shows here.<br />
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Before we go into the album itself, let us talk about the fact that despite the band having ten years to think of a future album title and a possible cool album cover, THIS is what they come up with! I really dislike when bands just slap on a self titled release far into their career, because there is no real reason to do so, except maybe when the band is starting from scratch again with a completely new sound, or they just had made a major line up change, and even then it is not appreciated. Then we have the cover, which is just a match. Just... a god damn... match. Come on guys, put at least 5% of effort into the look of the record, you will get far if you do.<br />
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Fortunately, most of the focus has seemingly gone towards the music, which is all that matters. Opening track and single "Deutschland" might be one of the most brilliant songs Rammstein has ever put together, talking about the mixed feelings Germans have for their country and its history. It is also just as catchy and heavy as you would expect, with some excellent work in the riffs and back up vocals. It does not get better from here, but the quality throughout "Rammstein" is just astonishing, especially since the band is not doing anything to much different from what they usually do. Ten years may have gone, but the band is still true to their sound.<br />
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The thing that makes "Rammstein" so excellent is that it is a very dynamic record, blending everything that makes the band so great. We have the heavy and fast track "Zeig Dich" that takes you for quite a spin, while "Ausländer" is leaning more on the keyboard, creating a whole different heavy mood. There is also a much softer part of the record in the second half with the trio "Was Ich Liebe", "Diamant", and "Weit Weg", allowing the band to show their more gentle side. Of course, it would not be a Rammstein record of there was no filth in it, and while the band is surprisingly restraint in that part of their image, they do let lose in the subtle song "Sex", showing once again that they have not lost their immature side. Also, it does not surprise me one bit that the most chaotic song of the record is named "Puppe", going away from all expectations.<br />
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Ultimately, we have to ask this final question, was this album worth the ten year wait? I would say it definitely was, because while their last couple of albums were not exactly bad, they did not live up to what the band was capable of. "Rammstein" however does so, displaying a band that is loving life and each other, a band that can step away from the scene in several years and come back just as good, if not better. It is great to hear these crazy Germans back in action, and even greater to see that the album itself did not represent its cover. Rammstein über alles!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Deutschland, Zeig Dich, Ausländer, Sex</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8,5/10 Tattoos</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://truck.rammstein.de/de/">truck.rammstein.de/de/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/RSprachrohr">twitter.com/RSprachrohr</a>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-61487985023476646992019-05-19T15:15:00.002-07:002019-05-19T15:15:55.182-07:00Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND3peKwr1QkmWUt_-_57qSFClQmMLVwMp48CXOrDgxOdaHCEI0XrmGE2PDWNR1fzRWlZ9juemBkNm80bcsCke5V61bKU4VSvhowR8zWtpG1LpzaD2i7N7kOoSEuB4bKLqg1g49-upo2jW/s1600/Arch+Matheos+-+Winter+Ethereal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND3peKwr1QkmWUt_-_57qSFClQmMLVwMp48CXOrDgxOdaHCEI0XrmGE2PDWNR1fzRWlZ9juemBkNm80bcsCke5V61bKU4VSvhowR8zWtpG1LpzaD2i7N7kOoSEuB4bKLqg1g49-upo2jW/s320/Arch+Matheos+-+Winter+Ethereal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There is something intriguing about these duo collaborations that we see from time to time, an opportunity to see if two heads truly are better than one, and to see two different artist merge together to create something special. Projects like Allen/Lande, Kiske/Somerville, and Lindemann all have something interesting to offer, bringing together fan bases from two bands into one. This duo project however, works a little differently. Vocalist John Arch and guitarist Jim Matheos are long time friends who are two of five original members of legendary prog metal group Fates Warning, with Matheos still remaining with that band, and Arch leaving 1987, only three years after its inception. So with both of them working together again, can we expect more Fates Warning type music? Not necessarily, but add to the fact that the remaining members of the current rendition of Fates Warning helps out in this record, you should probably see this as Fates Warning 2.0.<br />
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So "Winter Ethereal" is album number two from the duo, released eight years after the debut "Sympathetic Resonance", and the differences are fairly slim between the two records, with both obviously featuring Arch's soaring vocals and Matheos' precise guitar work. The debut record was more experimental in its approach, going for fewer and longer songs, while "Winter Ethereal" is more straight forward, with only one track eclipsing the 10 minute mark and the overall sound being more classic prog metal. It might make some things more predictable, but the quality is not lost because of it.<br />
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There is a ton to unpack from this 1 hour and 8 minute monster, a lot of technical goodies that will take you a lot of time to discover. "Winter Ethereal" is definitely one of these albums where you keep finding new little bits and pieces to enjoy, and most of this is thanks to Matheos who is making some amazing intricate work with his guitar. Some of the solos and riffs in here are some of the most imaginative ones you will hear all year, and he never steps over the line to be a full on guitar wanker, spewing you with all his talent. No, he does this the right way, he lets the music do its work instead of showing off, both in the fast, heavy parts, and also on the slower, more delicate parts.<br />
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Arch also deserves credit of course, and while I am not fully on board on his extremely high vocal style, he does fit the music quite well, delivering lots of passionate moments that lifts the music even higher. There are still some parts where Arch is trying way too hard, where he definitely would have benefited by lowering the volume on his vocal chords, but for a guy who is over 50 and is not that much active as his companion, he still hangs around well enough.<br />
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So as a prog metal fan, there is no doubt that you should at least check out this album, because it features two immensely talented people making some great, innovative music together. The run time might be a little too long, and some songs are easily lost in the shuffle, but "Winter Ethereal" is still a fun ride through the twists and turns of what could have been a Fates Warning record, but is only in spirit.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Wrath of The Universe, Vermilion Moons, Tethered, Never In Your Hands</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Solitary Men</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.metalblade.com/archmatheos/">https://www.metalblade.com/archmatheos/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/archmatheos">https://twitter.com/archmatheos</a>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-54174175100219806862019-05-12T13:49:00.001-07:002019-05-12T13:49:39.542-07:00From Worst To First: HelloweenAnother discography completed here at FaTG, so it is once again time to summarize what we have learned during the journey. Well, we learned that while the Kiske/Hansen era of Helloween was important, it lasted for only a short time, and that the Weikath/Deris era has lasted far longer. We also got to know a band that has become heavier over the years, which is kind of the opposite direction most bands take, and also that they are not afraid to get a little silly, referring to themselves as hamsters, or calling you an asshole. Anyway, Helloween is still a fun and exciting band over 40 years later since their inception, and they have created a lot of quality power metal over those years. The question remains though, which of the 15 full length records is the best, and which are the rest. Time to rank them, and as always, this is my list, and my opinion, which means that I am not right or wrong. Let us get to the list now.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">15. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-chameleon-1993.html">Chameleon</a></span></b><br />
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This placement was a no brainer, for several reasons. It is the album that ultimately ended Kiske's tenure with the band, and it did so by being as much 80's as possible, despite being released in 1993, while also having very little metal in it. "Chameleon" is an experimental effort made by a band that was as divided as one could be, which led to several weird choices, from progressive influences, to Bon Jovi rip offs. I am all for bands trying to be creative, trying something new, but this particular attempt was a failure from the get go, it never had a chance to be a cohesive, interesting record that would expand the minds of their fan base. Just do like the animal, and disappear in your surroundings, thank you very much.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">14. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-better-than-raw-1998.html">Better Than Raw</a></span></b><br />
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I am not exactly sure if this album is what it says, but "Better Than Raw" is certainly not a tasty treat. This album is a full on stew with tons of ingredients that makes a disjointed soup, with very few songs sounding like they were made for Helloween, and more for other bands. We got hair metal, neo classical power metal, and more. I give it some credit that it has a pretty good start with both "Push" and "Falling Higher", but everything after is either bland, or confounding. It was obvious that the band tried some new things, throwing them all at a wall to see if anything stuck to it, but it ultimately ended up with a big mush of mediocre metal. At least the witch on the cover is hot (and technically the cauldron too I guess).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">13. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/06/helloween-my-god-given-right-2015.html">My God-Given Right</a></span></b><br />
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The band's latest entry is also their most forgettable one. While the previous two albums are worse, they at least had some personality to them that made them stand out (not in a good way, but still). This one however is as bland as you will ever see the band, and with a play time of 1 hour and 13 minutes, it becomes a big slog of a record. A couple of tracks are fairly decent, like the title track and the fun ride that is "Lost In America", but they cannot help "My God-Given Right" to any greater heights. Do not bother with this one, go off plunder some sky mall instead and wait for the band to finish off their "Pumpkins United" tour so they can get to the next record.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">12. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-pink-bubbles-go-ape-1991.html">Pink Bubbles Go Ape</a></span></b><br />
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This is a bonkers album on so many levels, from the songs, to that mind boggling cover. Seriously, I still cannot get over the fact that this was made, that everyone involved in this cover looked at each other with straight faces and say "Yes, this is good". What about the music though? It was certainly better than I expected from the first album without Hansen, having a lot of fun really in several tracks. In the end though, it did not have enough staying power to it, and it certainly did not help that the band got away from the epic, medieval themes that made the "Keeper..." albums so successful. An interesting album for sure, but one that is overshadowed by a woman seducing a fish,<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">11. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/04/helloween-gambling-with-devil-2007.html">Gambling With The Devil</a></span></b><br />
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There is no other Helloween record that has made me so mad as "Gambling With The Devil" did. Not that it is a bad record, but more for it being an inconsistent record that had a ton of wasted potential. Several songs in here could have been great tracks that would have been fantastic additions to the band's legacy, but they screw it up with songs that are too similar to classics, have lame pay offs, or are just extremely hard to remember. It is still a decent record though, and you can get through it without any problem, but it would be far from the first choice if you had to chose a Helloween album to listen to. This gamble just did not pay off.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">10. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-legacy.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy</a></span></b><br />
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Is this album unnecessary? Absolutely, but it still manages to entertain quite a bunch, and some how bring back some of the magic from its predecessors. It is a bloated double record that certainly needed some cutting done, but it does pull you back in to it from time to time with excellent song writing, and even better performances. The band took on this effort as a challenge, to show people that they could still write compelling concept records. "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" has its flaws, and the run time keeps me from coming back to it, but it does deserve respect for not dragging the whole series down in the mud, while also delivering some cool moments along the way<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">9. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-master-of-rings-1994.html">Master of The Rings</a></span></b><br />
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The first Andi Deris record was a return to form for the band, going back to their bread and butter, and make some epic songs out of that. It is an inconsistent record, but maybe that was to be expected for a constellation that was new, that had not really settled down yet in their roles. There is a harmony to "Master of The Rings" that just feels nice, an aura going through this record that just makes you satisfied, and while its life span was not as long as I hoped, it still brings enough enjoyment to go around. With that said, I am still confused over "Take Me Home". Seriously, how can this song NOT be a Van Halen track, it just screams it in both the song structure and the guitar tone. Still a fun as hell track though.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">8. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-rabbit-dont-come-easy-2003.html">Rabbit Don't Come Easy</a></span></b><br />
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Just like the rabbit refused to come out of the hat, this album was not easy to put in this list. In one hand, it has a great bunch of tracks that are some of the band's best, but on the other hand it has some real duds, keeping the album from being truly spectacular. I ultimately ended with this place just to be sure that the duo of "Listen To The Flies" and "Nothing To Say" does not influence me all too much. This album is still a great listen, pulling off a lot of cool metal magic tricks that is worthy of an applause. Bet even the rabbit enjoys this one.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">7. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-walls-of-jericho-1985.html">Walls of Jericho</a></span></b><br />
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"Walls of Jericho" is not only the album that kicked off the career of Helloween, it kicked off the power metal genre in general really. It has everything that we associate the genre with, an extremely fast pace, soaring vocals, epic melodies, and some parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top. There is still some more heavy metal elements to this album, so it showed that the sound was not fully completed yet, but as far as a debut get, it did leave an immediate impact that is almost as effective today as it was back then. With Kai Hansen on the vocal duties, it could also be seen as the original Gamma Ray record to, or at least an early look at what the future would hold. No matter how you look at "Walls of Jericho" it is still a nice metal record that delivers a lot of great punches (although I am not sure if those are strong enough to tear down a castle wall, like in the cover).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/05/helloween-7-sinners-2010.html">7 Sinners</a></span></b><br />
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Everything is metal about "7 Sinners". The sound is metal, the band is metal, the cover is metal, even the god damn pumpkin in the logo is metal. It takes everything that the band had built up to during the 21st century, and just added another layer of metal coating to it, officially creating the closest to a thrash metal record that Helloween will ever reach. It is simply a solid record that makes sure that the band does not lose its edge after so many years on the scene, showing all of these young guns that they still have a challenge to get past these tough Germans. But despite all of this manly as hell metal that this album offers, it is a god damn flute that steals the show, and I still love it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-time-of-oath-1996.html">The Time of The Oath</a></span></b><br />
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While the "Keeper..." series is the most famous concept by the band, you should definitely not sleep on what they did with "The Time of The Oath", an album that tries to look into the future and see what it holds for mankind. The fun levels are through the roof here, with some really creative music being displayed throughout the record, and while the momentum does take a few hits here and there, it does not take long for the band to get back on track to amaze us again. If not for anything else, it is at the very least the best concept record about Nostradamus (sorry Judas Priest).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/01/helloween-straight-out-of-hell-2013.html">Straight Out of Hell</a></span></b><br />
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This might be more personal for me since this is the first Helloween album I truly dived into, but I think "Straight Out of Hell" still holds up more than well. This album is just filled with solid as hell songs that makes you scream your lungs out. "Nabataea", "Far From The Stars", "Burning Sun", the title track, "Make Fire Catch The Fly", and "Asshole" are just some of the goodies from this record, helping out to make it one of the most solid releases by the band. Sure, there are a couple of fillers here too, but there is enough quality in here to warrant its full run time, certainly not an album that was originally spawned from hell, more likely that it fell from the heavens.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/02/helloween-dark-ride-2000.html">The Dark Ride</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kJ8g0PwVd-Sm1pOAZdWB_JPNXNKWmCNtd4FUTbQ5ZWWD4eXXJChxnDbR3NxfLp8RsHR-Bf8xxYbfZwG0C3g9B_rwE22RxZu5smgQA8ppchtFYwXESm1DbLZSQWxro_3V6C25SzTqOFFg/s1600/Helloween+-+The+Dark+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="355" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kJ8g0PwVd-Sm1pOAZdWB_JPNXNKWmCNtd4FUTbQ5ZWWD4eXXJChxnDbR3NxfLp8RsHR-Bf8xxYbfZwG0C3g9B_rwE22RxZu5smgQA8ppchtFYwXESm1DbLZSQWxro_3V6C25SzTqOFFg/s200/Helloween+-+The+Dark+Ride.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Looking back at my review of this album, I might have exaggerated the whole darkness part of the record. Sure, the black on this record is deeper than on its predecessors, but it is still Helloween to the core, so there was not that massive of a difference. Still, "The Dark Ride" did kick off a whole new era of Helloween, an era that saw a heavier sound and less fantasy elements. This strategy ultimately paid off, ending with a record that gave a lot of new juice to a band that was in need of it. It is a rock solid effort with tons of devastating fire power, setting up the band for the new millennium in the best way possible.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-1.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8pVcYxufIXtw1ZNlf3uXplkEAD0jARjnjE_gEV8pKiSXUCvHb4qpyuc9Yr9uBylU_dZ2An8RkzgiKHKN82kpeOr20D1GfzJWQsozAI6vrZZVXYlUYkqbbCg4sJOhkFx6zWO4MuHTjpHU/s1600/Helloween+-+Keeper+of+The+Seven+Keys+Part+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8pVcYxufIXtw1ZNlf3uXplkEAD0jARjnjE_gEV8pKiSXUCvHb4qpyuc9Yr9uBylU_dZ2An8RkzgiKHKN82kpeOr20D1GfzJWQsozAI6vrZZVXYlUYkqbbCg4sJOhkFx6zWO4MuHTjpHU/s200/Helloween+-+Keeper+of+The+Seven+Keys+Part+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
So to no one's surprise, the top two records are the original "Keeper of The Seven Keys" records, but how do you determine which is the better part? With a decision like this, you ultimately have to go with your gut feeling, and while I do believe that Part 1 have the top two songs ("Twilight of The Gods" and "Halloween"), it also has some of the weaker tracks as well. Still, this album is a thrilling experience that gave us the first taste of what Hansen's magnificent song writing could be now that Kiske backed him up with his vocals. Man, this is pure power metal bliss, and it certainly feels wrong to put this only at the number two spot, until you realize who is number one...<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. <a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-2.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7DKXFXsm4AblbiG9kR1avHPKMw1uho90rh7u0nvNXCIeLAO4bEkiLcb6vmkaB6FAEMDJ1wVaJDOAhc70gq3MMAtJ8ArO2aaf9eTeNdIO8NIrguOmteI5aqAVCkcam1qL4lNV88jyPkId/s1600/Helloween+-+Keeper+of+The+Seven+Keys+Part+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="354" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7DKXFXsm4AblbiG9kR1avHPKMw1uho90rh7u0nvNXCIeLAO4bEkiLcb6vmkaB6FAEMDJ1wVaJDOAhc70gq3MMAtJ8ArO2aaf9eTeNdIO8NIrguOmteI5aqAVCkcam1qL4lNV88jyPkId/s200/Helloween+-+Keeper+of+The+Seven+Keys+Part+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Yes, the younger brother wins this hard fought fight, basically because it has a better song average. It also wrapped up the story in such a marvelous way with the title track that you just cannot go away from it without a lot of satisfaction. This is metal history at its finest, an album that defined its genre and spawned a thousand bands to a path they might not have taken without its emergence. There is just a hell of a lot of things to appreciate over this album, from the high soaring screams on "Eagle Fly Free", the grandness of "March of Time", and of course that iconic guitar riff and chorus combination of "I Want Out". It is a brilliant record from start to finish, and it still stands as one of the strongest power metal records in existence, one that every other album in the genre has to measure up against.<br />
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And as always, I am also gonna list my 10 favourite tracks from the band, in alphabetical order<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Eagle Fly Free</span></b><br />
Cannot turn down this classic, just as epic as ever.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Halloween</span></b><br />
13 brilliant minutes of haunting metal mastery.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I Want Out</span></b><br />
Cannot turn down this classic ever, just as catchy as ever.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Listen To The Flies</span></b><br />
Ha, and you thought I would fill this with only "Keeper..." songs. Nah man, the flies cannot be ignored.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Nabataea</span></b><br />
One of the most versatile Helloween tracks, you do not know where it is going at first listen.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing To Say</span></b><br />
Putting the reggae element aside, that ending makes it a riser, for sure.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ride The Sky</span></b><br />
Early power metal at its finest, all speed, all confidence.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Shade In The Shadow</span></b><br />
A legacy song that actually matches up with its predecessors.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Departed</span></b><br />
I would catch the bullet that was meant for this song every time.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Twilight of The Gods</span></b><br />
The guitar wizardy here is real, pure Hansen magic.<br />
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So how would you rank this discography? Hit me up on the comment section or on twitter @ForsakenGates, and give your thoughts. Next up, we are taking a trip to France, to see if we can find a big lizard that has a habit of destroying both cities and other monsters.<br />
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<b>Stay metal!</b><br />
<b>Sharkruisher</b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-14031997300844433022019-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:002019-05-06T14:29:32.573-07:00Amon Amarth - Berserker (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMItwmShyphenhyphens48Rh4pc5cA2sCjmhgkYZi8siK_emZvVrGWKLz1HGxOsyASvmLbDDr4cTFkdh4wWWI17LqtX7aCvo7QkZauj-EvyXt9X1D7EHuVmHZlVkrCvKiESPtMIGwYt54JfAkHagVPkp/s1600/Amon+Amarth+-+Berserker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMItwmShyphenhyphens48Rh4pc5cA2sCjmhgkYZi8siK_emZvVrGWKLz1HGxOsyASvmLbDDr4cTFkdh4wWWI17LqtX7aCvo7QkZauj-EvyXt9X1D7EHuVmHZlVkrCvKiESPtMIGwYt54JfAkHagVPkp/s320/Amon+Amarth+-+Berserker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <i>"Thor, let your hammer fly, let the lightning crack that blackened skies"</i>, 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Shield Wall, Fafner's Gold, Crack The Sky, Into The Dark</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Wings of Eagles</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.amonamarth.com/">https://www.amonamarth.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/amonamarthband">https://twitter.com/amonamarthband</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Amon Amarth</b><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/05/amon-amarth-once-sent-from-golden-hall.html"><b>Once Sent From The Golden Hall</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/05/amon-amarth-avenger-1999.html"><b>The Avenger</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/06/amon-amarth-crusher-2001.html"><b>The Crusher</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/07/amon-amarth-versus-world-2002.html"><b>Versus The World</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/07/amon-amarth-fate-of-norns-2004.html"><b>Fate of Norns</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/09/amon-amarth-with-oden-on-our-side-2006.html"><b>With Oden On Our Side</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/09/amon-amarth-twilight-of-thunder-god-2008.html"><b>Twilight of The Thundergod</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/10/amon-amarth-surtur-rising-2011.html"><b>Surtur Rising</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/06/amon-amarth-deceiver-of-gods-2013.html"><b>Deceiver of The Gods</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/03/amon-amarth-jomsviking-2016.html">Jomsviking</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-25182404237968367162019-05-03T07:21:00.003-07:002019-05-12T13:35:28.307-07:00Helloween - 7 Sinners (2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjgUVeJgUkT4vUOE-lIFsRm41TNtrTFshR6cKIl_OYm2Fq_YzQ1ehO9Rq1idnXdE_Vk_B7Qa4CPbLfYc-5vwCcU4SsTUwoj5Z5ruppK_J51cCwrRGBjQ20SEYR5syziYOEBQoCQ5RTach/s1600/Helloween+-+7+Sinners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjgUVeJgUkT4vUOE-lIFsRm41TNtrTFshR6cKIl_OYm2Fq_YzQ1ehO9Rq1idnXdE_Vk_B7Qa4CPbLfYc-5vwCcU4SsTUwoj5Z5ruppK_J51cCwrRGBjQ20SEYR5syziYOEBQoCQ5RTach/s320/Helloween+-+7+Sinners.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The peak of the heavier Helloween era is the 2010 release "7 Sinners", an album that capped of 10 full years of Helloween embracing their tougher side, giving their fans something different to what they had been used to from the band's early career. Still, "7 Sinners" took the band's mind set, and kicked it into an even higher gear, ultimately giving us something that could have easily been a thrash metal record, if it was not for the classic power metal elements that Helloween always brings to the table. Question is though, is this album a sinner, or a winner?<br />
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The two opening tracks sets the stage instantly, with "Where The Sinners Go" kicking it off by out right stealing the main riff from Dream Theater's "A Rite of Passage", and a heavier tone to it, and then creates a kick ass song around it, with a cool solo and all. Then we have "Are You Metal?" (what a silly question, of course I am), which just goes full force at you with aggressive keyboards, a mad Andi Deris pushing his vocal chords, and an even sweeter guitar solo than the last one. It is a start you will not forget in the nearest future, putting quite a significant mark on the listener.<br />
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While the rest of the record never reaches those levels of face melting heaviness, there is still enough in here to keep the personality of "7 Sinners" solid. "Long Live The King" has a main melody ripped straight out of Testament's book of thrash metal, while "Far In The Future" goes more for a apocalyptic theme, to foreshadow the impending doom of the record (it is the last song). Do not expect though to see Helloween going full thrash metal though, because this is a power metal through and through, acting on most of the same strategies that Helloween have used over the years.<br />
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Even if the heavier tracks take over, there is still a lot of great quality in this just under an hour record. The energy is surging in a steady pace throughout the record, pumping your adrenaline in a constant flow, save from the slower "The Smile of The Sun". This album is simply packed with memorable and catchy tunes, such as "Who Is Mr. Madman?", "The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner", and "World of Fantasy". Then there is "Raise The Noise" that take it to a whole new level, not with the 80's styled chorus that is easy to scream out. No, this song is memorable simply because it has a flute solo. That's right, a god damn flute takes over and starts showing off, completely out staging the guitars, and I freaking love every second of it.<br />
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"7 Sinners" does have a couple of dips, like "You Stupid Mankind" and "My Sacrifice", but this album is all and all a really solid release by a band that took a swing, and while it would not have hurt if they had amped up the heavy bits even more, it still does the job. Most of the songs in here are still of good quality, making "7 Sinners" one of the more pleasant experiences in the Helloween catalog. This is certainly no fool, nor a sinner, it is a full fledged sage that puts a marvelous spell on its listener.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: "The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner", Are You Metal?, Raise The Noise, Long Live The King</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8/10 Worlds of Fantasy</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.helloween.org/">www.helloween.org/</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/helloweenorg">twitter.com/helloweenorg</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Helloween</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-walls-of-jericho-1985.html">Walls of Jericho</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-1.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-2.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-pink-bubbles-go-ape-1991.html">Pink Bubbles Go Ape</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-chameleon-1993.html">Chameleon</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-master-of-rings-1994.html">Master of The Rings</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-time-of-oath-1996.html">The Time of The Oath</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-better-than-raw-1998.html">Better Than Raw</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/02/helloween-dark-ride-2000.html">The Dark Ride</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-rabbit-dont-come-easy-2003.html">Rabbit Don't Come Easy</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-legacy.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/04/helloween-gambling-with-devil-2007.html">Gambling With The Devil</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/01/helloween-straight-out-of-hell-2013.html">Straight Out of Hell</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/06/helloween-my-god-given-right-2015.html">My God-Given Right</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-48880587393910291412019-04-28T13:10:00.001-07:002019-04-28T13:10:59.173-07:00Rapid Fire Reviews: Episode 3Rapid Fire Reviews is a series where I give some quick takes on some albums I recently listened to and did not have enough thoughts on to make a full scale review, but still garnered enough interest from me to give them acknowledgment. In today's episode, we take a look at something weird, something heavy, and a double dose of Switzerland.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A New Revenge - Enemies & Lovers</span></b><br />
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In the last episode, we looked into Spirits of Fire, a band that was fronted by former Judas Priest and Iced Earth singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. Well, guess what, we have another band that Tim fronts here in A New Revenge, a more hard rock oriented group that shows a good knack of crafting catchy tunes, unfortunately with varying results. There are definitely several songs in this debut record that has some good staying power, where both Tim and the guitarist Keri Kelli flexes their muscles ("The Distance Between", "The Way", and "Scars" are just some highlights), but there is also a good amount of bland fillers in here that ruins the flow of the record, which is quite impressive considering "Enemies & Lovers" is only 36 minutes long. There is some hope to be found in A New Revenge, but if you are gonna listen to one Tim Owens album this year, let it be the self titled one by Spirits of Fire.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 6,5/10 Scars</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cellar Darling - The Spell</span></b><br />
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When I listened to the debut record of Cellar Darling two years ago, entitled "This Is The Sound", I was intrigued by their doom like version of symphonic metal, but there were still a lot to be desired. With the sophomore effort "The Spell", the band continues to solidify their sound into something original, creating a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that is easy to take to heart, which is no real surprise since the band features former Eluveitie member Anna Murphy. The band still has a problem though that the song writing is not strong enough to stay put inside your mind, and it rarely goes out of its comfort zone too, even if Anna is trying her hardest to put some emotions into the music. It is still solid work though, and any metal album that includes an instrument called hurdy gurdy is a winner in my book.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7/10 Insomnias</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Eluveitie - Ategnatos</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDOBs-g4ip7IX3ndgJt0JpUfGbPP0fFwlirepdkCs_Zr0qY3HRmc7-sJQ-_YpK_LbcIQLeiBi-nkdW3wq0iuB1OwEdYzuWawxv5ejtcBqtOIaEEQcxrYFgQdrL_VLfhOQJt5s7F_C0eND/s1600/Eluveitie+-+Ategnatos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDOBs-g4ip7IX3ndgJt0JpUfGbPP0fFwlirepdkCs_Zr0qY3HRmc7-sJQ-_YpK_LbcIQLeiBi-nkdW3wq0iuB1OwEdYzuWawxv5ejtcBqtOIaEEQcxrYFgQdrL_VLfhOQJt5s7F_C0eND/s200/Eluveitie+-+Ategnatos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
So we segway from a former Eluveitie member and her new band to her old group, a band that has always made solid contributions to the folk metal genre, and while their 8th full length effort "Ategnatos" does not deviate too far from what they normally do, it does feel more cohesive. The quality of the songs are consistently at an high level, which is really important since there are a lot of them (16 to be exact). The meaty nature of this record might be a little too much to swallow in consistent, frequent doses, but there is enough top notch craft in here that will make you come back to it again and again. Easily my favourite Eluveitie release in recent memory.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 8,5/10 Deathwalkers</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nightrage - Wolf To Man</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFzqxPZt6YFrOzTXIjIzsvrgLCGTX3kS8Bs6v0EdF_lelk1Xogv6XF-VxKJeIv8QUryZxNa2wFizZZZet1OiZ9ah8GF3GTa2YZ_ZGyJyQJTsuU8ZIn_JopGUSyTh_IdcjUqSs-04sJ64c/s1600/Nightrage+-+Wolf+To+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="790" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFzqxPZt6YFrOzTXIjIzsvrgLCGTX3kS8Bs6v0EdF_lelk1Xogv6XF-VxKJeIv8QUryZxNa2wFizZZZet1OiZ9ah8GF3GTa2YZ_ZGyJyQJTsuU8ZIn_JopGUSyTh_IdcjUqSs-04sJ64c/s200/Nightrage+-+Wolf+To+Man.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Nightrage have consistently put out some excellent melodic death metal for several albums now, creating a formula that obviously works. The band has yet to blow me away though through an entire record, and while their 9th studio offering "Wolf To Man" tries its absolute hardest to impress me, it still makes the same decisions as its predecessors. It is still a good record with a lot of great, thrashy guitar work, and the song writing is as solid as you could expect, but there is no edge to the music, nothing that stands out or blows your mind. Just like one of the tracks are demanding, I am fully willing to embrace Nightrage and give them a big bear hug, but I guess a simple handshake will do to acknowledge another solid presentation.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7/10 Starless Nights</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Waste of Space Orchestra - Syntheosis</span></b><br />
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I know this might sound like a bold statement, knowing that we have not even reached the half way point of 2019, but believe me when I say that the debut record of Waste of Space Orchestra is gonna be the most unique and strange album you will hear all year. This extremely super secretive band (seriously, they make Ghost look like Instagram models) just comes in here, drops "Syntheosis" on the table, possibly together with some LSD, and say "Let's ride". What follows is a mysterious acid trip through eerie sounds, heavy bass lines, and mad unforgiving drums, executing a sensation that just cannot be defined by words. It is simply fantastic... until Linda Blair from "The Exorcist" comes and vomits all over the place with the vocals. The vocals will divide, but be sure that this orchestra is not just a waste of space, they have something extra ordinary to offer, and is an experience worthy of at least checking out.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Vacuum Heads</span></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-83152952545533059552019-04-16T14:25:00.000-07:002019-04-16T14:26:28.725-07:00Periphery - Periphery IV: Hail Stan (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a prog lover, Periphery should be right at my wheel house, but it is something with their complicated djenty style that just does not sit well with me. The guys are talented and all, but the connection between them and me have never fully clicked, probably because they have been so odd in their behaviour. Just look at this album title for example, despite it being called "Periphery IV: Hail Stan", this is actually album number 6 for the band, so they are not that great at counting. Also, who the hell is this Stan they are hailing? Is it the late Stan Lee? The even later Stanley Kubrick? Or perhaps it is that weird little puff ball hat wearing kid from Colorado, Stan Marsh? Who knows, who cares.<br />
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Anyway, the band starts off with a real knockout punch in "Reptile", as in half of the people who listen to this record are gonna fall off because Periphery starts with a close to 17 minute monster. It is a bold start that sort of acts as a microcosm of what the band is, putting in everything from heavy breakdowns, melodic singing, technical passages, and U-turn tempo switches. It is a tough barrier to get through with tons of information to take in, but it is one worth busting your head over and over for.<br />
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The rest of the tracks (except the final one "Satellites") range between a more comfortable 4-6 minutes, but be sure that you brain and ears will not get much rest for that. "Blood Eagle" has this great Gojira vibe to it, chugging along like a melodic jackhammer, while "CHVRCH BVRNER" (a pretty metal song title if I say so myself) is a bundle of chaos, much like the kind that The Dillinger Escape Plan used to cook up when they were active. We also got the more leaner side of the band in a bunch of other songs, making "...Hail Stan" a fairly versatile record with both salt and sweet tastes in it.<br />
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The album does lose some momentum somewhere in the middle though, where the song writing is not coming to fruition. "It's Only Smiles" has that ominous feeling of being a cheesy teenage ballad, which is not exactly a good sign for a metal band. Even singer Spencer Sotelo (who is otherwise excellent in this record) seems juvenile here. Then we have "Crush" that uses a lot of electronical sounds, and it takes away all of the focus from the track. To put it lightly, it is an experiment that just fizzled out. The down period ends with "Sentient Glow", who tries to pick up some speed again, but does so with some really questionable vocal lines, thereby ending up half stalling.<br />
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The end of the record is saved though with "Satellites", a nice, soothing ending that ultimately leaves me with mostly the same feelings as I usually have with a Periphery record. "...Hail Stan" obviously has a lot of technical qualities, and some of the music in here is great and imaginative, but the consistency is still not there, having tracks that fumbles when the band is seemingly charging down the field. I still highly enjoy "... Hail Stan" as a fun brain exercise, the band surely knows how to keep the interest of the listener while showing their skills without shoving it to your face. I would give this album a higher rating, but I will not, because each time the record reaches its end, it tells me to suck its balls. So rude.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Reptile, CHVRCH BVRNER, Satellites</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 7,5/10 Sentient Glows</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.periphery.net/">http://www.periphery.net/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/PeripheryBand">https://twitter.com/PeripheryBand</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Periphery</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2016/07/periphery-periphery-iii-select.html">Periphery III: Select Difficulty</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-73371448373255273082019-04-11T11:58:00.003-07:002019-05-12T13:36:16.555-07:00Helloween - Gambling With The Devil (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMyTo33hwO-lkOhyRICtBNSHBhB3nGUkZWwcDZ3R3jz-J2fwEc63l9zj3kscUsYE1GDzVOVVDu_uyahQ5NcKfnaesuN78napMXw7NgeBYmuWNDyjGLwq9q0ayC70Zb31npLQRkLkE22Jb/s1600/Helloween+-+Gambling+With+The+Devil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMyTo33hwO-lkOhyRICtBNSHBhB3nGUkZWwcDZ3R3jz-J2fwEc63l9zj3kscUsYE1GDzVOVVDu_uyahQ5NcKfnaesuN78napMXw7NgeBYmuWNDyjGLwq9q0ayC70Zb31npLQRkLkE22Jb/s320/Helloween+-+Gambling+With+The+Devil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After making such a massive concept record in "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy", Helloween decided to go back to basic with their 12th offering, an album that did not have an over arching theme or story, just a CD with kick ass Helloween music. It is definitely a sensible approach, a way for the band to let off a bit of steam from their pressure cooker. It is a gamble though, because if they let out too much, then the album will suffer dearly, so the title does make a lot of sense in that regard.<br />
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Despite its title, "Gambling With The Devil" is pretty standard stuff from the Germans, at least from what they have been doing up to this point during the 21st century. It is heavier power metal that leans on being catchy and epic, and also has some humour to it hopefully. The band has created this solid formula that works for most times, and while I do not think it is broken here, it just does not have the same impact this time around. Could be that I have heard similar, but better, songs previously made by the band, but there is something off with this record.<br />
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One explanation could be that this is one of the lighter records in recent memory. Sure, we still get our dose of bone crushing metal, like the insanely aggressive "Kill It" and the chugging "Paint A New World", but there are more songs in here that either lowers the tempo, or has a softer touch to it, and it would be nothing wrong in doing such songs as long as they hold a reasonably good standard, which they unfortunately do not. The first single "As Long As I Fall" is not only ridiculous in its meaning (trust me guys, you will hit the ground eventually), but it is one of the lamest Helloween songs I have heard, not offering anything of substance. Then we have "Heaven Tells No Lies", which is just all out forgettable, which is not good normally, but it is even worse since this is the track that ends the album. A disappointing way to close things up. I do think though that "Fallen To Pieces" is proof that the band can do more light types of tracks, because this is one of the more epic ones of the record with its orchestral incorporation and a varied solo that takes some unexpected turns.<br />
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The biggest problem with the record though is that it just is not memorable. I have listened to it a whole bunch, but there are just a few songs that sticks with me. Not saying that the songs are not catchy, but you forget about them as soon as they are over, which just shows that they do not have that impact that you would want from a Helloween tune. "The Saints" is a pretty good example of this, it is a catchy song that has all the tools to become a great track, but it fails at punching it in, mostly thanks to that it is a carbon copy of what Helloween has previously done. This is also why more original songs like "I.M.E." and "Can Do It" stands out more, they do not remind us of any previously made song.<br />
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This is a surprisingly frustrating record, because there is quality in here for sure, but it is quality we already knew the band possessed, so it does not have that lasting impact. "Gambling With The Devil" is definitely a record you can take for a spin now and again, fully enjoying the experience every time, so it honestly does not do much wrong. It is however a more laid back version of Helloween we get, which keeps it from reaching those high levels. It seemed like a safe bet from the start, setting up for a sure fire jackpot, but I guess good old Beelzebub has tricked us once again, leaving us with a decent, but forgettable, record.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Fallen To Pieces, Kill It, Paint A New World</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 6,5/10 Saints</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.helloween.org/">www.helloween.org/</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/helloweenorg">twitter.com/helloweenorg</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Helloween</b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-walls-of-jericho-1985.html">Walls of Jericho</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/08/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-1.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-part-2.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/09/helloween-pink-bubbles-go-ape-1991.html">Pink Bubbles Go Ape</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-chameleon-1993.html">Chameleon</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2018/11/helloween-master-of-rings-1994.html">Master of The Rings</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-time-of-oath-1996.html">The Time of The Oath</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/01/helloween-better-than-raw-1998.html">Better Than Raw</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/02/helloween-dark-ride-2000.html">The Dark Ride</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-rabbit-dont-come-easy-2003.html">Rabbit Don't Come Easy</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/03/helloween-keeper-of-seven-keys-legacy.html">Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2019/05/helloween-7-sinners-2010.html">7 Sinners</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/01/helloween-straight-out-of-hell-2013.html">Straight Out of Hell</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/06/helloween-my-god-given-right-2015.html">My God-Given Right</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-17601666923493672502019-04-07T13:11:00.001-07:002019-04-07T13:12:08.847-07:00Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOzcUTf3u6FM-OeLzNfUKzI_IgOnEu7b_x1roECWaYw3_v-Ba6pTmIcpbJ3HZ7brWX0R_JYH5EbY2wFfpSZk-lsxnmQpMWhX3alPYBfRSRu123E16wmoZ8kD6NRQ3R6ytH6JiY-42ept9/s1600/Battle+Beast+-+No+More+Hollywood+Endings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOzcUTf3u6FM-OeLzNfUKzI_IgOnEu7b_x1roECWaYw3_v-Ba6pTmIcpbJ3HZ7brWX0R_JYH5EbY2wFfpSZk-lsxnmQpMWhX3alPYBfRSRu123E16wmoZ8kD6NRQ3R6ytH6JiY-42ept9/s320/Battle+Beast+-+No+More+Hollywood+Endings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If there is one thing that I think a lot of bands do way too much of today, it is referencing the 80's. Sure, it was during this period when metal was at its peak, both in quality and commercially, but the amount of bands that tribute this era through their music makes me pretty sick to be honest. Well, now we can add Battle Beast to that group as well, a Finnish group that started out as a pretty exciting power metal power house who has gradually added more of the synth-like 80's influences for each album.<br />
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Now, I know that I said in my "Bringer of Pain" review that the added 80's influence was an advantage for the band, so why is it a problem in "No More Hollywood Endings"? Simple, what was once an added flavour is now the entire main course. Battle Beast has turned into a 80's pop metal band, and while there is still some power in there, it is far from the impactful force that the band produced in their early days. Every song in here is a nod to that decade and its colorful neon lights, so the cheese factor in here is insanely high, and not in an entertaining way.<br />
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An example, "Endless Summer" is more or less a Whitesnake song that borrowed some lines from Kid Rock's "All Summer Long". I do not know if it is a tribute or what, but by god is it ever a slog, something my younger self could not imagine that this band might do. It is only one of several softer tracks in here, really enhancing the pop elements to a maximum, and it mostly ends in boring fluff such as "I Wish" and "Bent And Broken". Then there are tracks that are just odd, like the Bon Jovi flirting "Unfairy Tales", and "My Last Dream" that is going everywhere at the same time.<br />
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I do have to admit though that there are moments when the 80's vibe does hit the spot just right. "The Hero" obviously steals the main riff from "Maniac", but this is a track that uses the echoing drums, the synthesizers, and the glossy flair in a nice, epic fashion. Guitarists Juuso Soinio and Joona Björkroth steals the show here with two really nice solos, especially that last one is goosebump inducing. Epic rock ending for the win! We also get a nice part of the album where more of the classic Battle Beast appears with the trio of "Raise Your Fists", "The Golden Horde", and "World On Fire" unleashes hell upon us, showing that there is still some power in this band. I do have to question the ending of "The Golden Horde" though, where Wilhelm comes on and does his usual scream. Makes me laugh every god damn time.<br />
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Well, there is ultimately not much battle in this beast anymore, they are just acting tougher than what their music implies. "No More Hollywood Endings" is a confusing pop power mess that never seems to get a footing, slipping and sliding in the mud of its confidence. There are still some nice highlights in here, but just like you do not watch a movie for a specific scene or two, you do not listen to an album for just a couple of songs, it is the entire experience that is the most important thing. Now that the credits have rolled, let us move on to the next album.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: The Hero, Raise Your Fists, The Golden Horde</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5/10 Unfairy Tales</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.battlebeast.fi/">www.battlebeast.fi/</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/BattleBeast">twitter.com/BattleBeast</a><br />
<br />
<b>More reviews of Battle Beast</b><br />
<b><a href="http://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/05/battle-beast-st-2013.html">S/T</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2015/01/battle-beast-unholy-savior-2015.html">Unholy Savior</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2017/02/battle-beast-bringer-of-pain-2017.html">Bringer of Pain</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546390078233065639.post-77072792636914892452019-04-04T12:57:00.001-07:002019-04-04T12:58:09.363-07:00Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhIspvDuwUtoWrObBCl0tIUAS70uaMXTfqvV-ubXpcAPX1Qilnjw7D4pKGWugl5dwcezAnXjwGrNTFE-599GwrPr-XQ0_8lh50aSofWgocH0IlLnjupIO55r3B9fxIzkx7neOfmR2oICN/s1600/Devin+Townsend+-+Empath.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhIspvDuwUtoWrObBCl0tIUAS70uaMXTfqvV-ubXpcAPX1Qilnjw7D4pKGWugl5dwcezAnXjwGrNTFE-599GwrPr-XQ0_8lh50aSofWgocH0IlLnjupIO55r3B9fxIzkx7neOfmR2oICN/s320/Devin+Townsend+-+Empath.png" width="320" /></a></div>
After an incredible run with the DTP, renowned musical mad man Devin Townsend felt that the group had run its course, disbanding it to search for new ways to express himself. It sucks since it felt like Devin and the rest of the group was doing great, but the ways of the Canadian is strange to say the least, a man that is seemingly easily bored if he stays in the same spot for too long. So, after a lot of soul searching in these last three years between records (which is almost a life time for fans eagerly awaiting new music from the Dev), "Empath" has finally emerged, so let us dive head first into what might be the most dense Devin album yet.<br />
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Knowing the career Devin has had up until this point, you know that he has ventured into a ton of musical spectres, and yet, they all seem to intertwine on this record in a way that should not be possible without it sounding like crap. Seemingly every part of Devin's career is represented in here, minus the "Punky Brüster..." punk album, acting as sort of a retrospective of what the man has accomplished. We have the earthly tones of "Terria", the soothing calmness of both "Ghost" and "Casualties of Cool", the epic cheese of "Epicloud", the brain shattering brutality of his Strapping Young Lad days, and of course, we also got some Ziltoid in here (and in the album artwork as well, why wasn't that featured on the cover instead of that white background?). It is a goody bag of sounds that mix surprisingly well.<br />
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Speaking of mixes, the production on this record is out right phenomenal. It is as loud and vibrant as you could expect from a Devin record, but he somehow turned it up another notch, making every single little noise crystal clear for our ears, and the sound design shines as well with these small clips here and there. Even if Devin did much of this on his own, he did still get a lot of help from his friends, with a guest list that Devin fans should mostly recognize. We got Steve Vai, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Ché Aimee Dorval, Ryan Dahle, Morgan Ågren, Chad Kroeger... wait, Chad Kroeger? From Nickelback? Well I'll be damned, that is a surprise, and he is on the heaviest track too ("Hear Me")!<br />
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To say the least, this is an emotional record that is gonna take you on one hell of a ride, starting off slowly with the intro "Castaway", then flinging you into orbit with "Genesis", a truly chaotic song with a cheesy sing along chorus and disco beats, and I love every second of it. "Spirits Will Collide" follows after with tons of cheesy power pop that is on the verge of being too much, but the album transitions early enough to "Evermore", a neat little catchy tune that just makes you smile and nod your head sideways o the beat, just like the cartoon astronaut cat in the music video. Then we have "Sprite" that opens up with some Dr. Seuss, just to roll with some Spring feelings, a very fitting tactic considering the current season.<br />
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After that, Devin wonders if we can hear him in "Hear Me", and yeah, we do. This is complete madness in a can, borrowing both from SYL and "Deconstruction", while also throwing in Anneke and Chad into the mix, creating an unholy mix of epic emotions and insanity, which of course ends up being amazing. Then we get transported into a Disney musical with "Why?", which is beautiful for sure, but so odd still. "Borderlands" is next, and it is one of the more memorable tracks with its steady and catchy main riff. Add in some casual cool into it all, and we get a laid back 11 minute track that goes by in a flash.<br />
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The interlude "Requiem" prepares us for the final stage of "Empath", the insane 23 and a half minute monster "Singularity", a six-piece track that is the epic finish to end epic finishes. At first, I had a rough time getting into this beast, and it did not help that we had already been given 50 minutes of music prior, but trust me, this is a grower. Every time you listen to this monstrosity, you find new angles and parts that speaks to you, making you wanna come back to it time and time again. I also found it stunning that all six bits of "Singularity" where unique in its own right, being really different from each other, yet they all come together so perfectly that the transitions are hard to notice. It is still not my favourite track on "Empath", but "Singularity" is a track that deserves respect.<br />
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At the end of the day, "Empath" is ultimately Devin in a nutshell, an album that is so insanely expansive that it is hard to get a grip on, but still so accessible that you cannot get enough of it. It is obvious that Devin has released all of his restraints, going all in on this record with everything that he got. It acts as the perfect summary of the man's career, while also showing that there is still a ton of material left in that shiny head of his. This is an insane record, one that has tons of emotions, one that no other musician can make. It is effervescent quality through and through, just a brilliant effort from a brilliant mind.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Songs worthy of recognition: Hear Me, Genesis, Evermore, Borderlands, Singularity</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 9,5/10 Sprites</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.hevydevy.com/">https://www.hevydevy.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/dvntownsend">https://twitter.com/dvntownsend</a><br />
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<b>More reviews of Devin Townsend (solo work)</b><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/09/devin-townsend-punky-bruster-cooked-on.html"><b>Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/09/devin-townsend-ocean-machine-biomech.html"><b>Ocean Machine: Biomech</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/09/devin-townsend-infinity-1998.html"><b>Infinity</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/11/devin-townsend-physicist-2000.html"><b>Physicist</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/11/devin-townsend-terria-2001.html"><b>Terria</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2013/12/devin-townsend-devlab-2004.html"><b>Devlab</b></a><br />
<a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/01/devin-townsend-hummer-2006.html"><b>The Hummer</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://forsakenatthegates.blogspot.com/2014/01/devin-townsend-ziltoid-omniscient-2007.html">Ziltoid The Omniscient</a></b>sharkruisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384384185340132097noreply@blogger.com0