Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (2005)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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").

Songs worthy of recognition: From The Sky, Ocean Planet, The Heaviest Mater of The Universe, Flying Whales

Rating: 9/10 Backbones

www.gojira-music.com/
twitter.com/GojiraMusic

More reviews of Gojira
Terra Incognita
Magma

Gojira - The Link (2003)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Songs worthy of recognition: Remembrance, Indians, Embrace The World

Rating: 7/10 Inward Movements

www.gojira-music.com/
twitter.com/GojiraMusic

More reviews of Gojira
Terra Incognita
Magma

Teramaze - Are We Soldiers (2019)

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?

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Songs worthy of recognition: From Saviour To Assassin, Fight Or Flight, Control Conquer Collide, Weight of Humanity

Rating: 8,5/10 M.O.N.S.T.E.R.S.

http://teramaze.com.au/
https://twitter.com/teramazemusic

More reviews of Teramaze
Esoteric Symbolism
Her Halo

Gojira - Terra Incognita (2001)

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.

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.

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".

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).

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.

Songs worthy of recognition: Clone, Space Time, Fire Is Everything


Rating: 7/10 Lizard Skins

www.gojira-music.com/
twitter.com/GojiraMusic

More reviews of Gojira
Magma

Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal (2019)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Songs worthy of recognition: Wrath of The Universe, Vermilion Moons, Tethered, Never In Your Hands

Rating: 8/10 Solitary Men

https://www.metalblade.com/archmatheos/
https://twitter.com/archmatheos

Periphery - Periphery IV: Hail Stan (2019)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Songs worthy of recognition: Reptile, CHVRCH BVRNER, Satellites

Rating: 7,5/10 Sentient Glows

http://www.periphery.net/
https://twitter.com/PeripheryBand

More reviews of Periphery
Periphery III: Select Difficulty

Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)

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.

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.

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")!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Songs worthy of recognition: Hear Me, Genesis, Evermore, Borderlands, Singularity

Rating: 9,5/10 Sprites

https://www.hevydevy.com/
https://twitter.com/dvntownsend

More reviews of Devin Townsend (solo work)
Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics
Ocean Machine: Biomech
Infinity
Physicist
Terria
Devlab
The Hummer
Ziltoid The Omniscient

Fallujah - Undying Light (2019)

The progressive death metal scene has expanded a lot in the last years, with new bands coming and going quicker than you can say "Wacky wavy inflatable arm flailing tube men", so to stay relevant in this ever evolving genre, you have to be on your toes. The Bay Area boys of Fallujah quickly became a favourite for many with their atmospheric take on the genre, standing out as a unique force of beautiful brutality that reached its peak with the 2016 release "Dreamless". Everything seemed to go in the right way for the group, but here we are three years later, with their fourth record entitled "Undying Light", and with a tide that has seemingly turned on them.

So the biggest change with the band during these three years is in the line up. Co-founder and vocalist Alex Hofmann left the band in 2017, and has since been replaced by Antonio Palermo, thereby changing the sound drastically. Let me be clear from the get go, Antonio is a capable singer, but he is a completely different singer than Alex was, having more of a screaming type that fits more into any of the -core genres. His style of vocals just does not fit in to what the band is trying to do, his high pitch screams ruins the mood that the backing instruments are trying to set, ultimately becoming a distraction. It becomes sort of the same situation that happened to Mötley Crüe when John Corabi replaced Vince Neil for a short period of time, a good vocalist in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Antonio can breath easy that he is not the only problem with "Undying Light", because I dislike the production even more. It might seem like the production is sort of the same as in "Dreamless", but everything in this record is just louder, trying way to hard to get some attention. "Dreamless" was loud too, but only in moments, hitting hard when it needed to. This record goes hard on everything, which makes it lose a ton of that dynamic songwriting that is buried somewhere. It is an incredibly monotone record that secretly has a lot of creativity in it, but it never shows unless you pay an unhealthy amount of concentration towards it.

The most disappointing part about "Undying Light" is probably the fact that there is so much great music not getting the spotlight it deserves. There are several juicy bits in here that makes you remember what this band is capable of, parts like the flowing chugging in "Dopamine", the vibrant melodies of "Sanctuary", the mad blast beats of "Eyes Like The Sun" and "Departure", and the hypnotizing rhythm of "Ultraviolet". This is a record filled with goodies with a bitter after taste, which makes it more frustrating than it have any right to be. It also does not help that the ambient aspect of the band's sound is all but gone now, which is another blow to lovers of the previous records.

So yeah, "Undying Light" is an early front runner in the not so flattering category "Disappointment of the year", mostly because it has small threads of what makes Fallujah so awesome, but do not do anything creative with those bits, while incorporating things that just does not work. I have faith in Fallujah that they will bounce back in the next record, they are talented enough to understand what they can do better and how to utilize their new additions to make more astonishing music. Until then, just go back to "Dreamless" or "The Flesh Prevails" and relish in the great music the band has produced thus far, because "Undying Light" is not a good representation of what Fallujah can be.

Songs worthy of recognition: Ultraviolet, Eyes Like The Sun, Departure

Rating: 5,5/10 Glass Houses

www.facebook.com/fallujahofficial
twitter.com/Fallujahbayarea

More reviews of Fallujah
Dreamless

Source - Totality (2019)

We first got to know the Americans in Source back in 2016 with their debut "Return To Nothing", a progressive metal band that instantly impressed with their delicate song writing and sense of atmosphere. Even if that album had a lot of Tool comparisons to it, you could still see a talented band that was just getting started, a group that have hopes of making music that is meaningful. So now that the sophomore effort "Totality" is here, let us ask the ultimate question, is the band on the verge of breaking out, or do we get another collection of Tool clones that might make the wait for that ever elusive follow up to "10,000 days" a little less painful, but also shows that Source is not capable of much more?

So the first thing you will notice while going through the track list in "Totality" is that the length of the songs are far shorter than those on "Return To Nothing", which is an obvious sign that the music is not gonna be the same, something the album later confirms when that play button is pressed. It is still that type of floaty progressive metal with some crunchy riffs added that we first heard from the band, but the Tool influence is not as present this time around, with the band being more grounded in reality instead of that trippy kaleidoscope realm.

You can see that the band has been hard at work trying to create its own identity, and the work seem to have paid off, with added influences coming from bands such as Opeth, Mastodon and Leprous. These influences makes "Totality" a more versatile album that does not flat line anywhere throughout its run time. Most of the music in here has that smooth surface that flows through your ear holes like a spring river, but the group has learned to roughen up their sound as well, adding some nice, heavy bits to give the music a bit of a more complex texture.

The strength is still when the band finds the zone, where the music phases the listener to a different state of mind, one that only contains bliss. Mesmerizing songs like "Sinking" and "Intimacy" are just a wonder to behold, two prime examples of how moving music can be. It is however a musical style that does not do all to well when you listen to it repeatedly in a short amount of time, gets pretty tiresome after a while, so the life expectancy of "Totality" will only be long if you restrain yourself a little. Another issue I have is that while Ben Gleason is a fine vocalist, he does tend to be kind of monotone in this record, not getting through all of the emotions. Nothing that bothers me all that much, but it does keep "Totality" from being a home run hit.

As far as a sophomore effort goes, "Totality" is just what you would want to hear. It has the spirit of the debut, while also adding new ideas and keeps on experimenting to create that perfect metal brew that will hopefully turn into a successful career. Source certainly has the chops to make it, and this record definitely shows that they are more than just a simple Tool copy. Lovers of atmospheric prog should not miss out on this one.

Songs worthy of recognition: Sinking, Benjamin, Intimacy, Unsure

Rating: 7,5/10 Philiacs

www.listentosource.com
twitter.com/listentosource

More reviews of Source
Return To Nothing

Dream Theater - Distance Over Time (2019)

We are now into the fourth record in the post-Portnoy era of Dream Theater, and I think it is pretty safe to say that while the previous three entries have been pretty decent, they have had their flaws. "A Dramatic Turn of Events" had at least two generic ballads too many, the self titled album was a little too safe, and "The Astonishing" was ambitious and grand, but was mostly filled with musical fluff. It is understandable though why it has been like this, it is very rarely that a band who loses one of their main contributors bounce back in the next record, and while it seems like Dream Theater has complicated things again here with "Distance Over Time" (which is just a pretentious way of saying velocity), they might have found their way back home.

With "Distance Over Time", Dream Theater is going both forward and backward, implementing new ideas together with familiar tactics that we have seen from such albums as "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", "Train of Thought", and "Systematic Chaos". Take for instance "Barstool Warrior", an obvious song about alcoholism (something Portnoy used to write a lot about since he has suffered from it) where the melodies are just as vibrant and flowing as they were in the beginning of the 21st century. That in itself is a clear statement that the band is back in form. Another call back is "Room 137", which would have fitted right in the "Train of Thought" line up without any problems, and the closer "Pale Blue Dot" is just another one of those ultra epic progressive goodies that only this band would produce. Pure magic.

Then we have the newer ideas that also shine just as bright. "S2N" has these playful Rush patterns that will make any prog fan drool, with the band going back and forth in different tempos and time signatures, while "Paralyzed" opens up with an incredibly groovy guitar line that still somehow merges nicely with the epic build up that is classic Dream Theater stuff. And to show that Dream Theater take newer progressive acts to notice, how about "At Wit's End" that has that djenty tech feel that we normally hear from Animals As Leaders, while still implementing that Dream Theater magic.

Yes, this is definitely one of the most imaginative DT albums for some time, and the performances shows that the band has had a blast recording this. The duels between guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Ruddess are thrilling as hell, constantly trying to one up each other without losing the musical melodies. Drummer Mike Mangini also does a great job in this record, also having writing credit for the first time ever with the song "Room 137". And then we have the "weak" link James LaBrie, who might do one of his finest vocal performances so far, getting even more emotions out to the listener than he normally would. He still has a voice that might not suit everyone, but he is not holding anything back in this disc.

The strong suit of this record though might be its length. After the exhausting experience known as "The Astonishing", it feels great that we get a more scaled back version of the band, with an album that goes just under the hour mark (just the third time the band has released an album this "short") and no track going over ten minutes. It is enough music to quench the thirst, and not much more, which I am totally fine with. It still makes the classic mistake of having a very generic ballad in it just to widen the range of the record ("Out of Reach"), but the bonus track "Viper King" kind of makes up for it with its fast paced blues metal, being the grooviest song the band has ever made. That song is not gonna affect the final score since it is a bonus track, but make sure to not miss out on that one, it is one of the funnest tracks of the year.

This is without a doubt the strongest Dream Theater record since "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", a record that once again shows just how awesome this band could be. The band has found that perfect balance of nostalgic goodness and innovative thinking that everyone wants to see from this band. They do not need to impress us with ambitious story writing, or wow us with some insane technical skills, just write awesome songs and you are good to go. "Distance Over Time" is a marvelous and solid record that should bring all the past Dream Theater fans back to the band, but most importantly, it is a record that makes a statement, that Dream Theater is still the kings of progressive metal, and that it's gonna take a hell of a lot of effort to over throw them from their throne.

Songs worthy of recognition: Pale Blue Dot, Paralyzed, S2N, At Wit's End

Rating: 9/10 Barstool Warriors

dreamtheater.net/
twitter.com/dreamtheaternet

More reviews of Dream Theater
When Dream And Day Unite
Images And Words
Awake
Falling Into Infinity
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Train of Thought
Octavarium
Systematic Chaos
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
A Dramatic Turn of Events
S/T
The Astonishing

Evergrey - The Atlantic (2019)

Last year Amorphis did the impossible, they managed to convert me from a guy who enjoyed the band, to a guy who love the band. "Queen of Time" was incredibly persuasive, sneaking its way into my heart and the number one spot on my "end of the year" list. Going into 2019, I thought for myself if there were any other bands who would be able to accomplish this tough, but not impossible feat. Looking into the list of upcoming albums, it did not take long for me to find Evergrey as a possible candidate, a band that is incredibly skilled at what they do and have a history of making excellent albums, but still have yet to fully convince me of their greatness. Let us see if "The Atlantic", their 11th full length effort, can do it.

The real reason to why I have never truly loved Evergrey is that they have missed that knockout punch, that fatal hit that leaves me breathless. There is no question about this band's ability, and "The Atlantic" is just another proving point, with its smooth, emotional sound that leaves few hearts untouched, and also some heavier spots to hit the nerve a little harder. They are consistent as hell, having a floor most bands would die for, but their ceiling is honestly not that much higher, and while there are some great progressive elements to their music, I do find it hard to find much difference from song to song.

There is one thing I have always loved with the band though, and that is the singer Tom Englund, who has a brilliant knack of punctuating the emotions with his silky smooth voice. He bring a level of excellence to each Evergrey record that is reason enough to check out the band, and he does another stellar job here in "The Atlantic". That man must have a diet consisting of only honey, it is the only thing explaining his vocals.

Besides Tom, I think the most shining part about "The Atlantic" is how heavy it is compared to a normal Evergrey record. The riffs are a little tougher, the drums hits a little harder, and the whole album in general is a little darker in its tone, but it still has that distinct Evergrey lightness to it. Tracks like "A Secret Atlantis" and "This Ocean" are kind of strange listening to knowing which band is playing, but they still work so well because of the fantastic writing, never truly feeling like a confusing oddball. Be sure though that those classic epic Evergrey moments are in here, scattered around in almost every track, making "The Atlantic" easily recognizable as another Evergrey effort.

I got to say that I am impressed, Evergrey turned out another solid as hell record that is filled with quality. However, it did not make me a lover of the band. While I do think this is the band's strongest effort in at least a decade, it still does not feel like a complete record for me. It is one that is highly enjoyable, but then suddenly ends, forcing you to think of what you just listened, which leads to another go round with the record just to remind yourself. Do not get me wrong, "The Atlantic" is a killer record, but it has the same tendencies as previous Evergrey efforts, which probably means that my memories of it in the future will be good, but kind of hazy. It is a valiant effort that fans of the band should be extremely ecstatic about, but the minds of most of the doubters will not be changed, at least not this time.

Songs worthy of recognition: End of Silence, A Silent Arc, Weightless, A Secret Atlantis

Rating: 8/10 Currents

www.evergrey.net/
twitter.com/evergreyswe

Haken - Vector (2018)

After spending some time in the past, British progressive metal group Haken is now back in present day, ready to unleash a brand new record onto our ears, and also giving us all a good old Rorschach test. So, what do I see in this album cover? A pair of lungs, an angel, a couple of doves, and also a cool comic book character that I have seen in some film, but cannot quite remember what his name is. Oh well, it is ultimately not what we see that matters, but what we hear, that is another kind of test.

After a strange and eerie opening in "Clear", "Vector" bursts out in "The Good Doctor", which is the shortest and simplest song in the album, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for it in hard hitting accuracy and jazz beats. It is for sure a positive start to the record, with a chorus that is catchy as hell, but it is still only a warm up for the onslaught of technicality that is about to hit us.

The following song "Puzzle Box" is pretty self explanatory. The riffs and beats in here by drummer Raymond Hearne, bassist Connor Green, and guitarists Charlie Griffiths and Richard Henshall are doing some wild gymnastics, spreading as much as possible to flex its muscles. The remaining members (vocalist Ross Jennings and keyboardist Diego Tejeida) do not let down either, helping out to make this track extremely versatile and exciting. All six has been playing together since 2014, so they have created a chemistry that is surely impressive, which is why the following song "Veil" is kind of a disappointment, because it has a little too much Dream Theater in it, and not enough of Haken and their signature prog style. It does not help that "Veil" is the longest track in the album, the only one going over the 8 minute mark, which in itself is a disappointment, together with the fact that we only got 44 minutes of new music, small potatoes for a prog band.

Haken gets back on track though with the instrumental track "Nil By Mouth", a diverse track that blends heavy and chaotic riffs with more soothing sections. It is just as dynamic as you would want an instrumental to be, never losing the listener among the sound gymnastics that is happening in seemingly light speed. Do not know if the band has done an instrumental before, but "Nil By Mouth" is impressive no matter what.

To get the listener back down to Earth, "Vector" ends with two pretty calm songs that does not challenge your mind all that much. "Host" is pretty forgettable with its jazz lounge style, but the closer "A Cell Divides" sticks with me quite well. No, it is not one of the more impressive songs of the record, but it is well executed in the build up phase, leading to the most memorable phrase of the record. "It's the beauty of the flaw, the grace of imperfection". Now that I think of it, this lyric line does describe the album fairly well. "Vector" has its flaws, like that it feels too short and that it is a little inconsistent, but it is still an album that is beautiful in its most shining moments. It does not live up to the expectations that both "The Mountain" and "Affinity" has created, but it is still a serviceable album that should please the fans, at least for a little while.

Songs worthy of recognition: Puzzle Box, The Good Doctor, Nil By Mouth

Rating: 7/10 Veils

www.hakenmusic.com/
twitter.com/Haken_Official

More reviews of Haken
Affinity

Southern Empire - Civilisation (2018)

Progressive metal is in some sort of a golden age as of now, with tons of new bands popping up here and there, coming out with solid material that eats up the listener's free time like the Cookie Monster eats cookies. It is hard enough to keep up with all things surrounding metal today with the sheer quantity of new releases, and it certainly does not help when several of these records are over one hour long. One of these albums is the sophomore effort of Southern Empire called "Civilisation", which despite only having 4 songs are clocking in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. Let us hope that these Australian lads have gone full force with quality over quantity here.

So since there are only 4 songs to go through, I think it just feels right to look at each of the songs and sum it up at the end. First up is the shortest song of the record, the 9-minute short "Goliath's Moon" that tells the tale of a man and his diamond, of how he found it, sold it, found it again, and could not buy it. That's it, nothing more to take from this story that is as simple as it goes. This is definitely the catchiest song of the record, with a lot of resemblance to what Haken has done in recent years, having a little retro touch to this modern progressive sound. It is a nice opener that certainly puts you in the right mood, but it still leaves you wanting more, not setting the bar all too high for the remaining 3 tracks.

Onto track numero dos, "Cries For The Lonely". If the previous track was Haken, then this one is early years Dream Theater, with a lot of nice instrumental work in the beginning, before the bombastic vocals, courtesy of Danny Lopresto, kicks in with quite an entrance. The rest of the 19 minute ride is up and down through different tempos and moods, keeping your attention throughout its entire run time. It is a song that really show the capability of the band, like the nifty keyboard work of Sean Timms, or the perfectly weighed drumming of Brody Green. It takes quite some skills to make long ass songs, and Southern Empire definitely seem to have them.

However, I do think they bit off more than they could chew with the third, and the longest, track called "The Crossroads". It starts off promising, with a Middle Eastern vibe that is really cool and interesting, with some added xylophones and pan flutes as well. But it is around the 13 minute mark the song loses me, somewhere during the frantic uses of violins where the song just feels like it met a literal crossroad. It goes all over the place, until it almost comes to a stand still halfway through, only to become a completely different song all together. Nothing in this track sounds lazy or anything, but it is a divided song that cannot keep it together throughout all of its 29 minutes. It still sounds nice when you are just listening to it, not thinking about when a song starts or stops, but it ain't a mastodon master piece by any means.

Last one up is the 10 minute long "Innocence & Fortune", which sees the band go back to the Haken inspired sound we saw in "Goliath's Moon". It is a mellow song that does have an epic guitar solo to boot (good job there Cam Blokland), and it works nicely as a soothing end to this record. It might be the most underwhelming song though, not having as strong of a presence as its brothers, but it has a task, and it does so well.

So "Civilisation" is certainly a really nice progressive rock album that has a really nice flow to it, with 4 tracks that all have their fair share of cool moments (even though I still think "The Crossroads" should have been split into 2). It is a clean record that deserves a lot of praise, but might not get too much knowing of the competition in today's prog world, especially since Australia has produced a lot of good bands in recent memory. As far as a sophomore record goes, "Civilisation" is as solid as it can get, and it touches the clouds thanks to its quality. To reach beyond though, they might have to learn how to trim some of that extra weight.

Songs worthy of recognition: Cries For The Lonely, Goliath's Moon

Rating: 8/10 Crossroads

www.southernempireband.com/
www.facebook.com/southernempireband/?fref=ts

Michael Romeo - War of The Worlds, Pt. 1 (2018)

Most progressive metal lovers know Michael Romeo as the mastermind virtuoso in Symphony X, but it is safe to wonder how many knew that he had a short and sweet solo career before he started that band. I certainly did not know that, and now it seems like he wants to revive that project now that his main band is on a mini hiatus. Seems reasonable to put a "Pt. 1" at the end of the title then, because surely it will not take another 24 years between albums right? RIGHT???

Well, that is an issue we have to deal with later, because what we are dealt with in "War of The Worlds, Pt. 1" is just pure brilliance. Just as the name suggests, Michael takes a big deal of inspiration from the famous science fiction novel with the same name by H. G. Wells, telling about a planet scale invasion by aliens from Mars and what happens to the human race. It is a classic story that has been adapted a million times in movies, shows, and other media, but a metal album? It has probably been done before, but it is a first for me, and Michael does a great job in re-telling this well known story, letting the music lead the way.

Helping out Michael is two Johns (DeServio on bass and Macaluso on drums), and vocalist Rick Castellano, who also helped Michael in the song writing. Rick definitely steals the show by being the best younger version of Russell Allen possible, showing a great range and a nice sense to elevate the messages further. I seriously do not know where Michael keeps on finding these fantastic singers who not only has the talent, but also fits like a glove with the music Michael creates.

As expected though, this is ultimately the Michael Romeo show, with him showing off all of his powers that are at his disposal. The best performance from him is definitely in "Differences", a brilliant song in a lot of aspects, and Michael just adds to its sweetness with some great techniques. Listen extra closely to the chorus so you do not miss out on some classic Romeo shredding, just magic for the ears. Otherwise there is a lot of great riffs and melodies coming from that guy's guitar, with some of my personal favourites coming from "Fear The Unknown", "Black", and the previously mentioned "Djinn".

So if you have not guessed it already, "War of The Worlds, Pt. 1" has a lot of similarities to Symphony X, with that melodic, yet heavy, progressive style that has made the band such an entity. However, Michael is mixing in a lot of other influences in here to give it its own identity, and not be just a measly clone of the original. A lot of the orchestral parts in a song like "Believe" actually makes it sound more like something early Dream Theater would do. Then we have some middle eastern vibes in "Djinn", a lot of classical music in several songs, and we also have some dubstep in "F*cking Robots", which is kind of fitting, creating an atmosphere for those giant three legged machines to lay waste on the Earth. It is certainly the best use of that "wub wub" bullshit since Korn made that hit or miss record "The Path of Totality".

So if there was any doubt on that Michael Romeo could not succeed without the rest of Symphony X, then I think this album completely crushes those doubts. "War of The Worlds, Pt. 1" is a whole new journey through a classic story, and it sounds better than ever. It is another testament on Michael's capabilities, to take his signature playing style and giving it a new outfit with a bunch of new guys helping out. This is an impressive album from start to finish, with tons of fire power and quality to the very brim, so obviously this is a must for lovers of progressive metal, and really all other metal lovers as well. Let us just hope that it does not take another 24 years for Michael to release part 2.

Songs worthy of recognition: Differences, Fear of The Unknown, Black, Djinn, Constellations

Rating: 9,5/10 F*cking Robots

michaelromeomusic.com/
michaelromeo.bandcamp.com/

Between The Buried And Me - Automata II (2018)

With the disappointment of the first "Automata" record having settled down, it is now time for Between The Buried And Me to unveil the second part to this series about dreams, social media, and the wonders of the human mind. It is a second part that has the tough task in convincing me why this record was split into two parts and why they needed to have two separate release dates. Well, here goes an early spoiler, it did not convince me, it almost made me even angrier over this dick move.

Okay, calling it a dick move might be a little excessive, but it just does not make sense in splitting "Automata" in half. If it was packaged in a double album, sort of like the latest Metallica record, I would have been more fine with it, and I do understand that some people might not have an easy time to digest a full BTBAM experience, but presenting it like two full length albums and forcing your fans to pay full price for both is just awful, especially since this second part is even smaller than the first, having only 4 songs and a playtime of 33 minutes. Those are EP numbers for any progressive metal band, you just cannot get enough satisfaction from it.

With that said though, I have to say that these 33 minutes are filled with a lot of quality. While the first part was kind of safe, not taking us too far away from our safe zone, this second part is going wild with its imagination. It is BTBAM at their best, being playful in the instrumentation, while still keeping the focus through all the twists and turns the band takes us through.

The opening track "The Proverbial Bellow" starts where "Blot" left off, and it does so with some sweet melodic riffing, signed by Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring. It picks up some pace before settling down in a typical BTBAM middle ground, where Tommy Giles Rogers leads the way with his vocals, and the rest of the guys takes it easy to prepare for the next assault, doing so a couple of times. It is far from the most extravagant song that you will here from the band, but it is still highly enjoyable to listen to, making it an optimal album starter (even if 13 minutes is a little too meaty for something that is far from special).

After that comes the interlude "Glide", which actually has some meat to it, taking you to some bistro in France, leads you in among all the smoke and wine to a seat in front of the small stage. Then the band comes flying out in the form of the most fun song of the two albums, "Voice of Trespass". This is an 8 minute high paced jazz bonanza that is completely out of its mind. Blake Richardson is going wild behind the drum kit, Tommy goes full "ba-da-ba-da", and hands, heads, and feet nearby twitch with a frightening force. Best of all though might be that we get a return of the unexpected xylophone, which we first heard on "Extremophile Elite" in "The Parallax II". The second half of the track does slow things down a bit, but the impact that first half has is simply marvelous, easily making "Voice of Tresspass" one of my favourite BTBAM tracks of all time.

The last track of the record, "The Grid", takes the whole concept home with a delicate approach, where Tommy shows some nice emotional abilities, not with his voice, but with his keyboard that takes its time for every note, giving the "Automata" series that epic ending it truly deserves. And after listening to both these records, I still cannot understand why they were separated at birth. Together they make a very serviceable concept record that sits at around 68 minutes, which is not an awful lot considering what other bands has put out in recent time (*ahem* Therion *ahem*). It flows nicely, it has an interesting story, and as always when it comes to BTBAM, the craft is exquisite, so sawing it in half just does not feel right.

If it was released as one solid record, I would probably say that it is a very nice BTBAM album, that the first half might be a bit sluggish, but the steam it picks up around the 40 minute mark makes it all worth while. It is a solid record that might not measure up with the best of the band, but it is certainly nothing to be ashamed about. So overall, nice try lads, but please release it all in one go next time, and as a single unit. Your fans are not made of money you know.

Songs worthy of recognition: Voice of Trespass, The Grid

Rating: 8/10 Proverbial Bellows

www.betweentheburiedandme.com/
twitter.com/btbamofficial

More reviews of Between The Buried And Me
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Coma Ecliptic
Automata I

Ihsahn - Ámr (2018)

Former Emperor frontman and professional man bun wearer Ihsahn is a man who is not afraid to challenge his listeners, to force them to take in a different kind of music that they normally would not be brave enough to try. His special blend of progressive black metal has certainly made some eyes turn, and he has delivered it in some really nice records as of late. He now seeks to continue that impressive streak with his seventh solo outing "Ámr", but strangely enough, he does not push the limits further this time, he actually takes a step back, admiring what he has accomplished in the past.

What I mean by that is that "Ámr" could be seen as sort of a retrospective of what Ihsahn has put out over the years, an album that takes small bits from its brethren to create something personal, and it comes out pretty... okay? Well, the start of the album ain't half bad, but it might be a little misleading though, with both "Lend Me The Eyes of Millennia" and "Arcana Imperii" being much more aggressive than the rest of the album. Shame, since both are terrific songs, especially "Lend Me..." with its epic climax and really cool use of electronic equipment.

After the opening duo, "Ámr" becomes a more soothing experience, still fairly heavy in its moments, but still pretty soft. It is not a full 180 from what the album started out with, but it is enough of a change to make you scratch your head. It just does not feel right to open up the album with two energetic songs, and let the rest of the tracks be more laid back. Not saying that it is a full on poor decision, but it feels like Ihsahn did not think this through completely.

Oh well, the remaining tracks are still easy to swallow, with all ranging between 4-5 minutes in length and are not too complex or too strange for a seasoned Ihsahn listener. What I lack though in most of these tracks is an impact, something to stun you. "Sámr" has this angelic chorus that is awe inspiring, and "In Rites of Passage" has some nice intense moments, but other than those, there just is not much to get hyped over.

And like the direction of the record was not confusing enough already, it ends with a heavy and epic track in "Wake", yet another track that is great, but does it really fit in here? Man, this album does not seem what it wants to do with its life, and even if there are a good amount of nice tracks in here, and another stellar performance from the man himself, it just does not matter if the album has little to no cohesion. Sure, you can enjoy the songs individually, but an album is supposed to be consumed as a whole piece,and in that regard, "Ámr" does not impress.

So all in all, Ihsahn delivers a decent album that probably will not stand the test of time, at least not as well as some of his previous outings. "Ámr" is not bad by any means, it just fails to paint a complete picture. There is certainly quality in here in individual songs, but there are also mediocre songs that lacks creativity and drive, dragging down the album quite a lot. It tries to take influence from earlier records, but cannot create a path of its own, spinning out of control to a middle ground that just does not satisfy anyone. So fans might certainly get something out of "Ámr", just do not expect another game changer.

Songs worthy of recognition: Lend Me The Eyes of Millennia, Sámr, In Rites of Passage

Rating: 6,5/10 Marble Souls

ihsahn.com/
twitter.com/Ihsahn_official

TesseracT - Sonder (2018)

Being seen as one of the more challenging bands within the progressive metal genre, the Americans in TesseracT has been one of the most interesting bands during the 10's. Their unique style of sleek progressive "djent" metal has been a delight to experience every time a new album has dropped, and with "Sonder" being the first record without a change at the vocal position, it is set up for the band to blow us away with their fourth offering.

Here is the thing though, while TesseracT has always been an enjoyable band to listen to, I have felt that none of the three previous records have taken it that extra mile. They have been interesting, but not completely bullet proof for an entire album. Also, for a band that is trying such complicated time signatures and odd rhythms, most of it sounds surprisingly similar. The tempo is the biggest culprit here, the band rarely changes up or down on the speed dial, which gives the impression of a very monotonous record, something that is even more enhanced here in "Sonder".

Also, for a progressive band, TesseracT is very restrained, with "Sonder" only reaching just over half an hour of play time over the course of seven songs. So this is not a meaty record by any means, which once again makes me wonder, why is the band not pushing themselves? These guys have tons of talent, they know how to write some intelligent music, and they know how to capture the attention of the listener, so why are they holding back? It is so frustrating to see this talent only reaching about 60-70% of its potential.

What is stranger is that the band is going for it fully in one song. The 11 minute behemoth "Beneath My Skin/Mirror Image" takes up a third of the run time, but it uses its time very well, with some incredible atmospheric moments and some sneaky technical drumming from Jay Postones. To put all effort into a single song  (technically a fusion between two songs) is not necessarily a bad thing... if you are making an EP, and even if it takes a lot of space, it should not be that big of a focus. "Sonder" obviously has some other nice tunes, like the opening duo "Luminary" and "King" or the powerful "Juno", but most are just another song among the crowd.

Now, the main positive I can say about the album is that it is technically exquisite. TesseracT is not a show off of a band, they never shove their skills into your ears with brute force. They simply let the flow do the talking, and it is talking really nicely.The bass of Amos Williams is nice and loud, the dual guitar of Acle Kahney and James Monteith is tight, and the vocals of Daniel Tompkins is very precise, nailing the right tones to create a brilliant atmosphere. They may not be pushing their skills to the max, but they are still doing an impeccable job.

So yeah, while "Sonder" is certainly an enjoyable record that any TesseracT fan should eat up fairly easily, it is just a small little tapas piece that might not satisfy the hunger. It is also a little too close to its predecessors for one to tolerate, this is after all a band that should evolve, should take their sound into other territories, but have not done so in a grand enough scale. They can accomplish so much more than what they have done so far, which is why I have been a little hard on them here in this review. "Sonder" is still a neat record, but I am still waiting for that slam dunk from the band, maybe next time.

Songs worthy of recognition: Beneath My Skin/Mirror Image, King, Juno

Rating: 7/10 Smiles

www.tesseractband.co.uk/
twitter.com/tesseractband

Between The Buried And Me - Automata I (2018)

Imagine if all your dreams would one day be projected on the television screen. That all those images you project inside your brain during the night (or day if you happen to fall asleep during that time of the day) suddenly becomes exposed to the people of the world. What would you do, what would you feel, would you even want this to happen? This is obviously a thought that the Americans in Between The Buried And Me have wondered, so they made the only sensible thing imaginable, make a record about it. But they did not stop there, because there will be a second record around this concept, with release later this year.

It is another interesting concept that this magnificent group presents, and it will be interesting to see how it will develop in its second part, but for now though, let us focus on the first part of the "Automata" series. I honestly do not think this album will be a surprise to anyone who have listened to the band in the last ten years or so. It is technical brilliance from start to finish, and that patented BTBAM sound is there without any question. If you do not like the band, then it is safe to say that "Automata I" will not change your opinion.

Fact of the matter is that there literally is no surprises in here, this album feels like a let down in several ways actually. The sudden WTF moments are close to extinct, and the modest play time of 35 minutes just makes this feel like a slightly longer EP (it is only 5 minutes longer than "The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues"), which is not nearly enough to satisfy my needs. It is only 5 songs in here, plus a needless 1 minute interlude, so it makes me wonder why "Automata" is even split into 2 parts at all. Is the second part really THAT long?

With that said though, the music is of typical BTBAM quality, in other words, pretty awesome. The opener "Condemned To The Gallows" has a slow, ominous start before the epic bang kicks off the album. It got a lot of the classic tropes, with a catchy screaming of the title thrown in to get in some awkward singalongs. The following "House Organ" is pretty forgettable, but then enters "Yellow Eyes", a grand song where we get such a great mix of the heavy and the melodic side of the band (and especially singer Tommy Giles Rogers), and the middle part has a magnificent playful style that certainly gets you into the groove. Add another memorable scream along moment, and you got a piece of tasty BTBAM candy.

The second half kicks off with "Millions", a very spacey song that would have fitted right in the "Parallax" series quite well, with some really nice guitar playing by Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring. "Gold Distance"... is just a generic interlude, but it does eventually lead up to the longest track of the record (and the shortest title), "Blot". It does take some time to get going, but when it has built up enough momentum, it presents some of the most epic and complex music of the album. The length is no coincidence, there is a lot of technical goodness to take in here, and I am willing to swallow it all.

After that... oh wait, that was it, the album is over. Yes, it is pretty obvious, "Automata I" is the appetizer before the main course, it satisfies the hunger, but you still want more after you are done. It feels like the band is just warming up here, saving the best tricks for the second part, and it is very easy to feel disappointed by it. Unless the second record is like 1 and a half hour long, I really do not see why we have to be teased like this. It still have some really nice moments, and there is nothing to complain about the quality of the craft, but I expect to be blown away when the band returns this summer, to finish off what they started.

Songs worthy of recognition: Yellow Eyes, Condemned To The Gallows, Blot

Rating: 7/10 Gold Distances

www.betweentheburiedandme.com/
twitter.com/btbamofficial

More reviews of Between The Buried And Me
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Coma Ecliptic
Automata II

Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart (2018)

With their sophomore effort "Winter", Oceans of Slumber became a nice little darling in 2016 for most metal lovers, including myself, falling instantly in love with the band's unique version of extreme progressive music. However, I felt that the band had more to give, that we only got a small taste of their true potential on "Winter". So when the band unveiled their new release "The Banished Heart", I flung myself to my Spotify account, and downloaded that shit immediately. Let us hope I did not jump the shark (or however you use that saying).

Well, it did not take very long until I understood that the band had indeed taken their music to the next level. The opening song "The Decay of Disregard" is just a beautiful 9 minute monster that takes its time to develop, but everything is just so carefully placed to get out maximum effect. Unfortunately, my brain is kind of stupid, so it ruined the song by taking the line "It fuels a nightmare" and twisting it into "Feelings of nutmeg". I still love it, but cannot listen to it without singing along with my own lyrics, it is completely engraved in my head. It does make me wonder though, can nutmeg have feelings? Probably not.

Fortunately, my brain was kind enough to not ruin anymore songs, and thank god for that, because this whole album is filled with tracks that have that perfect mix of beauty and darkness, and that is balanced perfectly by singer Cammie Gilbert. Her vocals are so incredibly precise in every single syllable, hitting the right spot every time to give the already atmospheric music another level of emotion. And also thanks from really solid instrumentation work from the remaining five members of the band, we get a chemistry that is simply astonishing.

Sound wise, the band is definitely in a league of their own, but they do have a fair bunch of visible influences on their sleeves. The bands that first comes to my mind is Novembers Doom and Paradise Lost, mostly because they also have a keen sense of getting some grand emotions out of the music. There is also some The Project Hate MCMXCIX and Ne Oblivscaris to be found here, with the intense brutality, complex song structures, and mix of beautiful and crushing harsh vocals, which is best displayed in the brilliant and epic "At Dawn".

It is certainly apparent that the band has done its homework, because "The Banished Heart" is much more consistent than "Winter", with each one of the eleven songs having a purpose of being there. The title track is an emotional power house that just gets bigger and bigger the more we get into the song, while the double sandwich "Etiolation" and "A Path To Broken Stars" are technical masterclasses by guitarists Sean Gary and Anthony Contreras, with drummer Dobber Beverly (nice name dude) laying down some sweet fills in the background. Even the distant closer "Wayfaring Stranger" is very nice, with its mellow atmosphere and naked instrumentation, it is just so god damn impressive.

There is very little to dislike about this album, maybe it is a tad bit too long, and some more vibrant diversity could have been needed, but "The Banished Heart" is still a fantastic record from start to finish. It got it all, brutality, melodies, calm moments, fast moments, it just delivers a smorgasbord of progressive technicality that a prog lover can sit around for hours and stuff themselves silly. Oceans of Slumber is certainly not slumbering anymore, they are awake, and they are delivering some magnificent metal to the people, with some delicious nutmeg sprinkled in for some extra flavour.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Banished Heart, The Decay of Disregard, At Dawn, Etiolation

Rating: 9/10 Wayfaring Strangers

oceansofslumber.com/
twitter.com/OceansofSlumber

Angra - ØMNI (2018)

With their 9th studio effort, Angra sets its sight to the future, with a record about artificial intelligence, human perception, and time travelling. This album is ambitious for sure, but the title makes me wonder, why is it named "ØMNI"? They say it is latin for "everything", but last I checked, there is no Ø in the latin alphabet. Is there a reason to add that slash into that O? This band is not from Denmark or Norway (not Sweden either, but we have Ö instead), and I highly doubt that the rest of the world will use this letter 30 years into the future, so it just does not make any sense what so ever.

Oh well, I am not gonna completely bash this album for one little letter, after all, it is a pretty good one. I did have some expectations after the brilliant "Secret Garden" from 2014, and "ØMNI" is a very reasonable continuation of that record. The influence of the fairly new singer Fabio Lione has definitely been good for the band, and I bet that new guitarist Marcel Barbosa is eager to show what he can do for the band. Their brand of power metal is as strong as ever, and certainly stands out against the competition from Europe.

"ØMNI" might be one of the band's more versatile records to this date, containing a whole catalog of different tunes that each is a part of this multi layered experience. We of course get our fair share of power metal, starting with the opening track "Light of Transcendence", a typical speed freak that will get your adrenaline pumping and your vocal chords screaming along side Fabio. We also have "Travelers of Time" and "War Horns" (where old pal Kiko Loureiro stops by) that helps bring the average speed of the record up to respectable levels.

As said before though, there is more to "ØMNI" than just pure power. We got "Black Widow's Web" where the band gets some help from Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz, who utilize both her clean and harsh vocals in the heaviest song of the album, a nice duet that could be seen as a worthy successor to the Doro duet from the last album. Then we have the more epic tunes "Insania", "Travelers of Time" and "Magic Mirror", where every ounce of song writing skills are used to hold these sturdy tracks together. A couple of ballads squeeze in as well, and while they might not be the strongest the album has to offer, they do help in changing things up, putting that final touch on that impressive depth.

But while the depth is impressive, it does take away some of the personality of the record, making it feel a little uncohesive. It just does not feel complete, and since not all of the songs are of top notch quality, it makes the album suffer a little bit. The ending especially, the two part title track, is not anything to write home about. The first part ("Silence Inside") is a great progressive tune, but the second part ("Infinite Nothing") is completely useless, an instrumental that more sounds like joyful "good ending" music to a fantasy movie. Actually, now that I think of it, the title is quite fitting, it might not be infinite, but it is a whole lot of nothing.

"ØMNI" is definitely a nice album, and I do admire the thought behind it, but I think it would have been even better with a clear sense of direction. Since the story is jumping back and forward in time and space, the music does so too, not really giving the listener a chance to settle down and appreciate it. They are going from European power metal, to Dream Theater prog, to tribe chanting in a pretty quick pace. The good still outweighs the bad though, and there are a lot of great individual quality in here, it is just such a shame that the complete picture is not as sharp as it could have been. It is an exciting trip to the future with some great pit stops along the way, but it needs time to fully process, especially for those who do not understand the mystery of the Ø.

Songs worthy of recognition: Black Widow's Web, Travelers of Time, Insania, Ømni - Silence Inside

Rating: 7/10 Cavemen

www.angra.net/
twitter.com/angraofficial